The Vanderbilt Cup Races

"Cars, Culture and the City," opening at the Museum of the City of New York on March 25th, will be the first exhibition to "document New York's role in the promotion, marketing, and proliferation of the automobile as well as its transformative effect on the city and, ultimately, the country." The exhibit has been reviewed at core77.com, a design resource website.

Vanderbilia from the Vanderbilt Cup Races and the Long Island Motor Parkway will be displayed in the exhibit including these six items:

Vanderbilt Cup Race Broadside: Original textile promoting the 1905 American Elimination Race and the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race

1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Board Game: Based on the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course showing details of towns on the Long Island course. Game was manufactured by Bowers & Hard, Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Official Program Scorecard and Guide 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race: Guide provided information on the race, maps, car and automobile supply ads and a cardboard scorecard. The programs sold for 25 cents.

1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Tiffany Plaque: The rarest memorabilia from the Vanderbilt Cup Races are the 22 oval bronze plaques produced by Tiffany & Company from 1904 to 1916. The race sponsors produced two plaques for each race that were presented to the winning driver and manufacturer.  This plaque was given to driver George Robertson for winning the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup Paperweight: To celebrate “Old #16”, the first American winner of the Vanderbilt Cup Races, the Locomobile Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut produced a sterling silver paperweight.

1928 Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate: A porcelain “Easy-Pass” for the Long Island Motor Parkway. Cars with this pass indicated that their owners had paid a yearly fee and were allowed to pass the toll lodges without paying an additional fee. During the 1920s, the Long Island Motor Parkway would supply two No. 25 plates free every year to the National Highway Association which was formed for the betterment of highways.

Enjoy the weekend,

Howard Kroplick

Feedback and contributions are much appreciated on VanderbiltCupRaces.com . Please leave your comments at the end of a post on the Blog or send an email to me at Howard@Kroplick.com .

Future Howard Kroplick and Black Beast Events

-March 25, 2010 to August 8, 2010, Exhibition "Cars, Culture and the City", Museum of the City of New York

-Monday, March 22, 2010: Presentation "The Incredible Vanderbilt Cup Races" by Howard Kroplick. Restored Rusty Relics Car Club, St Matthew's Episcopal Church, 167 Spring Valley Road, Paramus, New Jersey, 8:00 PM. To benefit Child Abuse Prevention Services.

-Sunday, April 11, 2010, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Fifth Annual Spring Car Show Fundraiser, Smithtown. To benefit the St. Patrick School.

-Saturday, May 15, 2010: National Police Week Family Day, 1490 Franklin Avenue, Mineola. To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Nassau County Police Department.

-Sunday, July 18, 2010, New York AutoFest 3, Hicksville. To benefit St. Paul the Apostle Knights of Columbus Council 6802.

-Sunday, August 8, 2010: Third Annual Vanderbilt Autocross, Roosevelt Field, East Garden City

-Sunday, September 12, 2010: The LI Moose Classic Car Club's 10th Anniversary Show, Mattituck. To benefit the Loyal Order of Moose, Lodge, #1742.

VanderbiltCupRaces.com Indexes

-The Most Popular Posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

-The Vanderbilt Cup Races

-The Long Island Motor Parkway

-59 Films and Videos

-The Alco-6 Black Beast

Blog Highlights

-January-February 2010

-2009

-2008

Long Island Automobile Events

-Links to Car Club Meetings, Car Shows and Car Cruises (Updated: 3/12/2010)

Car Clubs

-Links to 36 Long Island car clubs and associations (Updated: March 10, 2010)

Favorite Websites (Latest addition: February 1, 2010)

-Llinks to 25 websites focusing on the Vanderbilt Cup Races, Motor Parkway, racing, aerial surveys and Long Island

Blog Updates

-Recent updates (Latest Update: March 11, 2010)

This week's updates on the Blog:

-March 12, 2010: Congrats to Jim Barnes of the Long Island Sound Region of CCCA for being appointed Aide to the Grand Marshall of the 2010 St. Patrick's Day Parade

-March 11, 2010: Revised dates for the "Cars, Culture and City" Exhibit

-March 10, 2010: The Stanly Steamer Vanderbilt Cup Racer Replicas listed on stanleyregister.com

This is the weekly update of Long Island 2010 car events for the upcoming 30 days including; car club meetings, car shows, cruises and motor sports activities.

