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The story of the Labatts streamliner, undoubtedly de Sakhnoffsky's best-known design, is an interesting one. Although most Canadian Provinces repealed Prohibition during the mid-twenties, Canadian brewers, vintners and distillers were prohibited from advertising their beverages in the Province of Ontario into the 1950s. During the 30s and 40s brightly colored aerodynamic delivery trucks were built for numerous Canadian alcoholic beverage manufacturers to provide them with some much-needed publicity.

The most outrageous of the bunch featured White chassis, Fruehauf trailers and Smith Bros. (of Toronto) coachwork, all designed by de Sakhnoffsky. In 1935 White received an order from the London, Ontario brewer John Labatt Ltd. to create an eye-catching show-piece for the 1936 CNE (Canadian National Exhibition - opened on August 28, 1936). White's London office presented the project to the firm's Cleveland-based designs studio who recommended Sakhnoffsky for the design portion of the project.

According to Labatt's, de Sakhnoffsky produced four streamlined tractor-trailers designs, whose introduction was to be stretched over the upcoming decade, each one more futuristic and streamlined than the previous.

The first, of which 4 examples were built, debuted in 1936. It featured a basically stock White Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. single axle tractor cab & chassis mated to a Fruehauf of Canada Ltd. single-axle drop-frame trailer chassis which bore aerodynamic Smith Bros. coachwork built using an ash and maple framework sheathed with hand-formed sheet-aluminum panels.

Toronto's Smith Bros. customized the tractor/cab, adding custom running boards that flowed into the rear fenders, whose distinctive spats matched the ones on the rear of the trailer. According to Labatts, the distinctive firm's red paint and striking gold graphics were applied in Labatt's own paint shop.

In a 1978 article Toronto-based Canadian transport historian Rolland Lewis Jerry (b.1924-d.2002) states that the Phildalephia-based de Saknoffsky "came to Canada in the mid-30s" but provides no further details.

In mid-1937 the second series, a more advanced design - which included a streamlined White model 812 cab mated to a matching Fruehauf drop-deck trailer - debuted. Twelve examples were constructed in Smith Bros. shop, all of which wore Labatt's red & gold color scheme, which was once again applied in Labatt's London, Ontario paint shop.

One of the first examples of the second series was readied in time for White to display it at the 1937 Great Lakes Exhibition after which it returned to Toronto where it was the star of the brewer's exhibit at the 1937 Canadian National Exhibition. It was later sent to the 1939 New York World's Fair where it was awarded 'Best Design'.

The June 20, 1937 Motors and Motor Men column of the New York Times reported on the increased efficiency of the de Sakhnoffsky-designed beer transporters:

"Tests made recently by transportation engineers for John Labatt, Ltd., brewers of London, Canada, proved that revolutionary style in truck design and for increased efficiency and low cost operation per unit. The Canadian Company placed an order with the White Motor Company for additional all-streamlined cab-over-engine tractor-trailer units, one of which is now on display at the Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland. They are to be radically styled by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky. Two trucks, one streamlined and the other conventional but of the same model and carrying identical loads made a 125-mile run between Toronto and London. Heading into a fifteen-mile-an-hour west wind, the streamlined truck reached its destination using 9 per cent less gasoline, making the trip approximately ten miles per hour faster than its conventional mate."

The tractor and trailer combined were 37 feet long, 10 feet high, and eight feet wide. The body was made from aluminum sheets pinned over a frame made from hundreds of pieces of hard wood. The empty trucks weighed as much as 10 tons and had a trailer capacity of about 825 cubic feet. They could carry eight and a half tons of beer and were still capable of about 50 miles per hour.

The seldom-seen third version, two of which were constructed in 1939-1940 before the War halted such frivolous projects, featured even more sweeping curves added to the roof of the tractor and long tail fin added to the trailer which featured dark blue side panels not found on the postwar streamliners. Once again White furnished the cab, Fruehauf the trailer and Smith Brothers the coachwork.A surviving picture reveals a similarly styled straight van was also produced using the same paint scheme.

When hostilities ceased, the fourth version debuted, of which 10 examples were constructed during 1947 at a cost of $16,000 each. They were constructed using de Sakhnoffsky's 4th design, whose cab was radically different from the pre-War units. Photographs exist of stock White cabs towing post-war streamline trailers  and LaBatt itself doesn't state exactly how many of the post-war cabs were streamliners, so the exact number of streamline trailers and streamline cabs is currently open to debate.

The forward raked cab featured a curved windshield and side windows for great visibility when travelling forward or backing up, its roof gently arced from the top of the cab both downwards and rearwards leaving more distance between the cab and the trailer. Built on a White WA122 COE (cab-over-engine) single-axle chassis, the cabs of the postwar streamliners tilted from the rear to allow easy access to the motor for maintenance and repair. The drop-frame trailers' streamlined coachwork was slightly lower than before in order to match the all-new cabs.

The 1947 streamliners once again featured White cabs, Fruehauf trailers and Smith Bros. coachwork – all paint and gold-leaf lettering once again applied in Labatt's own garage paint shop – the trailers of the two 1939 versions bearing Labatt's blue and red paint scheme with gold leaf trim and lettering.

A 1948 issue of Canadian Transportation featured a small article describing the streamliners constructed in 1947:

"Another 'Streamliner' for John LaBatt, Ltd.

"The London, Ont. Brewing and bottling firm, long noted for operation of handsome, streamlined motor truck equipment on Ontario highways has added a fourth model to its fleet, designed like its predecessors, by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky.

