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Isadora Duncan

To: british-cars@autox.team.net
Subject: Isadora Duncan
From: "W. Ray Gibbons" <gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu>
Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 15:33:48 -0500 (EST)
Probably I shouldna started the Isadora Duncan thing.  But since I did,
let me say:

I am working from memory, have been from the start, which for me is a lot
like walking a tight wire without a net.  But hazy half gone memory says
it was a Bugatti that did her in. 

In reference to other suggestions:

A big Healey?  Wayne has Isadora confused with her grand niece Fatima
Duncan, an exotic dancer from Gary Indiana, who got her harem pants caught
in the top bows of a Healey BN1, back in the 50's.  She did not die, just
got her knickers in a knot.  (There you are, lbc content.)

A Hispano-Suiza--all the HS's I remember hearing of have been fairly large
cars.  It would have to be one hell of a long scarf, even if she was in
the back seat.  Does anyone know if H-S ever made a sporty car? 

A Bugatti, as proposed by Scott Fisher?  That's what I remember reading. 
And when you look at a type 35, it is easy to see how a long scarf could
get caught in the wheel.  It's true of most of the two-seater Bugatti's,
for that matter.  I'd put my $ on a Bugatti.

An Isotta-Francini?  Again, I think these were generally large luxury
cars.  Anyone know of exceptions?  Have to be a 12 foot scarf. 

Sure, we could look it up, but what fun would that be?  Besides, you gotta
figure most descriptions of her death were written by biographers who knew
little about cars, not by real car freaks like us.  So it is better
to figure it out by first principles.  Of course, if SF1 did look it up,
and it was a Bugatti, then I believe that, because that's what I thought
in the first place. 

Ray "My mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts" Gibbons










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