Apr 23 2024

Mystery Friday Foto #16; Solved; Jim Rathmann & Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Races


Did you identify Jim Rathmann & Carroll Shelby in this newspaper pre-race publicity photo from the Marty Himes collection?

Identify;

  • The two well-known drivers

Jim Rathmann & Carroll Shelby

  • The vintage race car on the right

'Old 16' Locomobile, the winner of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

  • The race being publicized with this photo

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cup Race/June 19, 1960. The donor of the trophy was Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, a nephew of William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.

  • The likely location for the photo.

Roosevelt Raceway

  • The two prominent races that these two drivers won within two years prior to this photo

Carroll Shelby (Left, winner of the 1959 LeMans) and Jim Rathmann (Right, winner of the 1960 Indy 500)

  • Kudos question: Identify the modern race car on the left

Mitter-DKW Formula Junior

Comments (4)

Congrats to Steve Lucas, Bill Gilmore, and Victoracing for identifying Carroll Shelby

Greg O. 


Close-up

A clearer shot of the two drivers

Not Shelby's Mitter (Only 3 chassis bult) but a similar 1960 Mitter

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cup


A one-minute newsreel of the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race.


Comments

Apr 20 2024 Steve Lucas 8:34 PM

The two race car drivers are Carroll Shelby and Jim Rathmann with Rathmann sitting in “Old 16”, the Locomobile that won the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race. Both drivers are publicizing the 1960 Cornelius Vanderbilt Cup race so the the photo was probably taken at or near the entrance to the Roosevelt Raceway (harness) track in Westbury. Rathmann had just won the 1960 Indy 500 a month earlier while Shelby had won the 1959 LeMans Gran Prix. I think the modern (for 1960) race car could be a Lancia Dagrada.

Apr 21 2024 Bill Gilmore 9:01 AM

Well, the one driver looks like a younger Carroll Shelby, so therefore the race car should reflect who CS was driving for back then.  Maybe his winning Aston Martin DBR1 from the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1959?  Or, more probably, the SCCA USAC Road Racing Sports Car Championship car CS won with in 1960, a Maserati Type 61 “Birdcage”.  The other guy looks familiar and may be a talented driver from Phoenix AZ who rose to prominence in that era.

Apr 21 2024 Victoracing 12:20 PM

Shelby sits in a Scorpion - DKW Formula Junior.  (not his Mitter race car)  It could be the Pedro Rodriguez guest-driver car for publicity shot…it is a pretty car.
The event was the pro Formula Junior race held at Roosevelt Field June 19, 1960

Apr 22 2024 Harry C. Reynolds 12:21 PM

My guess at the newer car - Elva Formula Junior, ca. 1959

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