"What is spoken of as the most modern transport on the road in Canada, a fourth design of freight automotive equipment has been added to the fleet of John LaBatt, Ltd., London, Ont. The most recent addition is a tractor-trailer (or, more properly, semitrailer) combination, and the design is, like that of the three forerunners, the work of Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, designer with international reputation.

"LaBatt streamliners, which have always been the subject of much public and industrial comment both for their utility and their beauty, were introduced by the London breweries firm in 1936. All four designs which are now in use were drawn by Count de Sakhnoffsky at the same time, to allow for a steady progression in streamlining. These great sleek highway trucks are designed basically for hauling. They are practical equipment, but the lines which fit them for their work on the road also give them their beauty.

"The new streamliner has a White tractor, built by the White Motor Co. of Canada, Ltd., Montreal. The drop-frame trailer was constructed by Fruehauf Trailer Co. of Canada, Ltd., Weston, Ont. The body of the streamliner, cab and trailer, was supplied by Smith Bros. Motor Body Works, Toronto. It is an all-metal body of aluminum, over a wood framework. The aluminum reduces weight. All Labatt transportation equipment is painted in the company paint shop. The new streamliners are all red, with lettering and ornamentation in gold leaf. This latest model is minus the dark blue side panels which characterize the previous design.

"The new streamliner differs quite radically from the earlier model, particularly in the tractor. The front of the cab is more vertical and flatter in the latest model, but the most noticeable change is in the rear of the cab, which is curved in one smooth line from the top front, leaving greater distance between the cab and the trailer.

"The older cab had an almost flat top and an almost vertical back. The new cab has a curved windshield for better view, and curved side windows at the back for greater visibility in backing and turning. All cabs of the new streamliners tilt from the rear, to allow easy access to the motors.

"The trailer of the new streamliner is set lower than the trailer of the previous model, and is rounded on both upper and lower surfaces at both front and rear, rather than being rounded to a flat bottom surface. This makes the front and rear more similar, the front less snubbed and the rear less sloped. The trailer features a stainless steel 'dorsal fin', principally for ornamentation.

"All the new streamliners are equipped with an anti-jacknife device on the fifth wheel. The Labatt firm was the first in Canada to employ the anti-jacknife device, and many of the older models have been fitted with this equipment.

"Combination stop and directional arrow lights are located on both sides, front and rear of the new streamliner. The tractor-trailer is 36 ft. 10 in. long over all. The combination has wheelbase of 28 ft. 5 in., the wheelbase of the tractor alone being 121 in. Height over all is 9 ft. 8 in., and width over all, 8 ft. 5 in. The trailer length is 28 ft., and trailer capacity is approximately 825 cu. ft.

"The tractor-trailer is 36 ft. 10 in. long over all. The combination has wheelbase of 28 ft. 5 in., the wheelbase of the tractor alone being 121 in. Height over all, 8 ft. 5 in. The trailer length is 28 ft., and the trailer capacity is approximately 825 cu. ft. The trailer is the White model W.A. 122, and is powered with the 'Super Power' model 140A engine, which develops 125 h.p. and has piston displacement of 362 cu. in. The transmission, model 501B, provides five forward speeds. Westinghouse air brakes are employed, and the equipment includes air-operated windshield wipers and horn."

The June 11, 1949 issue of the London Free Press provided a look at Labatt Streamliner history:

"Variety of Changes Shown in Style of Transportation

"Labatt's modern streamlined fleet of transport vehicles – the finest fleet on the continent – had a humble beginning 36 years ago when a Ford truck was bought to supplement the horse-drawn vehicles in use by the Company. In 1917 a second Ford truck was bought and from then on the fleet began to take shape with the addition of various trucks, square single vans, tractor-trailer units, double hook-ups, diesels, tandems.

"In 1936 the first of four streamliners designed by internationally famous Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky made its appearance. Four of these sleek giants were built. In 1938 the second series, a more advanced design, appeared and 12 streamliners were built along this pattern. The 1939 streamliner with forward-sloping lines appeared but only two were built before the war began. Last year ten new streamliners were built at a cost of $16,500 each – unpainted. All paint and gold-leaf lettering is applied in LaBatt's own garage paint shop.

"It is interesting to note that all four streamline designs were drawn at the same time 12 years ago by Count Sakhnoffsky. In spite of the intervening years the streamliners are the most modern design of transport to be seen anywhere on the highways. Another interesting fact is that Labatt streamlined trucks had fenders sweeping back to the rear wheels and full windows in the back of the cab before these modern designs were ever used on passenger cars!"

The vehicles moved beer across Ontario until l955, when Labatt's sold off its Streamliner fleet and brought an end to an era.

A pair of streamliners survive, the first a complete 1937 version which is currently undergoing restoration, the second a totally restored 1947 version built using an original trailer and a re-created cab.

The 1937's owner, Campbell, California's Jeffrey W. Glenzer, reports:

"The one I am restoring is an original tractor and trailer built in 1937 one of twelve built and pretty much the only complete tractor and trailer still around….  I did start working on it in January 2010, I took a class with LAZZE metal shaping and did make some new fenders for the tractor and some aluminum panels for the trailer. I am gearing up to really get on it this summer, so I guess I’ll shoot for the 2013 (ATHS) show in Washington."