This is the weekly update of Long Island 2010 car events for the upcoming 30 days including; car club meetings, car shows, cruises and motor sports activities.

Car Club Meetings and Automobile Events

Saturday, March 13, 2010

-6th Annual "Polar Plunge" and Car Display -11:00 AM with Long Island Super Sport Team, All American Car Club, Thunderbird Owners of NY, and Radio Motor Patrol Assoc., A benefit for NY Special Olympics At Bar Beach Park - Pt. Washington

Sunday, March 14, 2010

-Breakfast with the Boss, Long Island Thunderbirds, South Bay Diner, Lindenhurst, 9:00 AM , Bring your bird.

-Bayport-Bluepoint 20th Annual St. Patricks Day Parade

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

-Long Island Thuderbird Club, Bertucci's, Melville, 7:00 PM.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010-St.Patrick's Day

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Meeting, Hauppague, 7:00 PM

-Long Island Volkswagen Club, Farmingdale, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Queens County Region #11 Meeting, Bayside 7:30 PM

-St. Patrick's Day Parade- Congrats to Jim Barnes of the Long Island Sound Region of CCCA for being appointed Aide to the Grand Marshall

Thursday, March 18, 2010

-Peconic Bay Region of ACCA Meeting, 8:00 PM

-Studebaker Driver's Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:30 PM

Monday, March 22, 2010

- Presentation "The Incredibe Vanderbilt Cup Races" by Howard Kroplick. Restored Rusty Relics Car Club, Paramus, New Jersey. To benefit Child Abuse Prevention Services.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

-Long Island Chapter American Truck Historical Society Meeting, Bay Shore, 7:30 PM

Saturday, March 27, 2010

-South Side Boys of Long Island Car Club Breakfast, East Farmingdale, 7:45 AM

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter Sunday Vintage Car Parade, Garden City, 10:00 AM

Sunday, April 11, 2010

-Fifth Annual Spring Car Show Fundraiser including the Alco Black Beast , Smithtown.9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. To benefit the St. Patrick School.

-'CARS FOR CURES' benefit Car Show for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Eisenhower Park Field 6, East Meadow, Hosted with LI Vettes, Corvette Society and the Gents Auto Club.

-Mopar Power Club of Long Island, Burger King, Amityville, 11:00-3:00PM

Monday, April 12, 2010

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Business Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Long Island Region #11 Meeting,Oyster Bay 8:00 PM

-Fabulous 50's 60's Nostalgia Club Meeting, Holtsville, 7:30 PM

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

-Long Island Sound Region of Classic Car Club of America Meeting,Town of Oyster Bay Skating Rink Center Stewart Ave, Bethpage, 7:30 PM

Thursday, April 15 2010

-Long Island Buick Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

-Long Island Motor Touring Club, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

Sunday, April 18, 2010

-The East Coast Car Association- Toys for Tots Car Show, Maspeth, Queens

-Rte 112 Chevrolet Corvette Show, Port Jefferson, New York, 8:00 AM

Sunday, April 25, 2010

-Queens County Farm House Auto Show and Meet

-Mopar Power Club of Long Island, Burger King, Amityville, 11:00-3:00PM

Links to Car Shows and Car Cruises

-Life on Long Island Car Shows and Motor Sports

-National auto events listed on autoevents.org

Future 2010 Cruise Nights

-Cruise-Ins listed on Longislandchevelles.com

Mondays:

-Pep Boys (Sunrise Hwy-Lindenhurst approx. 1/2 mile east of Wellwood ave)

-Stop & Shop Shopping Center, Union Blvd, West Islip NY from 6pm on, sponsored by the Road Gents

Tuesdays:

-Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce Cruise Night, $3,6:00 PM-10:00 PM

-Bald Hill (Suffolk County - Exit 63 Long Island Expressway), From 6:00PM on.

