WORLD CARS 1972
TO SOME of us, the year 1972 doesn’t seem all that long ago. On the other hand, those born that year are already in their 40s. And more than a … Continue reading
GASOGENES AND THE MILLE MIGLIA
TO SHERLOCKIANS and other high-living Victorians, the gasogene is a piece of barware, a gadget producing carbonated water for mixing with whisky. To automotive historians, a gasogene was the answer … Continue reading
STUDEBAKER’S 162 YEARS
ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2014, the Orange County, California, Daily Pilot newspaper jogged the memories of automotive enthusiasts. Unknown to many people in the area, a building being renovated in Newport Beach … Continue reading
SUZUKA SHENANIGANS
THIS WEEKEND, October 4 – 5, 2014, is the Japanese Grand Prix, held as it has been, on and off for years, at Suzuka Circuit in central Japan. I have … Continue reading
DARL’MAT SPÉCIAL SPORT ROADSTER
EMILE DARL’MAT apprenticed with French aviation pioneer Clément Ader and, thus, could have been an aircraft builder. But, instead, Darl’Mat chose automobiles. He started in 1923 with an auto repair … Continue reading
WHAT’S STYLISH FOR GM IS STYLISH FOR THE COUNTRY
MY TITLE is a paraphrase of a misquote, “What’s good for General Motors is good for the country.” What Charles Edwin “Engine Charlie” Wilson, ex-GM CEO and Eisenhower Secretary of … Continue reading
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
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
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
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