While Glenzer is utilizing his own funds to restore his 1937, Labatt's footed for the restoration of the 1947 unit which was finished in time for a planned debut at the 1986 Vancouver Expo. To commemorate the event Canada Post released a 10 and 90 cent commemorative stamp in 1986 that featured a side view of a 1947 streamliner.

The following caption accompanied a wire photo of a new White Model 706 tanker that was carried in many of the nation's papers on November 26, 1936:

"STREAMLINED trucks to bring new beauty to the highways. Compare the appearance of this new White tank truck, styled by Count Sakhnoffsky (right), with the ugly ducklings of the highways a few years ago. COUNT ALEXIS DE SAKHNOFFSKY; 'world-famed authority on streamlining, who styled the truck at the left, recently returned on the Hindenburg from Europe."

The Count must have spent a lot of time in Cleveland during 1936, as he also served as a styling consultant to the Murray-Ohio Mfg. Co., for whom he designed a series of bicycles, tricycles, pedal cars and toy trucks, as evidenced by the following text that appeared in a display ad for a mid-west department store chain dated November 26, 1936:

"Gamble's present the very newest streamlined bicycle, designed and styled by Count Alexis De Sakhnoffsky, today's leading engineer of modern streamlining. Count Sakhnoffsky has won prize for prize in Monte Carlo for his Deluxe, special automobile body designs. His work includes some of the most outstanding, modem designs, 'everything from men's clothing to motor cars. Gamble's offer his very newest creation in streamlined bicycles. So new, so different, and so modern that they will undoubtedly grasp the middle west by storm!"

The Count's bicycles were marketed under the Mercury brand, a display ad dating from September 29, 1937 is transcribed below:

"Murray Bicycles - Manufactured by Murray-Ohio Manufacturing Co. Styled by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky All "Mercury" Bicycles have a 19 inch frame—1 inch tubing with automatic electrically flash welded joints—"V" type drop forged crown—"V" type fenders —one-piece drop forged crank—all steel hook type rims —2 125x20 balloon tires with inner tubes—standard bicycle pedals—Troxel saddle— New Departure coaster brakes."

Another 1937 advertisement for Steelcraft, the trade-name assigned to Murray's pressed-steel toys and juvenile vehicles (aka pedal cars), proclaimed that:

"the artistic wizardry of Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, the world's premier engineering stylist, is most evident in the Steelcraft Juvenile Automobile Line in 1937. Count de Sakhnoffsky was the winner of the Grand Prix at Monte Carlo for six consecutive years in the Elegance Contest for his automobile designs."

Known de Sakhnoffsky-designed pedal cars included the streamlined Super Charge Deluxe, the Chrysler Imperial Airflow, a slightly smaller Plymouth and a bright-red Pontiac Chief Auto Deluxe fire truck, complete with a hood-mounted bell and pull cord.

De Sakhnoffsky's work for White attracted the attention of the Budd Manufacturing Co., which was conveniently located in de Sakhnoffsky's hometown of Philadelphia, and during late 1936 and early 1937 he designed a series of fluted aluminum trailers for the firm. Although they weren't constructed right away, Budd resurrected his designs at the start of the Second World War when they were commissioned to build a series of tractor-trailer buses which were used to transport War Workers to and from work.

The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, 1931-1941, gives 'Alex de Sakhnoffsky' an art department credit (special sets) on Hal Roach's 1937 feature film 'Topper' directed by Norman Z. McLeod, which starred Constance Bennett, Cary Grant, Roland Young and Billie Burke. His involvement with the project was mentioned in Louella Parsons' March 19, 1937 syndicated column:

"High Priced Favorites to Parade for Topper/ Show of Ultra Contraptions

"Gary Grant Cast Addition; Fancy Settings of DeLuxe Autos, Trains.

"Louella O. Parsons, Motion Picture Editor, Universal Service (Copyright, 1937, by Universal Service)

"Los Angeles, Cal.—(US)—Wowie! What a parade of box office names Hal Roach is gathering for "Topper" his most pretentious feature to date. Gary Grant, at the moment the most sought-after leading man in movies, has been signed to emote opposite Constance Bennett. Roland Young, expert farceur, Billie Burke, Hedda Hopper and Alan Mowbray, all high-priced favorites, complete the cast for Thorne Smith's comedy.

"And wait a minute—that's not the half of it. Hal is building a huge new sound stage and is bringing Alex de Sakhnoffsky, designer of trick airplanes, etc., for Esquire, here for special sets.

"A deluxe tourist train that is expected to give the railroad builders ideas and super-streamlined automobiles on the same order are being built by Mons. De Sakh—(Oh, just sneeze it!) Norman McLeod, the director, is so intrigued with it all I wouldn't be surprised to see him dashing about in one of those ultra, ultra motors."

In April 1937 the Count appeared on the nightly W.O.R. Variety Show, which was broadcast throughout the Metropolitan New York listening region, which included most of New Jersey, Western Connecticut and northeast Pennsylvania. His appearance was noted in the April 27, 1937 New York Times 'Today On The Radio' program guide:

"8:00 p.m. WOR – Variety Show: Streamlining – Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky; Key Men Quartet; Brussiloff Orchestra."

In a somewhat related item de Sakhnoffsky was hired by band leader Phil Spitalny to makeover some of his instruments. His All-Girl-Orchestra was immortalized in the Billy Wilder classic 'Some Like it Hot'.

