Simanaitis Says

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Category Archives: Classic Bits

MINI THOUGHTS

AN AD in the January 1961 R&T got me thinking about the impact of the original Morris 850 in automotive history. This car evolved indirectly from the 1956 Suez Canal … Continue reading

November 19, 2016 · 3 Comments

CURTA CURTAIN CALL

THE CURTA CALCULATOR looks like a pepper grinder with numerals peering out. There’s a crank on the top that whirs with reassuring precision. And anyone serious about Time-Speed-Distance rallying in … Continue reading

November 13, 2016 · Leave a comment

A DIVINE DUSIE

THIS PARTICULAR DUESENBERG is more than divine; in a sense, the car was Divine’s. Namely, it was specially built as a Throne Car for the complexly charismatic African-American evangelist Father … Continue reading

October 30, 2016 · 1 Comment

ART OF BUGATTI–THE PETERSEN MUSEUM

JUST OPENED AT the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is The Art of Bugatti, in a sense a recreation of an earlier exhibit at the Mullin Automotive Museum described … Continue reading

October 27, 2016 · 2 Comments

THE D-TYPE JAGUAR (AND A GP’S T’BIRD)

THERE IS no mistaking the principal appeal of R&T, May 1956: A first road test of the Jaguar D-Type, a sports racing car already on its way to legendary status. … Continue reading

October 25, 2016 · 3 Comments

CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR–1933

HAVING MENTIONED MY Cleveland heritage yesterday, Cubs’ fans may rightfully clamor for equal time. (Indeed, Daughter Beth and her family live in Chicago.) With them in mind, today let’s celebrate … Continue reading

October 22, 2016 · Leave a comment

BUGATTI VISES AND VICES

ETTORE BUGATTI WAS an artisan as well as engineer as well as automaker. It’s part of Bugatti lore that each prospective workman at the Molshiem factory was confronted with a … Continue reading

October 16, 2016 · Leave a comment

A MAGNIFICENT YOGI’S RIDE

WHEN LAST WE encountered Pierre Arnold Bernard (yesterday here at SimanaitisSays; 1929 in his lifetime), he had just ordered a car from Belgian automaker Minerva. But not just any car, … Continue reading

October 11, 2016 · Leave a comment

A YOGI’S MAGNIFICENT RIDE

OR “A MAGNIFICENT YOGI’S Ride.” Either way, it describes the 1929 Minerva AM owned by Oom the Magnificent. This Minerva ranks as one of the largest and most lavish automobiles … Continue reading

October 10, 2016 · Leave a comment

WE’RE ALL KIDS

THOUGH WE’RE ALL kids at heart, most of us won’t fit in wonderful enthusiasts’ cars specifically fabricated for kids. Here are three, one whose drivers included le Patron’s son and … Continue reading

October 9, 2016 · Leave a comment