Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

Category Archives: Classic Bits

LA MARQUISE MOTORS ON

THE 1884 DE DION, BOUTON ET TRÉPARDOUX is “the oldest running car in the world,” as described by Gooding & Company at its Pebble Beach Auction, August 19, 2007. The … Continue reading →

December 19, 2021 · 1 Comment

ZORA, M. BUGATTI (AND, TRIVIALLY, ME) PART 2

I SUSPECT ZORA ARKUS-DUNTOV’S R&T article in January 1992 evolved from conversations I had with this famed engineer at the 1990 Monterey Historics.  Zora had wonderful tales to relate, and … Continue reading →

December 7, 2021 · Leave a comment

ZORA, M. BUGATTI, AND (TRIVIALLY) ME PART 1

THE SUBHEAD READS “The Spiritual Father of the Corvette Meets le Patron du Pur Sang.” In composing this subhead, I knew that everyone would recognize the two people: Zora Arkus-Duntov … Continue reading →

December 6, 2021 · 2 Comments

THE DUESENBERG W-24—GO COMPLEX OR STAY HOME

I LIKE COMPLEX POWERPLANTS. The W-12 Napier Lion, for instance, is a trio of four cylinders arranged broad-arrow fashion and powering the Napier-Railton. Another is even more elaborate: the Duesenberg … Continue reading →

December 1, 2021 · Leave a comment

MY TOYOTA 2000GT SALON; JAMES BOND’S TOPLESS VERSION

THE FINE BRITISH Classic & Sports Cas magazine, October 2021, features the “Greatest Bond Cars,” and its. mention of the customized Toyota 2000GT from You Only Live Twice jogs my … Continue reading →

November 22, 2021 · Leave a comment

THE HARLEY GUYS AND THE RAMJET PART 1

PHOTOS OF A 1953 Studebaker Starliner/Starlight coupe  jogged my memory about the Harley guys and the ramjet. All this happened 67 years ago, and please excuse my rambling tale appearing … Continue reading →

November 11, 2021 · 5 Comments

POM ON THE 4 1/2-LITRE SUPERCHARGED BENTLEY PART 2

THOUGH DESIGNED AS a Le Mans sports car, the 4 1/2-litre Bentley in supercharged form took to Grand Prix racing. Today, we continue Laurence Pomeroy’s analysis of this car in … Continue reading →

November 6, 2021 · Leave a comment

POM ON THE 4 1/2-LITRE SUPERCHARGED BENTLEY PART 1

LAURENCE POMEROY, F.R.S.A., M.S.A.E., is author of The Grand Prix Car.Though not explicitly designed for Grands Prix, a 4 1/2-Litre Bentley finished second in the 1930 French Grand Prix and, … Continue reading →

November 5, 2021 · 2 Comments

MAZDA RX-7—ENGINEERING WIZARD YAMAMOTO PERFECTS THE WANKEL

THE WANKEL ENGINE got off to a tough start. An early R&T citation quipped “Winkle winkle, little Wankel,/How I wonder if your crank’ll/Wind up all around itself/And you’ll end up … Continue reading →

October 31, 2021 · Leave a comment

HENRY N. MANNEY III AND THE BROOKLANDS RILEY

SALON FEATURES IN R&T were generally of three types: the purely historical (“…and then on the morning of August 17, 1927, …”), the first-person tentative (“I might have driven this … Continue reading →

October 14, 2021 · 4 Comments