Simanaitis Says

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Category Archives: Classic Bits

ALVIS SPEED 20—A GENTLEMAN’S SPORTING MACHINE PART 1

IMAGINE YOU’RE AN (EVIDENTLY WELL-HEELED) auto enthusiast in 1932. You have enjoyed the likes of Amicar and Bugatti two-seaters, but now there’s the wife and little Artemis calling for suitable … Continue reading

September 23, 2024 · 1 Comment

MY FAVORITE MODEL(S)—AND THE REAL ONE

THE JULY 2024 ISSUE OF Classic & Sports Car and subsequent sleuthing confirm that I am not the only person absolutely whacko about the 1933 Napier-Railton. The fact that I … Continue reading

September 13, 2024 · 5 Comments

EVOLUTION OF THE R+T ROAD TEST PART 2

YESTERDAY WE BEGAN DISCUSSING R+T’s INAUGURAL road tests in 1951. Various formats were assayed, though by midyear a standard format began to evolve. Here in Part 2, road test A-1-51 … Continue reading

September 10, 2024 · Leave a comment

EVOLUTION OF THE R+T ROAD TEST PART 1

JOHN R. BOND LIKELY CRIBBED the road test idea from Brit magazines. The Brits had been stylizing their presentations since the 1920s; the year 1951 was a pivotal one for … Continue reading

September 9, 2024 · 6 Comments

THE LA4’S VIRTUAL GRANDNEPHEW FROM RFPRO PART 2

YESTERDAY, SAE’S SEBASTIAN BLANCO described rFpro’s massively detailed 22-mile digital loop of southwest Los Angeles. I sensed a kinship to the LA4, this city’s downtown route that evolved into EPA’s … Continue reading

August 21, 2024 · 1 Comment

1960 FERRARI 250 GT COUPE—A (SUBTLE) EXOTIC

LAMBORGHINIS, FERRARIS, MID-ENGINE VETTES—and even the occasional neo Bugatti—are seen today here in Orange County, California. There’s no mistaking their exotic nature. Add a classic 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe … Continue reading

August 14, 2024 · 1 Comment

F-JR FUN—ENJOYING AN ELVA AND AN ENVOY PART 2

YESTERDAY, WE SHARED MECHANICAL DETAILS of the Formula Junior Elva and Envoy gleaned from R&T June 1960 and February 1961 respectively. Today in Part 2, we read what the era’s … Continue reading

August 11, 2024 · Leave a comment

F-JR FUN—ENJOYING AN ELVA AND AN ENVOY PART 1

“FORMULA JUNIOR IS AN OPEN-WHEEL RACING class,” Wikipedia describes, “first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (International Sporting Commission, the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports).” Wikipedia continues, “The … Continue reading

August 10, 2024 · Leave a comment

RALLYING IMPROVES THE BREED

“IT’S GREAT TO DRIVE A CAR,” R&T noted in October 1984, “that’s exactly what it claims to be. Whether you think of it as a rally version of the Montecarlo … Continue reading

July 31, 2024 · Leave a comment

SALON: HILL’S DINO THROUGH BERGANDI’S EYES

A “SALON” IN R&T was ordinarily a photographic essay on a classic. But this November 1984 Salon was no ordinary one: The topic was the 1961 Ferrari Dino 156 F1 … Continue reading

July 24, 2024 · 1 Comment