JAKE JACOBSON AND HIS MILLER-FORD
MY VINTAGE racing career, a spirited though brief one, owed a great deal to Jake Jacobson. A fellow member of the Vintage Sports Car Club of America, Jake was the … Continue reading
ROTARY AUTOMOBILES
A CAR’S wheels rotate, they don’t go up and down. Thus, whatever other complications in moving a car, there has to be a basic transformation of reciprocating pistons into rotating … Continue reading
MAZDA MIATA AT QUARTER CENTURY
MAZDA IS celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Miata at the New York International Auto Show, taking place April 18 – 27, 2014. Given my personal involvement with Miatas, it’s … Continue reading
THE HECK, YOU SAY
THE GERMAN term Heckmotor (rear engine) is usually reserved for Porsche and Volkswagen. However, in the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz preceded Volkswagen in offering rear-engine passenger cars to the public. And, as you … Continue reading
TRIPOLI TANGLES, 1933
GOOD STORIES often get better—or at least more convoluted—in retelling. Such is the case with the 1933 Gran Primio di Tripoli. The original plan was bizarre enough: I Lotteria di … Continue reading
AUTOMOBILES AND ROOFTOPS
A FORD publicity stunt planned 50 years ago and its imminent recreation remind me of Fiat’s Lingotto facility in Turin, Italy, and the action flick, The Italian Job (the original … Continue reading
THE DURAY MILLER—AND ETTORE’S DOHC
FORTUNES INTERTWINED for an Italian-born Alsatian, a Wisconsin-born Californian and a Cleveland kid who changed his name in tribute to a famous race driver. The personages, respectively, are Ettore Bugatti, … Continue reading
BUGATTI ART AT THE MULLIN
ARTISTIC GENIUS surfaced often in the Bugatti family. Ettore Bugatti built cars—with an artistic flair. His brother Rembrandt was a sculptor. Their father Carlo designed and fabricated Art Nouveau furniture. … Continue reading
JUDY AND THE SAN FRANCISCO CABLE CAR
FROM TIME to time, I have an image of a lovely Judy Garland hanging off a San Francisco cable car as she sings “The Trolley Song.” Ah, but the mind … Continue reading
MILLE MIGLIA STORICA, 1989
THE ORIGINAL Mille Miglia, 1927 – 1957, was one of the world’s most grand—and outrageous—motoring events. See “Jenk’s Box of Magic,” http://wp.me/p2ETap-184. The Mille Miglia Storica is its modern counterpart, … Continue reading
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