Century of Speed—100 Years of Racing and Competition Cars Exhibit, Oyster Bay, NY
June 02, 2015 16:30 ET
Century of Speed Exhibit at Collector Car Showcase
Will Feature Alco-6 "Black Beast Racer", BMW CSL "Batmobile", Sebring Sprite and Ralt RT41, Among Others
OYSTER BAY, NY--(Marketwired - June 02, 2015) - Collector Car Showcase (www.collectorcs.com), the only museum/showcase devoted to automotive memorabilia, Petroliana, and vintage cars in the metropolitan New York area, has announced that its next exhibit "Century of Speed -- 100 Years of Racing and Competition Cars" will debut on June 6.
This celebration will be on display through July at the 18,000-square-foot facility located at 85 Pine Hollow Road (aka Route 106) on the southern approach to this historic North Shore Long Island Gold Coast hamlet.
The new exhibit will succeed "American Muscle Cars", currently on display, and has Teachers Federal Credit Union as a principal sponsor. The Petroliana museum, as car aficionados liken it, is open to the public daily from Tuesday-Saturday. It will feature an eclectic mix of competition race cars that have national and historic significance. A number of the cars displayed have been raced, owned, and restored right here on Long Island.
Vintage race cars from 1908 to today can be seen at any one time during the course of the exhibition, from a mix of 30-40 being rotated in, according to event curator Michael Lindgren of Sea Cliff, NY, who is largely responsible for assembling the show in partnership with Collector Car Showcase founder David Jacobson.
This gathering of international competition racers will salute the past century of auto racing. Diverse offerings from Formula race cars, historic stock cars, vintage road racing, midgets, drag cars to open wheel road course racers will be on display.
Among the featured vehicles to be displayed:
The Alco-6 "Black Beast Racer". Built in 1909 by the American Locomotive Company in Providence, RI, for $6,000, its sheer physical presence resembling a veritable auto locomotive is the car's most universal attraction. It has competed in 15 major auto races, and was a two-time winner of the Vanderbilt Cup, which it won on LI; the first Indianapolis 500, two Elgin Trophy races and one American Grand Prix. La Bête Noire or the Black Beast as it is known in France, is now owned by Howard Kroplick of East Hills, LI. The 6-cylinder engine is capable of driving 120 mph, and at high speeds its chains augment the feeling of terror.
American Sebring Mark 2. Restored sympathetically by Tony and Robert Giordano of New York City, the early 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Mark 2, was an early race participant in local -- Bridgehampton, Thompson, Watkins Glen, Lime Rock and Pocono -- venues under the imprimatur of the South Shore Sports Car Club & Beer Drinking Society, since merged into the Eastern Motor Racing Association.
Ralt RT 41. Mill Neck, LI resident Bobby Brown had an active career racing worldwide beginning in 1960, before taking a hiatus and then resumed in 1990 racing SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) Nationals with a Ralt RT4. He was named 2012 Sports Car Vintage Association (SVRA) driver of the year. The Ralt RT 41 is the only one in the US with a Cosworth BDA 1600cc engine.
BMW 3.0 CSL "Batmobile" Competition Car.
1936 Chevrolet Coach #3K. Owned and driven by LI-based Mousey Kempster.
1959 Offyette Quarter Midget Race Car.
1956 Ford Stock Car. Built and driven by Marty Himes of Bay Shore, NY, has a rich LI racing history that includes Freeport Stadium, Islip and Riverhead Speedways.
1954 Jaguar XK-120M. This road race competition car was built for SCCA Competition by David Jacox and raced extensively in the Northeastern US.
The backdrop to "Century of Speed" is one of the most extensive collections for public viewing of porcelain and neon signs, gas pumps, advertising, and all facets of Petroliana that is bound to captivate visitors of all ages, according to Jacobson.
Collector Car Showcase represents one of the many museums or historic sites in Oyster Bay. Aside from former President Theodore Roosevelt's Summer White House, Sagamore Hill, under the watch of the US National Forest Service (www.nps.gov/sahi) and due to reopen to the public on July 12, the village is home to the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum (www.obrm.org), Raynham Hall Museum (www.raynhamhallmuseum.org), Oyster Bay Historical Society (www.oysterbayhistorical.org) and 20th Century Cycles, 'Piano Man' Billy Joel's motorcycle museum (www.20thcenturycycles.com).
About Collector Car Showcase
Conceived in 2012 by David Jacobson, the 18,000-square-foot multi level facility opened in January 2015 on the southern approach to Oyster Bay, NY. Filled with antique cars, collector autos, Petroliana, related memorabilia from the early 1900's thru 1970 and the advertising that promoted this on the silver screen and airwaves, Collector Car Showcase operates five days a week. Hours of operation and other information may be found at www.collectorcs.com.
Museum Spring Hours:
Tuesdays: 10AM-4PM
Wednesdays: 10AM-4PM
Thursdays: 10AM-4PM
Fridays: 10AM-4PM
Saturdays: 10AM-6PM
General Phone: 516-802-5297
Location: Collector Car Showcase
Address: 85 Pine Hollow Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
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