Don O'Malley's syndicated 'New York Inside Out' column of June 22, 1937 reported on the unusual commission:

"TUNED UP - Everything is streamlined these days, and now Phil Spitalny has decided to carry out the modern motif in a field that has hardly been touched. Spitalny, who leads the all-girl orchestra, will give his musicians something really fancy to play with. Working with Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, the Industrial designer, Spitalny has worked out new fashions for musical instruments, three of which are completed. They've got a new piano that looks like a super super 16-cylinder special. The music rack and pedals are built-in, with the compact economy of the flowing line. The top of the piano doesn't lift up, but instead is sealed against dust. The music comes out from a series of vents which look like exhaust pipes.

"Their violin is less radical. But I disperse with the little curlicues which were typical of the early Italian violin makers art. Their prize, so far, is the drums. This is designed like a round Swiss cheese a la modern. Hope the drummer's enthusiasm doesn't make him punch holes in the new innovation."

Phil Spitalny’s drummer, Viola Smith, is featured in a 1939 Warner Bros./Vitaphone short: Frances Carroll & 'The Coquettes’ where her de Sakhnoffsky-designed drum set is put to good use.

De Sakhnoffsky designed advertisements for Revlon during the late 1930s, the July 20, 1937 New York Times Advertising News & Notes reporting:

"Doubles Magazine Budget

"The magazine advertising appropriation of Revlon Nail Polish is now double that of 1936. Copy is now running regularly in Woman’s Home Companion, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire and Photoplay. Count Sakhnoffsky is doing the illustrations. H.B. Le Quatte, Inc. is the agency."

The November 6, 1937 issue of Automotive Industries reported the Count was now working with the Murray Corp of America:

"COUNT ALEXIS DE SAKHNOFFSKY, designer of automobiles and other industrial products, has been engaged as consulting stylist by the Murray Corp. of America, C. W. Avery, president of the corporation, announced. Count Sakhnoffsky's activities on behalf of the Murray Corporation will include research in the development of new lines for the motor car of the near future, as well as application of his decorative knowledge to the design of striking instrument boards and interiors."

His work for Murray may have been related to the 1939 announcement that de Sakhnoffsky had styled the coachwork for Powell Crosley's new self-named automobile, whose bodies were supplied by Murray.

While we're on the subject of diminutive automobiles, de Sakhnoffsky designed the coachwork for the 1938-41 Bantam which was a reinterpretation of the American Austin, a design he had worked on almost a decade earlier.

In 1936 Roy Evans purchased the assets of the bankrupt (in 1934) American Austin Co. and reorganized it as the American Bantam Car Co. Evans contacted de Sakhnoffsky, who had designed the bodies of the American Austin, to see if he was interested in designed the coachwork for its successor. An early Bantam press release noted that Sakhnoffsky only charged $300 for the work as the American Bantam Co. was living hand to mouth and that the design work only took 3 days.

During the mid-to-late thirties de Sakhnoffsky lived in Philadelphia and maintained some sort of office in Manhattan. He was periodically mentioned in the various metropolitan newspapers, once of which was the Advertising News column of the November 10, 1937 New York Times:

"Kay Kamen Ltd., will represent Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky in all commercial activities."

Two months later, January 23, 1938, his name appeared in the same paper's Society Page:

“PHILADELPHIA DANCE IS ATTENDED BY MANY; George Draper Lewises Among Hosts at Supper Party of Knights of Rhythm Club.

"Among the 355 guests of the Knights of Rhythm Supper Club in the Hotel Warwick ballroom tonight were Mr. and Mrs. George Draper Lewis of Chestnut Hill, with their daughter, Miss Betty Lewis, and her fiance, William R. Nichols of New York, and Mr. and Mrs. Luther Kellogg, also of New York. Count and Countess De Sakhnoffsky were guests of George Lamaze."

One month later, February 20, 1938, an art exhibit taking place at Manhattan's Decorator Club, included some of his work, the New York Times Reviewer’s Notebook reporting:

"'Art Takes to the Air' is the theme of the exhibition at the Decorators Club, where paintings by William Heaslip (a little on the illustrative side), dry-points by Jesse Harrison Mason, drawings of Plane Interiors by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, water-colors by Clayton Knight (including one made at a height of nearly five miles over the Andes) and a number of other works ranging from sketches for murals to the 'Wright' portfolio by Frank Lemmon, are on view (until Feb. 26)."

In late 1937 he was retained by the Emerson Radio & Phonograph Corp. to lend his streamlining expertise to their somewhat dated model range. The Advertising News column of the March 12, 1938 New York Times reported:

"Emerson Ads Feature New Model

"Emerson Radio and Phonograph Corporation is introducing a new radio model designed by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, industrial designer, who recently joined the Emerson staff. The new model is being featured in the company’s cooperative newspaper advertising with dealers in key markets throughout the country and will be promoted in Emerson’s national advertising, beginning in the Fall. Grady & Wagner, Inc. have the account."

The most desirable of his Emerson creations was the boldly-styled BD-197 which has become popularly known as the 'Mae West' to old radio collectors. Other de Sakhnoffsky designed models included the AX-211, AX-212 and AU-213 and the attractive bent-wood cabinets were supplied to Emerson by the Elias Ingraham Co. of Bristol, Connecticut, a firm that was better known as a clock manufacturer.

The Count was kept busy during 1937, his most interesting project being the design of a pair of jungle caravans for Attilio Gatti an Italian author, explorer and film-maker who travelled extensively through Africa in the first half of the 20th century.

