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.
Characters.
Pan Samochodzik.
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.
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.
Allies.
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.
Villains.
Pan Samochodzik's nemesis is Waldemar Batura, former art historian, smuggler and thief.
Novels written by authors other than Nienacki feature Jerzy Batura, new villain, son and successor of Waldemar.
Novels.
Original Nienacki novels.
"Note: The dates of the following novels may be inaccurate, as some of them may have been published in a different order than they were written."
In the first three novels ("Pozwolenie na przywóz lwa", "'Skarb Atanaryka" and "Uroczysko"), Pan Samochodzik is a journalist, not a government employee. In the 1990s, Nienacki rewrote those three books so they would be consistent with the series. The books were released by various publishers, and it was not until 1987 that a single publisher (Pojezierze) decided to rerelease the series in one graphical design.
Novels by other authors.
After Nienacki's death in 1994, his publishers (Warmia) received permission from his estate to continue the series. The new novels take place in post-communist Poland, introduce two new main characters (the sidekick Paweł Daniec and villain Jerzy Batura), and in the newest book, replace the old vehicle with a new, jeep-based, variant.
Crossovers.
"Pan Samochodzik" has crossovers with "Jakub Wędrowycz" and protagonists of "Kuzynki" series, both written by Andrzej Pilipiuk.