ALEXIS de SAKHNOFFSKY (1901 - 1964)

A highly thought of moderinst designer of the 30's and 40's. He got out of Russia following the Bolshevik revolution. He apparently did automotive design work for Cord, Auburn and Packard, and did the '33 Nash and the '34 LaSalle, and perhaps most notably, the 1934 12cyl Packard 1108 Sport Phaeton (for LeBarron), said to be one of the most beautiful designs of an American coachbuilder. There is reference to his design of furniture including the "Mae West" radio including a picture of him. He was working for Hayes when American Austin awarded them the design contract.

And, designing a small car like the Bantam and Austin might have come honestly...he was perhaps the greatest pedal car designer of all time! Anyone have any info or pictures on these? Sure would like to see them if you do! In 1937, Steelcraft, the Cleveland-based pedal car division of the Murray Ohio Manufacturing Co claimed as much anyway, and. Count de S was the winner of the Grand Prix at Monte Carlo for six consecutive years in the Elegance Contest for his "juvenile automobile" designs.

The Austin/Bantam literature does note that for the design of the Bantam (as opposed his original design for the American Austin in 1930) Sakhnoffsky only charged $300 becuase the Bantam company was living hand to mouth and that the design work only took 3 days.

The Count is perhaps most famous for bringing Champaign taste to beer trucks. Beer advertising was prohibited in Canada and the Labatts Company needed public attention.Through the White Motor Company, Labatt's commissioned de Sakhnoffsky to conceive a tractor-trailer that would both haul huge loads and serve as a travelling billboard. He designed four Streamliners, each one better than the last. I did find these great pictures of the most radical of these trucks, a reproduced/restored truck shown at the Vancouver Expo in '86, the White tractor-trailer . The l947 Streamliner's curved corners and horizontal lines were impressive. The vehicles moved beer across Ontario until l955, when Labatt's sold off its Streamliner fleet and brought an end to an era.

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