In this episode, biographer Miranda Seymour (@seymour.amanda) joins Grit & Gas to explore the extraordinary life of Hellé Nice — dancer, speed-record breaker, and one of the most daring women in early Grand Prix racing. We talk about her rise from humble beginnings, her racing achievements, the scandal that nearly erased her legacy, and how modern audiences are rediscovering her story thanks to Seymour’s acclaimed biography The Bugatti Queen.

We also discuss the recent exhibition at the MAC Museum Art & Cars in Singen, Germany (now closed), which showcased Hellé Nice’s life and Seymour’s research, as well as the BBC’s Book at Bedtime reading that brought the story to radio listeners.

Resources and LinksHellé Nice – 1936 Public Domain Photo (Used as Episode Artwork)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hell%C3%A9_Nice_2_(1936).tif

Miranda Seymour – Official Website
http://www.mirandaseymour.com/

Miranda Seymour – Amazon Author Page
https://www.amazon.com/Miranda-Seymour/e/B001HD16N4

The Bugatti Queen – Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743478595

The Bugatti Queen – Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101322942

MAC Museum Art & Cars – Bugatti Queen Exhibition (Germany)
https://www.museum-art-cars.com/ausstellung/bugatti-queen/

Simon and Schuster – Miranda Seymour
https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Miranda-Seymour/18849160

Hellé Nice – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%C3%A9_Nice

Goodreads – Full Bibliography for Miranda Seymour
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/11144.Miranda_Seymour

Hellé Nice – Bugatti 35B World Record Photo (Public Domain)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hell%C3%A9_Nice_Bugatti_35B_1929-12_world_record.png

Hellé Nice – Vintage Racing Photo (Public Domain)
https://picryl.com/media/helle-nice-3-940967

Bugatti Type 35 – Vintage Racing Images (Free Archive)
https://pixabay.com/images/search/bugatti%20type%2035/

Welcome to our first Legacy Lap - a special Grit & Gas mini-episode series that spotlights the women who paved the way in motorsports, adventure, and mechanical history. Legacy Laps are shorter, focused episodes that honor the riders, racers, and rebels whose stories deserve to be remembered.

In this Legacy Lap, we dig into the life of Dorothy Levitt, the early 1900s speed icon known as the Fastest Woman on Earth. Dorothy wasn’t just a racer - she was a writer, an engineer, a record-setter on land and water, and a pioneer who challenged every expectation placed on women of her era. From breaking speed records to influencing modern driving techniques, Dorothy Levitt’s impact on motorsport is impossible to ignore.

Sources & References:

• ​The Woman and the Car by Dorothy Levitt (read free on ⁠Archive.org⁠)
• ​Bugatti Queen by Miranda Seymour
• ​East End Women’s Museum, Wikimedia Commons, Project Gutenberg, Science Museum Group
• ​Compiled and narrated by Trai Hunt — any errors are entirely hers.

Image References (Public Domain or Permitted Use):

• ​⁠Dorothy Levitt with her Napier racing car (1905) – Wikimedia Commons⁠
• ​⁠Dorothy Levitt portrait (c.1906) – East End Women’s Museum, via Wikimedia Commons⁠
• ​⁠Cover of The Woman and the Car (1909) – Project Gutenberg⁠
• ​⁠Napier 100 hp racing car (1905) – Science Museum Group Collection⁠

In this episode, I sit down with Amanda Zito, the storyteller, artist, and adventurer behind As the Magpie Flies and BlindThistle. We talk about everything from her passion for motorcycles and creating on the road to the realities of traveling as a woman, dealing with anxiety, learning to rest, building community, and finding connection through shared adventures. Amanda opens up about trips, the evolution of her roadside camping setup, her long-running home camping event, and how she balances creativity with exploration through art, whether thats with a lens or watercolor & ink.

If you love stories from the road, honest conversations, and the intersection of art and adventure, you’ll get a lot out of this one.