Specifications

Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, an automotive engineer whose drawings were known throughout the world during the 1930s and 40s, designed the Labatt Streamliners. Three major companies took part in the manufacturing of the original tractor-trailers:  White Motor Company of Canada supplied the tractor chassis; Fruehauf made the single-axle trailer chassis and the body was handcrafted by Smith Brothers Motor Body Works.

The 1947 Streamliner, restored by Joe and Bob Scott of London, Ont., was the fourth and final model designed for Labatt. With the tractor and trailer combined, the unit is 37 ft. long, 10 ft. high and 8 ft. wide. The body is made from .065 mm aluminum sheets that have been pinned over a frame made from hundreds of pieces of hardwood.

Just the Facts

Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky

Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky was at the height of his career as a technical designer when he was asked to design Labatt’s streamlined truck in 1935.

Sakhnoffsky first came to the West after fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. While in Switzerland, he studied automotive engineering, and, combining this acquired knowledge with a fertile imagination, the Russian embarked on a career of designing custom-built sports cars for the rich and affluent.

After storming Europe with his eye-catching creations, Sakhnoffsky was drawn to the North American automotive industry, where during the early 1930s, he designed models of the Nash, the Cord and the Airflow Chrysler.

When a new magazine for men called ‘Esquire’ began in 1934, Sakhnoffsky agreed to become the technical and mechanical editor. The magazine immediately became a showcase for Sakhnoffsky’s design concepts. Each month, readers were treated to drawings of futuristic cars, trucks, boats and other examples of mechanical wizardry.

In addition to his fascination with different modes of transportation, Sakhnoffsky was preoccupied with ways of making life easier for his fellow man. He produced drawings of movie theatres with alternating seats for more legroom, a swimming pool with rubber escalators and bathtubs with everything from headrests to temperature controls.

For the office worker, there was the executive desk, complete with a built-in water-cooler, clock, barometer, thermometer and a flashing red light when it was time for an appointment.

And for the well-heeled adventurer, an air-conditioned jungle caravan was designed with all the amenities of home, encased in a body that was insulated against heat, humidity, insects and even tropical pollen.