The 1938 Fleetwheels trailers were towed behind a long wheelbase International tractor whose coachwork was designed by de Sakhnoffsky.

(FYI some sources erroneously list the constructor as Elkhart, Indiana's Shult Trailer Co. The firm did construct three trailers for Gatti, however, it was involved in 1947's Gatti-Hallicrafter African expedition, which toured the interior of British East-Africa, not his 1938 Tour of the Belgian Congo.)

The 28-foot stainless steel trailers were constructed in Fleetwheels-Coates' Bristol, Pennsylvania, factory, which also built the stylish bodies of the matching International 5^th wheel tractors. A March 13, 1938 news story written by Lillian G. Genn, a syndicated writer and editor who worked for Colliers and Argosy, provided details of the trip and its vehicles:

"Through Africa in a Trailer - by Lillian G. Genn

"THE most amazing, luxurious caravan the world has ever seen sets out soon under Commander Attllio Gatti to open a tourist route in Africa. Only fifty years ago the great explorer, Stanley, was the first to penetrate the depths of Africa with what was deemed great heroism and valor. Today Commander Gatti will follow Stanley's trail with every comfort that civilization can offer. Stanley would have thought that

only the magic of Aladdin's lamp could have produced anything like this caravan.

"TO GIVE you an idea, the caravan is composed of three trailers, each twenty-five feet long and constructed of stainless steel. They are ultra-insulated against heat, humidity, insects and even the pollen of tropical flowers, which is often the cause of deadly fevers.

"One trailer contains the sleeping quarters of Gatti and his wife, with couches that can be turned into beds at night, a dressing table, bath and shower. Mrs. Gatti's cabin is decorated in dusty pink. Over the bed is a rolling door which opens into a receptacle. In the rear of the car, especially insulated for the preservation of dry foods, camera negatives and perishables. The bed has a night light in the form of an African idol.

The wardrobe is lined with chromium and is automatically lighted, and so constructed that no insects or dust can sneak in. The small dressing table is indirectly lighted. The walls are mirrored and there are shelves for books as well as plenty of drawer space. The rug on the floor is a beautiful shade of blue.

The bathroom is in black and coral, with a thermometer to show the temperature of the bathwater and a radio set. Gatti's room is done in light green and henna.

"The second trailer is a combination dining room and observation car decorated in French gray, brown and citron yellow. There are comfortable armchairs, a small bar and a radio, and receptacles for guns and cameras. In one corner is a library desk with a two-way radio. This allows for easy broadcasting between trailers within a radius of sixty miles. At the right of the desk is an instrument vault and at the left a metal relief map of the Belgian Congo.

"The ultra-modern kitchen is so compactly designed that Mrs. Gatti, by sitting on the stool in the center of the room, can easily reach the refrigerator, the sink, the stove, the oven, the door to the insulated receptacle, the table, lockers and drawers. It is in soft tones of gray and yellow.

"In the third car are the living quarters of the two camera men and a complete dark room and photographic laboratory. Each is pulled by a power car which forms one unit with the trailer and which has the electric-generating plant. There is also a truck with camp material and a station wagon, all in the same color scheme and lines.

"The trailers are air-conditioned and have indirect lighting. There are special electric fans which, when plugged into one of the outlets, make the voltage so high that any prowlers will be thrown away without being killed. The screens of the doors are electrified in such a way that as soon as an insect touches them it will be electrocuted.

"A novel feature is the periscope which has been installed in the dining car so that when Gatti and his guests are sitting down they can see the whole road in front of them for miles ahead. There is also a small concertina which is hidden when not in use. But it can be put between the doors of the two trailers, thus making it a self-contained apartment.

"These are the highlights of this luxurious caravan, executed with so much beauty and grace of line that is like a Park Avenue home on wheels….

"ON THE last expedition Gatti and his wife began to feel somewhat fed up with tent life. They got tired of packing and unpacking, of having things broken and never being able to have fresh, food. And they spent all their energies fighting the insects.

"'If we could only have a-trailer,' exclaimed Mrs. Gatti, 'things would be much easier!' 'Yes,' agreed Gatti. 'The insects wouldn't be able-to climb the-rubber.' 'We could-have fresh food, too,' said Mrs. Gatti. 'And we wouldn't have to pitch camp every day,' put in the commander.

"So an idea was born. As they both began to think about it, it occurred to them that if trailers were available and a good road, people who could afford the trip but would not put up with all the discomforts, would come to Africa to see its beauties.

"Commander Gatti told the idea to Belgian Government officials (and they were immediately interested in it. He was commissioned to make these trailers and put them on the road to see what modifications would be needed, to study all the itineraries in the Belgian Congo so that something extremely, attractive could be included in the trip.

"Gatti and his wife arrived in America nearly a year ago to begin work on the trailers. They tried several designers but could not get anyone who could execute them as they visualized them. It was difficult for them to explain the idea. Again and again the work was begun, and discarded. It looked as though they would not be able to get the type of trailer they wanted.

"Then Commander Gatti met Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, one of the foremost designers and stylists of America, who had designed the Burlington train. Gatti's idea excited his imagination, and he quickly went to work on the trailers.

"So at last Gatti's caravan came into being and is ready to be shipped to Africa. Gatti expects to spend a year making the survey. When everything is ready a dozen trailers will be built. A big firm will prepare a standard kit for men and women, so that one has only to write to receive a colonial, trunk containing everything he needs for the trip – from shorts to helmet, all packed and initialed."

