The 1909 Finish
Grant Wins in the Alco
Harry Grant and the ALCO won the fifth competition for the William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Cup. Only two of 15 starters completed the race, Grant and the F.I.A.T. driven by Edward Parker, who finished five minutes and 16 seconds behind the winner. The ALCO, the only six cylinder car in the race, had survived a torturous test. In the convention of the day, all other cars had four cylinder engines.
Crowds Go Wild at Finish Line
Pit crews and race officials cheered as Harry Grant’s ALCO passed the finish line and won the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup. Grant achieved an average speed of 62.8 mph for the 278.08 miles. This speed was faster than all of the previous Vanderbilt Cup Races with the exception of Robertson’s 1908 victory at 64.38 mph.
1909 Race Statistics -->
Motor Pkwy
Feature
The 128-page book by Howard Kroplick, a researcher and lecturer on the races, contains rare images of the races from the archives of major museums, libraries and private collectors. The book Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island will be available from Arcadia Publishing in March 2008.
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