NAPIER-RAILTON, PART 1
AUTOMOTIVE SPORTSMAN John Cobb’s directive to Thompson & Taylor Ltd. was clear: Build a car to set records at the 2 3/4-mile Brooklands circuit. Chief engineer Reid Railton responded with … Continue reading
TRANNY TALK
HOW COME electric vehicles don’t have transmissions whereas traditional vehicles need gears, seemingly the more, the better? The answer is surprisingly straightforward—it’s all a matter of torque. Torque, or twisting … Continue reading
PROPULSION FIGHT
THIS ISN’T the first time society gets to decide on personal mobility. Back at the previous turn of the century—the 19th to the 20th—the propulsion fight was among electricity, steam … Continue reading
WHEATIES CAR BADGES
DURING THE 1950s, General Mills cereal brand Wheaties—even then “The Breakfast of Champions”—had a neat program of offering car emblems as premiums. Thirty-one of these embossed and painted tin badges … Continue reading
LE MANS TOPS AND SUITCASES
THERE’S A neat story of tops and suitcases associated with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, curiously enough with a gap of 30 years. Here are several of my favorite … Continue reading
ROARING TWENTIES
IT’S NO wonder the 1920s acquired the name Roaring Twenties. It’s certainly warranted from an economic point of view. A recent piece, “The Myth of Gatsby’s Suffering Middle Class,” by … Continue reading
LE MANS
WITH THE Le Mans Vingt-Quatre Heures de l’Endurance coming later this month, it’s appropriate to recall Le Mans tales, several entertaining, one horrific. Its Le Mans start is historical now, … Continue reading
F1 ENGINES 2014—HONDA 2015
RACING IMPROVES the (Honda) breed. The company’s recent announcement to return to Formula 1 in 2015 as McLaren’s engine supplier makes great sense for Honda, its production cars, its engineering and … Continue reading
AIRSTREAM TRAVEL TRAILERS
AIRSTREAM TRAILERS are iconic elements of transportation design. More than several years ago, I attended a gathering of Airstream and other travel trailers in Newport Beach, California. This photographic gallery … Continue reading
A MONACO LAP
ENJOYING THE excitement—and occasional chaos—of the televised 2013 Monaco Grand Prix reminds me of my own electrifying laps of this circuit. (A little EV humor here; very little.) Indeed, in … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 