An article in the April 12, 1938 New York Times confirms the trailers were built by Fleetwheels-Coates:

"'JUNGLE' TRAILERS EQUIPPED WITH BAR; Air-Conditioned Vehicles for Use in Congo Are Shown Here

"Two 'jungle yachts', equipped with all the comforts and conveniences of a modern apartment, were shown in a preview yesterday at the showrooms of the International Harvester Company at Eleventh Avenue and Forty-second Street.

“Designed for an expedition into the Belgian Congo, the two- 25-foot trailers are air-conditioned, have two bedrooms, a tiled bath, a combination living-room and library, and even a bar. One unit contains the two bedrooms with the bath in between and the other the living-room and kitchenette with refrigeration. Both are powered by tractors.

"The 'jungle yachts' were built by the Fleetwheels-Coates Corporation of Bristol, Pa., from designs by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky. They will be used as base camps for the tenth expedition to Africa of Commander and Mrs. Attilio Gatti.

"Commander and Mrs. Gatti will start on the expedition April 30 to capture animals in Africa for zoological collections and to make a survey for the proposed opening of the Belgian Congo to tourist travel."

The Advertising News column of the October 21, 1938 New York Times announced the Count had hired an agent:

"Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, designer of motor cars, radios and other products, will enter merchandise design in men’s and women’s footwear and women’s accessories. He has appointed Samuel G. Krivit Company, Inc., as his representative."

Aircraft and watercraft were frequent subjects of his illustrations for Esquire and in early 1938 he served as a design consultant to the Yacht Sales & Service Co., of Oakland, California, the April 24, 1938 issue of the Oakland Tribune reporting:

"Boatbuilding Firm Establishes Plant Here to Serve Customers

"The various forms of boating around and about San Francisco Bay, Oakland's Outer Harbor has become the scene of a new industry, the Yacht Sales and Service Company. This company is featuring the building of stock and custom yachts, both power and sail, the power boats under the trade name 'Frost-Craft', and it also offers to coast yachtsmen a complete service in the design and construction of individual yachts and are also the builders of 'Sunset' class racing boats as the partnership of Morris P. Frost and William T. Cross in the yacht brokerage and insurance business in 1936. The company was incorporated under the present name in 1937, with Frost as president, Cross as vice-president, and Geoffrey H. James, secretary-treasurer.

"OPERATIONS BEGUN

"Boat yard operations were started at the "Outer Harbor location in August, 1937, with the erection of marine ways, a machine shop, a pattern shop and mill, two boat shops and a mold loft. The service facilities at the Berkeley Yacht Harbor were acquired in October, with shops and a completely stocked chandlery, for servicing the boats of the harbor.

"A long-distance, boat hauling service was inaugurated in January, with special equipment for the overland transporting of boats between all points in the United States. The three boats exhibited by the company at the recent Los Angeles boat show were transported with this equipment.

"The well-known stylist, Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, is responsible for the graceful lines of the exterior and the streamlining of the interior of 'Frost-Craft' custom models. His careful choice of the most adaptable materials serve to heighten the effects of beauty and motion, so that artistic streamlining has become a reality.

"James B. Dewitt, marine architect, is also a member of our staff, who has effected a notable compromise between racing lines and cruising accommodations, with a minimum sacrifice of the desirable characteristics of each. This is well emphasized in his creation of 'Sunset One-Design,' our featured racing cruiser."

While on the West Coast Sakhnoffsky was also commissioned to design a promotion brochure for a club aimed at the rich and famous in Hollywood, the Inner Circle. While the club never materialized due to the oncoming war, the brochure revealed a streamlined paradise of its own.

He did, however, have a hand in the design of a Hollywood nightspot that did get off the ground, the Earl Carroll Theatre, which was located at 6230 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. Built in 1938 and located at 6230 Sunset Blvd (just east of Vine), the theatre was designed by architect Gordon B. Kauffman and its exterior graced by a 20-foot high neon silhouette of Earl Carroll's girlfriend Beryl Wallace.

De Sakhnoffsky assisted Kauffman with the design of the interiors where Carroll's girl-centric stage shows, a modern adaptation of a Florence Ziegfeld revue, took place. The 1,000-seat theatre boasted of an 80-foot wide stage equipped with a 60-foot wide revolving turntable, a revolving staircase, and three huge swings. from which various lovelies would rigged with three swings that could be lowered from the ceiling.

During the 30s Heywood-Wakefield Co. invited the nation's top modernist designers (de Sakhnoffsky, Leo Jiranek, Gilbert Rohde and Frank Lloyd Wright) to create new lines of furniture using the latest machinery, reinforcing a Bauhaus principle that attractive, well-made furniture could be made on a production line.

In 1938 de Sakhnoffsky was invited to design a special line of Heywood-Wakefield furniture for display at the 1939 World's Fair' House of Tomorrow, a project which was covered in great detail by George Herrick in the September 1939 issue of The Woodworker:

"New Furniture of Classic Simplicity Is All Streamlined By George Herrick.

"When four furniture manufacturers in co-operation – Heywood-Wakefield, Simmons Co., Red Lion Furniture Co. and Red Lion Table Co. - retained an industrial designer to create something new, they got what may prove to be a new trend in furniture, as described in this article.

