CHARLES WEYMANN, PART 2—EVENTFUL 1928, PUZZLING 2010
PIONEER AVIATOR and coachbuilder for the finest classic cars, Charles Weymann had other adventures too. In 1928, a brandy-related adventure earned him $25,000 at Indy and later not a little … Continue reading
CHARLES WEYMANN, PART 1—AVIATOR, COACHBUILDER
IT’S AS THOUGH nature endowed the talents of Glenn Curtiss, Enzo Ferrari and Sergio Pininfarina in a single person. As a pioneer in aviation, Charles Terres Weymann set records for … Continue reading
OIL AND DIAMONDS FROM WATER?
IT SOUNDS like a geological magic trick: creating oil and diamonds from water. Aren’t diamonds pure carbon that has been squeezed by enormous pressures in deep Earth? Isn’t oil the result … Continue reading
MARIA AVANZO—SIGNORA QUATTRO PISTONI
“CAR GAL” may not readily translate into Italian, but Baronessa Maria Antonietta Avanzo née Bellan certainly qualifies as one. Known as the Signora quattro pistoni (Lady of four pistons), Avanzo … Continue reading
CHRISTMAS MEALS GALORE
CHRISTMAS DAY is less than two weeks away. In preparation thereof, I’m reading The Annotated Christmas Carol to get the inside story of Charles Dickens’ classic tale. Wife Dottie and … Continue reading
THE WEATHER, DAWN AND A BUTTERFLY’S FLUTTER
“EVERYBODY TALKS about the weather…” is sometimes attributed to Mark Twain, though just as nobody does anything about it, nor has this quote ever been verified as Twain’s. No matter, … Continue reading
CARS AND MODS—CIRCA 1910
THIS WEBSITE’S recent celebration of Cadillac featured an ad from Floyd Clymer’s Historical Motor Scrapbook. The same scrapbook is filled with treasures available to early automobilists. This particular scrapbook focuses … Continue reading
CADILLAC’S DEWAR TROPHY
CADILLAC SET the world’s standard for high quality in 1908 in earning the Dewar Trophy presented by England’s Royal Automobile Club. The automaker’s actions in accomplishing this would seem trivial … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES, 1996—WITH A GOOGLE TIME MACHINE
“LOS ANGELES is just New York lying down,” said English original Quentin Crisp. And I wish I knew exactly how he meant that. In fact, though, a lot of Los … Continue reading
CAPRONI NOVIPLANO—A FLYING CRUISE SHIP
IN EARLY days of aviation, some thought anything might be urged aloft, given sufficient wing area and propelled by enough propellers. This fanciful idea graced a magazine cover in 1910. … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 