-East Coast Car Association-Toys for Tots Cruise Nights, Queens

-Cedarhurst Cruise Night

-Nathans, Oceanside

- Levittown Car Cruise. Every 3rd Wednesday Of The Month Cruise To Empress Diner In East Meadow On Hempstead Turnpike, Following Monthly Meeting At VFW Club, 55 Hickory Lane, 7:30PM, All Cadillac Owners Welcome, Sponsored By Long Island Dream Boats, LI Region Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Contact: Fred Miceli (516) 796-7618, Ken Kanner (718) 224-5519 Or Andy Zizolfo (631) 205-0118, Visit the Web Site At: www.lidreamboats.org Or caddycoupe1960@cs.com

Thursdays:

-Glen Cove Cruise Night

-Wendy's Parking Lot (Montauk Hwy-Oakdale 1/4 east of Locust ave)

-Kings Park at Keyfood shopping center on Indian head road just one block south of the Kings Park train station

Fridays

-Bellmore Cruise Night

-Hewlett Cruise Night

-Massapequa (Long Island Rail Road Station 8pm-10pm). Cars must stay the duration of the evening beginning at 7:15. Car owners are asked to donate two cans of food for admission. Live music on July 27, Aug.3, and Aug. 24. Contact info: (516) 797-4126.

-East Coast Car Association-Toys for Tots Cruise Night, Stop & Shop, Myrtle Avenue and Central Avenue, Queens

Babylon Car Cruise to Cedar Beach

Saturdays:

-Smithtown Cruise-In

-Commack at the Walmart/Kohls/Home Depot shopping center on crooked Hill Road just north of the LIE

Sundays

-Captree State Park, which moves to the old OBI parking lot just west on Ocean Parkway, around this time of year (May). All year, when the roads are dry and salt-free, hundreds (500+ on really nice days) of the incurably car-crazy show up. But,get there before 7:30 AM (before 7:00 to be safe) or you might not get in.

- Road Gents Morning Cruise, 8AM till 12Pm at Bob's Shopping Center in West Islip Morning

Please recommend any other Long Island automobile events in the Comments section below or sending an email to Howard@Kroplick.com .

The Spring 2010 issue of Hagerty's magazine profiles Bob Casey, curator of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The article "Driving "The Ford" describes the current condition of "Old 16" and speculates about its future.

Here is Bob Casey in front of his Old 16. Highlights from the article:

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Old Number 16, the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup-winning Locomobile Racer. All of its exterior finishes are original. Casey read about it as a kid in Ken W.Purdy's seminal The Kings of the Road. "Bringing it here was the fulfillment of a childhood dream," Casey says. Not unexpectedly, its conservation is a continuing battle. "From time to time, paint will flake off and we'll literally glue it back on."

The engine of Old Number 16 presents the museum's most serious preservation issue. "Recently, we noticed a crack in the combustion chamber. We're monitoring it and it's clearly getting worse; oil is starting to mix with water. Old Number 16 has been run every year since 1906. We haven't said we'll never run it again, but if we do, it will be very sparingly."

Casey's love for the car is evident: "When it runs at twilight, you can see flames coming from the exhaust; at idle, you can hear the individual explosions and it literally blows smoke rings from the exhaust." It visually saddens him that this living and breathing piece of history may become inanimate. However, Casey can take satisfaction in knowing that his efforts have ensured that Old Number 16 will remain on display where thousands of people will see it each year.

As seen in this film, Old 16 was last run in September 2008.

One of the earliest forms of automotive sports was competition against time over an uphill course. The "hill climbs" provided a natural venue for spectators and a challenge for the early automobiles.

The Alco-6 competed in two hill climbs in 1909 and 1910 in Worcester, Massachusetts- only 60 miles from the American Locomotive Company's factory in Providence, Rhode Island. The course was set up on the oddly named hill called the "Dead Horse Hill".

Driver Harry Grant and his trusty mechanician Frank Lee finished first in the 1909 Dead Horse Hill Climb (gasoline cars) and second in the 1910 race trailing only Caleb Bragg's "big Fiat" by 4 seconds. As seen in this photo, the Alco "Black Beast" was the #3 "White Beast" for this 1910 race.

More information on this photo is available on Mark Dill's excellent website Firstsuperspeedway.com.