"As an industrial designer, Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, who has done distinguished work in everything from men's apparel and jewelry to motor cars, refrigerators and radio cabinets, has brought a fresh point of view to furniture design. He is a proponent of what we call 'streamline'. Fine flow of line and proportion and close attention to the function of the object constitute his basic decoration without addition of non-essential ornament. It is the same basic principle that has entered so widely into the modern motor car and been approved by the buying public. But while the Sakhnoffsky-designed furniture has the simplicity and streamlining of the automobile body, it is by no stretch of the imagination an attempt to turn a bed into a commercial truck or a chest of drawers into a 12-cylinder streamlined juggernaut. The lines of each piece 'flow' instead of being tortured and twisted around acute corners interrupted at intervals by ornamental accretions that serve no purpose and mean nothing. Part of this streamlining was possible in practice because of the equipment of one of the manufacturers, Heywood-Wakefield. Chests of drawers in solid maple, for example, have bowed fronts on the drawers, with a 46-in. span. The plant of the Heywood-Wakefield company is one of the few in the country that can handle bends of this magnitude with success. The other wood is natural walnut veneer, the darker pieces shown in accompanying illustrations; the maple is wheat tone in finish. In the desire to secure an unusual finish, several methods were tried. Finally it was found that on the natural walnut best results were secured from merely filling and then waxing to bring out the grain. No stain was used and the result is a slight grayish cast that the designer finds highly desirable.

"A lengthy thesis might be written on Count de Sakhnoffsky's treatment of lines in any product, or place. He usually tries to carry the line seen by the eye, to as nearly a logical conclusion as possible, with a pleasant and soothing effect on the mind as a result. The accompanying illustrations indicate the smoothness resulting from this treatment that results in an almost complete absence of acute angles and corners. Even a right-angle turn is rounded so that the line flows instead of being suddenly arrested and starting off again at a tangent. Treatment of drawers is an example of swinging lines away into infinity, especially in the case of the vanity table. Even the legs are streamlined, with the edge of the piece extending and then turning at a slightly curved right-angle to form the foot or foundation. With all this, a quick glance at a room furnished with streamlined furniture gives an impression of classic simplicity rather than ultramodern. With all this attention to line and texture of furniture, Sakhnoffsky did not overlook function, a factor always given a prominent place in the considerations of the industrial designer. Regardless of the product, the designer today not only tries to make it more attractive in appearance, but more useful in its application.

"Count de Sakhnoffsky believes that furniture and home decoration should conform to the requirements and eccentricities of the occupant. The individual should not be forced to adjust his living and personal peculiarities to the furniture. Furthermore, furniture should be as efficient in its service to the owner as possible. All this is by way of explaining several departures in the furniture and the decoration done by Sakhnoffsky at the preliminary showing of the new designs in Bloomingdale's department store, New York. His cylindrical bookcase is a good example. Here is plenty of precedent in the revolving cases that once graced libraries of the 18th and 19th-century homes, but the modern version has been installed in the wall between two rooms. With a semi-circle projecting in the living-room on one side and the bed-room on the other side of the wall, occupants of either room may be served with the entire contents by revolving the shelves. An empty section at table level provides a console with frosted glass top illuminated from beneath.

"Here, the influence of an automobile body might be detected by the exercise of imagination, but in this case the design is of a piece of furniture that moves. The skirting at the base conceals the wheels, so that when it is rolled over the floor it appears to glide: at the same time the skirt projection provides a bumper. The small circular table in the cocktail lounge is a unit of fully curved lines. Functionally it has been improved by having the top set to revolve. In decorative treatment of this room the photograph indicates how curved lines have been carried out even to the window. A rectangular opening would have contributed a jarring note to an otherwise pleasing ensemble.

"The master bed-room in this 'Home of Tomorrow,' as it was termed by Bloomingdale, has the latest development in functional headboards for the beds. The headboard has been troubling designers of the modern school considerably. Its only function remaining was to stop the pillows from falling off, and as a result, various attempts have been made to combine in it other functions, such as storage space and shelves. The Sakhnoffsky version carries this trend forward.

(Captions follow)

"Lower Left — The cocktail lounge at the end of the dining-room Is both snug and functional; the small cocktail table has a revolving top; the perambulator or ' tea wagon' is fully streamlined, of natural walnut veneer. Above – This walnut desk is patterned on Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky's own desk, which he designed for his office in New York. Upper Right — Here, Count de Sakhnoffsky carried the ambition of every designer of furniture forward another step by combining more functions In the headboard."

The August 1939 issue of Popular Science also included illustrations of the aforementioned Bloomingdales installation:

"A legless dining-room table suspended from the ceiling by a internally lighted glass tube, a streamline desk with a radio, barometer, thermometer, and clock built into a desk-top dashboard, a circular wall bookcase that revolves to allow volumes to be reached from either bedroom or the living room – these are some of the outstanding features of a models apartment designed by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, well-known industrial designer. Set up for display in a New York City department store, the ultramodern apartment utilizes various new plastic materials, glass walls lighted from behind by fluorescent lamps, and a circular fireplace set in the wall between the dining and living rooms so that it may be seen from either."

The 1940 US Census lists the Sakhnoffskys (Ethleene & Alexis) at 106 N. State St., Chicago. She was 31, born in Missouri, he gives his age as 40, occupation auto designer.

During the previous year de Sakhnoffsky had approached Nash with an idea to create a Nash-based sport roadster along the same lines as the Packard-Darrin. Rather than start with an all-new body de Sakhnoffsky proposed modifying a standard Nash Ambassador Eight Convertible (whose design is attributed to Don Mortrude).

