Simanaitis Says

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Category Archives: Classic Bits

ARTFUL BUGATTIS

ONE COULD say that all of Ettore Bugatti’s automobiles are works of art, but here I’m thinking about the models, miniatures and sculpted versions of this famous marque. Over the … Continue reading

September 20, 2014 · Leave a comment

MILLE MIGLIA AVVENTURE

WHAT A great adventure for a comparison test! Take cars built in five different countries, go to Italy and follow the route of the famed Mille Miglia. As it worked … Continue reading

September 15, 2014 · 4 Comments

NASH-HEALEY—MORE THAN A SPORTY IMAGE

SOME CARS just don’t get no respect. Here’s one that had its genesis on the Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth. The car went on to best the likes of Cunningham, Jaguar … Continue reading

September 10, 2014 · Leave a comment

STILL OFF-SCALE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

AUTOMOTIVE ENTHUSIASTS of a certain age (and retentive memory) still celebrate the Tapley Meter. This British piece of instrumentation thrilled us no end when it measured that a car’s performance … Continue reading

September 6, 2014 · 3 Comments

CURVES OF STEEL

IN 2007, Dennita Sewell of the Phoenix Art Museum curated an exhibition titled “Curves of Steel,” featuring 22 automobiles of world-class stature. The exhibition’s catalog is a handsome book of … Continue reading

September 2, 2014 · 3 Comments

TOOT A LOO, AMBY

HINDUSTAN MOTORS Ltd has shut down production of the Ambassador, as reported in a series of BBC News reports, August 27, 2014. It’s an event celebrated in India with mixed … Continue reading

August 28, 2014 · Leave a comment

WOODSMAN, PLY THAT TREE

PLYWOOD IS the world’s first composite material. This sandwiching of wood has been around for more than 200 years. It has numerous domestic uses. Its heritage in aviation is rich; … Continue reading

August 22, 2014 · 2 Comments

DUTCH DARRIN’S FORD CABRIOLET

THE TERM custom coachwork may not resonate with the name Ford as readily as with Roll-Royce, Duesenberg or Packard. Nor does a relocation from Paris to Los Angeles seem the … Continue reading

August 15, 2014 · 6 Comments

GOODING & COMPANY 2014 PEBBLE BEACH

MAYBE IT’S a sign of my age, but I seem to resonate with a goodly number of fabulous cars being offered at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions. With some … Continue reading

July 27, 2014 · 1 Comment

CELEBRATING MORGAN

THIS YEAR, 2014, the Morgan Motor Company is celebrating a 100th anniversary, which I find a perfect opportunity to recollect Morgan’s 75th anniversary that daughter Suz and I attended in … Continue reading

July 22, 2014 · 4 Comments