Nassau County made up the vast majority of the Vanderbilt Cup Race courses. For the 1904 race, approximately one mile of the 30-mile course was in Queens- linking Hempstead Turnpike with Jericho Turnpike. All the other courses (1905-1910) were located totally in Nassau County. The closest the race came to Suffolk County was the north-east section of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race which is the subject of today's then and now post- the Woodbury Turn.

The Woodbury Turn for the 1908 race was located at the intersection of Woodbury Road and Jericho Turnpike. The left-turn was distinctive because of a large hill on the east side of Woodbury Road-a natural viewing stand- and a church on the north side of Jericho Turnpike- a perfect spot for a photographer.

Here, spectators on Woodbury Road had a great view of William Borque driving the #20 Knox making the turn. Note the flagman indicating to the driver that the course was clear.

A closer look of the image reveals the church in the background beyond the trees.

Then: Spectators stood on the church's small hill for an excellent view after the racers made the turn.

Now: The church is still standing today. The Historical Chapel is available for weddings and also serves as offices for a limo company.

Then: This photo of George Robertson driving the #16 Locomobile was taken by a photographer who climbed up the church's steeple for a unique perspective of the eventual 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race winner.

Now: Here is a view from the same location 100 years later. A school administration building serving Syosset and Woodbury schools is now located on top of a smaller hill at the interesction.

Most Motor Parkway fans know our favorite parkway surrounded one of the world's most famous airports -Roosevelt Field. But, many LIMPers do not know that the Motor Parkway also bordered on another airfield- the Long Island Aviation Country Club. (Remember to click on the photo to enlarge the image).

The club was formed in June 1929 by a group of mostly affluent flyers based on Long Island. Instead of a country club with a golf course, the club had a field for airplanes. As shown in this map, the club was located just west of Jerusalem Avenue with the parkway being the southern border. The address was then Hicksville and later became Levittown, when William Levitt bought the property in the late 1940s.

This early 1930s aerial looking east shows the Long Island Aviation Country Club (left in the middle) and its relationship to the Motor Parkway. The Jerusalem Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge can be seen just east of the club.

A closer look of this aerial reveals the club's hangar, clubhouse, swimming pool and tennis court which were located in the same place as the Vanderbilt Cup Race press box and officials' stand (1908-1910). Even more fascinating, looking across the Motor Parkway, you can see the outline of a long-abandoned road that was used to reach the grandstand. The remnants of the race "pits" are visible as the long rectangular black box slightly to the west.

Click on this photo and you will see the most spectacular photo of the club and a sampling of its private planes.

Here was a gathering of flying enthusiasts at the Long Island Aviation Club. for an annual air show. Among the members was William K. Vanderbilt Jr. In the 1930s, the club requested permission to open an entrance to the adjacent parkway. To their surprise and dismay, Vanderbilt refused, not wanting to set a precedent. One of the concrete posts that held twisted wire keeping club members off the Motor Parkway can be seen at the 1 minute 12 second mark of this film.

Members of the club including the flying elite of Long Island. Their 1940 club membership book listed; Col. Charles Lindbergh, Sherman Fairchild, L.R. (Leroy Randle) Grumman and several DuPonts. As described in the biography: Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Between the Sea and Stars, Charles Lindbergh taught his wife how to fly at the Long Island Aviation Country Club..

This is a rare photo of the hangar of the Long Island Aviation Club taken from the Motor Parkway looking east. While researching the Motor Parkway at the archives of the Cradle of Aviation, I found a note that the hangar was taken down in the late 1940s by Levitt & Sons. The note added that the hangar's roof was used for a new building in Bethpage to manufacture pre-fabricated sections of the Levitt homes. Of course, I started searching all over Bethpage to see if this building was still standing.

The building was not difficult to find. The former hangar is now used to manufacture sails for sailboats around the world. Check out Google Maps Streetview of North Sails Manufacturing for a closer look. Several articles on the club also mentioned that the clubhouse was taken down and reassembled as sections of several Hicksville homes. So far, I have found several homes that look like the wings of the clubhouse. But, I am still not 100% sure that they are the halls where Willie K, Grumman and Lindbergh mingled.