A prototype was constructed and shown to George Mason who agreed to manufacture a limited number of the coupes, which would be made available in a limited number of Metropolitan Nash distributors. It featured sports-car-style cut-down doors and a lowered split-screen windshield to which an equally cut-down convertible top was attached. As the cut-down doors were too short to contain a window regulator, side curtains were substituted and the exposed top edge of the door covered in padded leather. The suspension was lowered, the running boards and exterior chrome discarded, and the rear tires sheathed with spats.

The prototype Nash Special 4081 cabriolet was shown to Nash president George Mason who agreed to manufacture a limited number of the roadsters, which would be made available through most Metropolitan Nash distributors. Bodies were constructed at Seaman, shipped to Kenosha, and trimmed in blue, red or tan leather at the United Body Co. in Chicago. The admittedly attractive vehicles were considered too impractical and expensive by the buying public with a purported 11 of the reportedly $5,000 vehicles delivered during the 1940 model year.

According to Nash historians what little remained of the car's brightwork could be ordered in Duragold (a copper-based faux-gold finish), and at least one of the gold-finished cars was delivered to Prof. Andrew Primo of New Orleans, Louisiana. Dubbed the 'Golden Chariot' it was used to help sell war bonds during the Second World War - a period wire service photo shows an attached banner reading 'Kill a Nazi! Kill a Fascist! One Dime - One Bullet will kill a Jap!'

Although the de Sakhnoffsky roadster proved to be a sales disaster it provided Nash with some much needed publicity, the May 19, 1940 issue of the Oakland Tribune included the following announcement of its San Francisco debut:

(Caption:)"Limited edition, signed by the author, this new Nash sports car was signed by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky to meet the demands of an exclusive market for a custom-built version of the lithe Nashes that have won so much popularity this year. The car is now on display at Pacific Nash Motor Company, Van Ness at Sutter, San Francisco

"Specially Built Nash On Display in S.F.

"A new custom-built Nash sports roadster, which Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, Internationally known motor car stylist, was especially commissioned to design, is being given its formal introduction to the motoring public this week by Nash Motors in several leading markets. The first model will be placed on display Monday at Pacific Nash Motor Company, Van Ness and Butter, San Francisco, and a general invitation has been issued to the Bay area public to view the new car by E. B. Zane, general manager.

"Glorifying by ultra-modern treatment the smooth, dynamic lines that have won the regular members of the 1940 Nash family a large share of their current popularity, the new "Limited Edition" Nash is believed to be the lowest of all American cars, standing less than 63 inches at the highest point. Lithe Nash streamlining has been accentuated, making the car look even longer than its rangy 207 inches.

"Conceived by Count Sakhnoffsky to meet an exclusive market, the six-passenger convertible is being offered as a very limited Nash, edition and represents the last word in swank automotive styling throughout. Doors are cut away, curved rakishly at the top, padded with a roll of top-grain leather that is colored in keeping with the color scheme of the car as a whole. Upholstery is of tan Wiese whipcord, faced along the front edge of the seat and at the shoulder of the seat with colored leather. Auxiliary seat is entirely in matching leather.

"Built on the standard Ambassador Eight chassis, the car is somewhat lighter and faster than the regular model. Equipped with Nash's cruising gear, or fourth speed forward, and automatic overtake, the car will travel between 95 and 100 m.p.h. Because engine speed is reduced by 30 per cent when the Nash fourth speed forward cuts in, tachometer, favorite instrument of European sportsmen, has been made a part of the standard equipment of the car."

On February 19, 1941 a syndicated column mentioned that the Count had partnered with Bob Cobb in the design of the serving trays and place settings that were to be used in the swanky new Brown Derby restaurant, which was just opening on Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles.

The April 12, 1941 issue of the Brownsville Herald mentioned the Count stopped in town to change planes:

"COUNT FLIES HERE

"Returning to Los Angeles from a business trip to Mexico. Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, of the American Electric Fusion corporation, arrived in Brownsville by Pan American plane Friday afternoon, and left for San Antonio."

His involvement with the American Electric Fusion Corp., a Chicago-based manufacturer of resistance welding equipment is currently unknown as was the reason for his trip to Mexico.

By this point in time, the nation's gossip columnists thought the Count sufficiently notorious to begin mentioning his marital problems. On February 18, 1941 one of the wire services transmitted a picture of the Countess with the following caption:

"Countess Ethleene Sakhnoffsky, above, is seeking separate maintenance of $1,000 a month from Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, magazine illustrator. In her suit being heard in Los Angeles, she charges cruelty."

Bad news travels fast, and the Count was briefly mentioned by Walter Winchell in his March 5, 1941 'On Broadway' column:

". . .The Mexican division Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky is arranging. She is a Powers pretty. . . "

One month later, April 9, 1941, the Associated Press provided more details:

"Russian Declared Partial To Blonde

"LOS ANGELES. April 9 (AP)— The American-born wife of Count Alexis do Sakhnoffsky, airplane, automobile and boat designer, charges that he left her three months ago for another woman, a 'buxom and voluptuous blonde'. The countess, suing for separate maintenance, asked $1,000 a month for support from the Russian-horn count, now a naturalized American. The count filed an answer resisting his wife's demands, but agreed to pay her $600 a month pending settlement of the suit."

The de Sakhnoffsky story is continued - Click Here for Page 4

©2012 Mark Theobald for coachbuilt.com

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