Pan Samochodzik

Pan Samochodzik (Polish for Mister Automobile, also known as Tomasz N.N.) is a fictional art historian, journalist, renowned adventurer and historical detective created by Polish writer Zbigniew Nienacki. He is a main character in a series of adventures centering on historical mysteries and treasures. As a museum and government employee, Pan Samochodzik not only has to discover treasures, but protect them from thieves. His nickname comes from his fantastic (heavily customized) automobile.

Pan Samochodzik, a.k.a. Tomasz N.N., is an employee of the fictional "Department of Artifact Protection" in the Polish Ministry of Culture and Art. He is a special envoy with extensive knowledge in the areas of history, riddle-solving, finding treasures and protecting them from thieves. As such, he is sometimes called a Polish version of Robert Langdon, Dirk Pitt or Indiana Jones. He is also a chain smoker.

His nickname, Pan Samochodzik (Polish for "Mr. Automobile"; French (this version also appeared in one of the books): "Monsieur La Bangnolette"), comes from his unique vehicle: a heavily modified by his uncle Ferrari 410 SuperAmerica (a wreck after a serious car crash on the way to Zakopane; the only thing that remained functional was the engine - Mr Automobile's uncle bought it and installed in his self-constructed vehicle). The car can reach a very high speed and is capable of traversing water and difficult terrain. Many people perceived this vehicle as ugly because of its dubledore-like design.

His other name, Tomasz N.N., comes from the author's real name, Zbigniew Tomasz Nowicki, the second "N" representing his adopted surname, Nienacki.

Pan Samochodzik is sometimes accompanied by youngsters — often Polish Boy Scouts.

Novels written by authors other than Nienacki also feature Paweł Daniec, a young art historian, ex-commando and sidekick of Samochodzik.

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Wikipedia