After his father's death in 1917 Sakhnoffsky joined the army of White Russian General Pyotr Wrangel.
He went to Packard in the early 1930s, and although he did not stay there for long he helped set the company's design direction for the next several years.
They began initial designs to build a sports car called the Tucker Carioca.
But Sakhnoffsky's travels to Brazil were plagued by fatigue and upon his return to the United States he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Sakhnoffsky also completed numerous other design projects including bicycles, kitchen items, and furniture.