Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

Category Archives: Classic Bits

TAZIO NUVOLARI

NO LESS an authority than Dr. Ferdinand Porsche called Tazio Nuvolari the “greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future.” The diminutive Italian from Mantua—known as Il Mantovano … Continue reading

January 17, 2013 · 10 Comments

ENTHUSIAST CAR FLICKS

OSCAR NOMINATIONS have been announced for 2013, so here’s our own look at movies celebrating enthusiast cars, sports cars, auto racing and related passions. This list is in no sense … Continue reading

January 12, 2013 · 2 Comments

LE BUGATTI ENGLOUTI

WITH HOMAGE to Claude Debussy’s La Cathédrale Engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral), I offer the story of Le Bugatti Englouti—a tale at least part of which happens to be true. The … Continue reading

January 9, 2013 · 1 Comment

GOODING AUCTION

THERE ARE 156 cars coming up at the Gooding & Company auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 18 and 19, 2013. For full details of the auction, see http://www.goodingco.com. More than … Continue reading

January 6, 2013 · 4 Comments

LABATT’S BEER AERO

WHAT A great use of advertising dollars! Here we are, about to celebrate the start of the year 2013 and, at the same time, remembering an advertising campaign that began … Continue reading

December 31, 2012 · 3 Comments

A 91.2-MPG DATE WITH VERA

FORTY MPG on the highway seems to be the value that everybody lies about these days. Hence, it is with more than just modest satisfaction that I recall my adventure … Continue reading

December 21, 2012 · 1 Comment

INDIANA JONES, OHIO SIMANAITIS

A RECENT refurbishment of Disneyland’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye Adventure reminds me of my own Ohio Simanaitis Adventure. As noted in R&T, April 1996, Henry “Indiana” Jones, … Continue reading

December 18, 2012 · 7 Comments

WACKY’S NEAT CARS

CHICAGO ENTREPRENEUR Stanley Harold “Wacky” Arnolt was more than a car importer; his company S.H. Arnolt was a licensed automobile  manufacturer in the state of Illinois in the 1950s. Arnolt’s … Continue reading

December 17, 2012 · 2 Comments

GEORGE B. SELDEN VS HENRY FORD

IN 1879, GEORGE B. Selden patented the automobile. Selden wasn’t an engineer. He was a tinkerer, though, and more important, a patent attorney. Selden recognized the value of delaying the … Continue reading

December 12, 2012 · 11 Comments

A FORMULA OF BEAUTY

THIS CONVERSATION took place years ago, 1986, to be exact: “We all recognize that a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso is better looking than a 1958 Buick,” I said, “but … Continue reading

December 9, 2012 · 6 Comments