CATALOG TALES—A BROADWAY STAR, AN EARLY B.A.T. AND SINATRA’S LAMBORGHINI
CATALOGS FROM automobile auctions make for great reading. They’re snapshots in time as well as in value. And, in just about any major sale, there are tales associated with the … Continue reading
THE OTTO FOUR-STROKE—SELF TAUGHT
THE UBIQUITOUS Otto four-stroke internal combustion engine didn’t originate with Otto. For instance, Frenchman Alphonse Eugène Beau de Rochas patented the four-stroke concept in 1861, fifteen years before German Nicolaus … Continue reading
CELEBRATING CHITTY-BANG-BANGS
WITH ALL the World War I reflections going on, I offer a celebration of its surplus aero engines. Specifically, three of these huge powerplants powered Chitty-Bang-Bang I, II and III, … Continue reading
MUROC MADCAPS
MUROC DRY LAKE, in the high desert about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, has a rich history in motor sport. Here are a few of my favorite Muroc madcaps, … Continue reading
MY MAYBACH—WELL, ALMOST
I CAME close to owning a Maybach 57, the Millennium’s Über-S-Class of automobiles. In retrospect, maybe not that close. But the tale touches on museum-worthy arts and crafts, mobile superiority and … Continue reading
SCHMID LSR CRACKS 800 KM/H AT BONNEVILLE
VIRTUALLY, THE Land Speed Record car of Leopold F. Schmid has achieved its design goal of 800 km/h, 497 mph or 432 knots. I include this third equivalent unit because … Continue reading
TRANSPORT MEMORABILIA, 1995 (AND TIMELESS)
I LOVE auction catalogs. They contain a wealth of information. Printed on fine stock, they are typically a bibliophile’s delight. Christie’s catalog for a Transport Memorabilia and Models auction is … Continue reading
SCHMID’S LSR
EVER SINCE La Jamias Contente (French for “never satisfied”) set its land speed record of 105.882 km/h (65.792 mph) in 1899, cars designed for breaking speed records have been bizarre … Continue reading
BROOKLANDS AND ITS SILENCERS
APPARENTLY THERE’S not enough noise in Formula 1 this year (see http://wp.me/p2ETap-28h). This got me thinking of the opposite problem: Automobile racing is inherently a very noisy activity and, occasionally, … Continue reading
PITTSBURGH VINTAGE GRAND PRIX 1996
WHEN WE last saw our intrepid vintage racer (yesterday; http://wp.me/p2ETap-298), he and his patron, Jake Jacobson of the Old Spokes Vintage Racing Team, were chasing each other in 1930s sprint … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 