For more information and photos of the Long Island Aviation Country Club, follow these links:

This is the weekly update of Long Island 2010 car events for the upcoming 30 days including; car club meetings, car shows, cruises and motor sports activities.

This is the weekly update of Long Island 2010 car events for the upcoming 30 days including; car club meetings, car shows, cruises and motor sports activities.

Car Club Meetings and Automobile Events

Monday,March 8, 2010

-Fabulous 50's 60's Nostalgia Club Meeting, Holtsville, 7:30 PM

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Business Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Long Island Region #11 Meeting,Oyster Bay 8:00 PM

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

-Long Island Sound Region of Classic Car Club of America Meeting,Town of Oyster Bay Skating Rink Center Stewart Ave, Bethpage, 7:30 PM

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

-"Loving Long Island Night, 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM including a presentation by Bruce Adams on the "Long Island Motor Parkway 1908 - 2010", Wenonah Elementary School, Lake Grove

Thursday, March 11, 2010

-Long Island Buick Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

-Long Island Motor Touring Club, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

Saturday, March 13, 2010

-6th Annual "Polar Plunge" and Car Display -11:00 AM with Long Island Super Sport Team, All American Car Club, Thunderbird Owners of NY, and Radio Motor Patrol Assoc., A benefit for NY Special Olympics At Bar Beach Park - Pt. Washington

Sunday, March 14, 2010

-Breakfast with the Boss, Long Island Thunderbirds, South Bay Diner, Lindenhurst, 9:00 AM , Bring your bird.

-Bayport-Bluepoint 20th Annual St. Patricks Day Parade

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

-Long Island Thuderbird Club, Bertucci's, Melville, 7:00 PM.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Meeting, Hauppague, 7:00 PM

-Long Island Volkswagen Club, Farmingdale, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Queens County Region #11 Meeting, Bayside 7:30 PM

Thursday, March 18, 2010

-Peconic Bay Region of ACCA Meeting, 8:00 PM

-Studebaker Driver's Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:30 PM

Monday, March 22, 2010

- Presentation "The Incredibe Vanderbilt Cup Races" by Howard Kroplick. Restored Rusty Relics Car Club, Paramus, New Jersey. To benefit Child Abuse Prevention Services.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

-Long Island Chapter American Truck Historical Society Meeting, Bay Shore, 7:30 PM

Saturday, March 27, 2010

-South Side Boys of Long Island Car Club Breakfast, East Farmingdale, 7:45 AM

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter Sunday Vintage Car Parade, Garden City, 10:00 AM

Sunday, April 11, 2010

-'CARS FOR CURES' benefit Car Show for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Eisenhower Park Field 6, East Meadow, Hosted with LI Vettes, Corvette Society and the Gents Auto Club.

-Mopar Power Club of Long Island, Burger King, Amityville, 11:00-3:00PM

Sunday, April 18, 2010

-The East Coast Car Association- Toys for Tots Car Show, Maspeth, Queens

-Rte 112 Chevrolet Corvette Show, Port Jefferson, New York, 8:00 AM

Sunday, April 25, 2010

-Queens County Farm House Auto Show and Meet

-Mopar Power Club of Long Island, Burger King, Amityville, 11:00-3:00PM

Links to Car Shows and Car Cruises

-Life on Long Island Car Shows and Motor Sports

-National auto events listed on autoevents.org

Future 2010 Cruise Nights

-Cruise-Ins listed on Longislandchevelles.com

Mondays:

-Pep Boys (Sunrise Hwy-Lindenhurst approx. 1/2 mile east of Wellwood ave)

-Stop & Shop Shopping Center, Union Blvd, West Islip NY from 6pm on, sponsored by the Road Gents

Tuesdays:

-Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce Cruise Night, $3,6:00 PM-10:00 PM

-Bald Hill (Suffolk County - Exit 63 Long Island Expressway), From 6:00PM on.

-East Coast Car Association-Toys for Tots Cruise Nights, Queens

-Cedarhurst Cruise Night

-Nathans, Oceanside

- Levittown Car Cruise. Every 3rd Wednesday Of The Month Cruise To Empress Diner In East Meadow On Hempstead Turnpike, Following Monthly Meeting At VFW Club, 55 Hickory Lane, 7:30PM, All Cadillac Owners Welcome, Sponsored By Long Island Dream Boats, LI Region Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Contact: Fred Miceli (516) 796-7618, Ken Kanner (718) 224-5519 Or Andy Zizolfo (631) 205-0118, Visit the Web Site At: www.lidreamboats.org Or caddycoupe1960@cs.com

Thursdays:

-Glen Cove Cruise Night

-Wendy's Parking Lot (Montauk Hwy-Oakdale 1/4 east of Locust ave)

-Kings Park at Keyfood shopping center on Indian head road just one block south of the Kings Park train station

Fridays

-Bellmore Cruise Night

-Hewlett Cruise Night

-Massapequa (Long Island Rail Road Station 8pm-10pm). Cars must stay the duration of the evening beginning at 7:15. Car owners are asked to donate two cans of food for admission. Live music on July 27, Aug.3, and Aug. 24. Contact info: (516) 797-4126.

-East Coast Car Association-Toys for Tots Cruise Night, Stop & Shop, Myrtle Avenue and Central Avenue, Queens

Babylon Car Cruise to Cedar Beach

Saturdays:

-Smithtown Cruise-In

-Commack at the Walmart/Kohls/Home Depot shopping center on crooked Hill Road just north of the LIE

Sundays

-Captree State Park, which moves to the old OBI parking lot just west on Ocean Parkway, around this time of year (May). All year, when the roads are dry and salt-free, hundreds (500+ on really nice days) of the incurably car-crazy show up. But,get there before 7:30 AM (before 7:00 to be safe) or you might not get in.

- Road Gents Morning Cruise, 8AM till 12Pm at Bob's Shopping Center in West Islip Morning

Please recommend any other Long Island automobile events in the Comments section below or sending an email to Howard@Kroplick.com .

On March 1, 2010, an Ebay action was held on a 1909 Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup radiator mascot. Despite its relatively poor condition, the winning price was $1,225 with ten bidders participating.

More information on the Locomobile radiator mascot and the sterling silver paperweights can be found at these VanderbiltCupRace.com links:

-The Elusive Sterling Silver Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups

-Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup Mascot Sells for $2,550 on EBay

VanderbiltCupRaces.com recorded it second highest average viewership in its history in February with a daily average of 126, a 101% increase over February 2009. For the first two months of 2010, a total of 7,100 viewers have visited VanderbiltCupRaces.com, a 91% increase over 2009. During February, a new index was added to the website listing the most popular posts over the last three years. New software was also put into place to block "comment spam".

The website retained its #1 ranking among the 868,000 websites that appear for a Google search on "Vanderbilt Cup Races" and a #1 ranking among 269,000 websites that appear on a similar Bing.com search. Below is a summary of posts that were placed on the website during the past month including an exclusive that Vanderbilt was planning an Indy-style speedway in Ronkonkoma in 1910.

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick

Vanderbilt Cup Races

Starting Lineup for the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

The Vanderbilt Cup Race Pits: An American Innovation

Jay Leno & the 1906 Stanley Steamer Vanderbilt Racers

The Checkered Flags of the Vanderbilt Cup Races

The Locomobile Factory in Bridgeport

A VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: 1910 Plans for the Ronkonkoma Motor Speedway

An Armband Discovery and a Lantern Mystery

The Two Deadman’s Curves in Bethpage (Central Park)

The Amazing and Continuing Saga of the 1906 Locomobile Twins- Part I

Long Island Motor Parkway

Motor Parkway Trailway Update

Long Island Business News Article “Hope for the Vanderbilt”

Video “The Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path”

The New NYC Parks & Recreation Motor Parkway Historical Marker in Queens

The Two Deadman’s Curves in Bethpage (Central Park)

Alco-6 Black Beast Racer

Future Alco “Black Beast” Long Island Events

Presentations

AACA Presentation

Car Shows and Automotive Events

Exhibit “Cars, Culture and the City” March 17-August 1, 2010

Future Alco “Black Beast” Long Island Events

Videos and Films

Video “The Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path”

Museums

Update: A Visit to the Amazing Simeone Foundation Museum

Below are links to the VanderbiltCupRaces.com posts for 2010:

-February 2010

-January 2010

In response to Dean B's email, last Sunday, I started the story of the 1906 Locomobile twins. Here's a recap and Part II.

First, a quick recap: For the 1906 American Elimination Trial and Vanderbilt Cup Race, Locomobile built two identical cars, one to race and the other as a backup, "with enough parts to assemble two more". Joe Tracy drove one of the cars to first place in the American Elimination Trial, but finished a disappointing 10th in the Vanderbilt Cup Race. After the 1906 races, Locomobile made significant improvements in the engines and tires in both cars in preparation for the next Vanderbilt Cup Race which occurred two years. George Robertson drove the #16 Locomobile to victory, while Jim Florida in the #1 Locomobile was running third when the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race was called due to the traditional lack of crowd control. The ownership of "Old 16" passed from Locomobile to Joseph Sessions (1913) to Peter Helck (1941) to Jerry Helck (1988) to the Henry Ford Museum (1995). In 1966, Peter Helck wrote that Joseph Sessions, a Locomobile foundry supplier, believed that "Old 16" was the sole survivor of the three racing Locomobiles and that the engine of No 1 had been "installed in a boat and the chassis scrapped". But, the search for 1906 #1 Locomobile does not end here.

In 1982, Peter Helck published his autobiography in Bulb Horn entitled "Seventy-Five Years with Palette, Paintbrush and Wheels". In the July/September issue, the great artist once again recounted his meeting with Sessions and the fate of #1. Peter Helck then told of a 1977 meeting with Elmer McFarland, a former Locomobile staff member. McFarland gave Peter a piston from #1 as a gift and also provided more information "about the forgotten twin" which matches Dean B's neighbor's story:

As a young staff member in Loco's service department in 1929, he and his fellow staffers were told to clear out a shed at the plant. Among the forgotten accumulations were four Locomobile steamers of 1903 vintage and the rusted remains of the twin racer. During the clearing out operation young McFarland latched onto a souvenir of the occasion, the gift piston and its con-rod. All else in that shed-the four steamers and the cannibalized remains of the identical twin were toted to the waterfront and unceremoniously dumped into the Long Island Sound!"

Photos of the Locomobile factory indeed show a long dock in Bridgeport's harbor on the Long Island Sound. Click on the photo to enlarge it. But, the saga does not end at the dock!

On the 100th anniversary of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race, writer Leigh Dorrington (left) and I visited Jerry Helck (middle), son of Peter Helck and the last private owner of Old 16. We came to to research Locomobile photos located in the Helck family archives. Near the end of a truly remarkable day, I recalled the Peter Helck autobiography and asked Jerry what happened to the piston that his father received from McFarland. We went back to the archives and Jerry began his search.

After a few minutes, Jerry found a piston and connecting rod with an accompanying tag and notes. It was the McFarland piston!!

The tag was attributed to Joe Tracy who had brought the piston and rod to an "S.A.E. meeting". The tag confirmed the information provided by Elmer McFarland:

"When #16 was built a duplicate of #16 also was built, as a back-up car in case of emergency. The piston and rod was removed -from exact duplicate of old locomobile #16 (also valve).

An amazing discovery that capped a memorable day for both Leigh Dorrington and me. Leigh continued to research the Locomobile twins. In Volume 49, Issue #1 issue of Automobile Quarterly, he described the story of the twins and our visit with Jerry Helck in this excellent article entitled "The 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Twins:The Prince and the Pauper". The article provides still one more aspect of the story.

When the Locomobile was sold to the Henry Ford Museum in 1995, automobile collector and broker Manny Dragone purchased Old 16 as part of a three-way transaction with Jerry Helck. As reported by Leigh, Dragone also aquired a large number of disassembled parts which he believes "were the remaining parts of Locomobile Number 1." He said "We had 60% of a complete car, including 90% of the original engine". For several years now, an automobile is being built around these parts at Dragone's restoration shop.

Dean, the saga of the Locomobile twins continues!

This is the weekly update of Long Island 2010 car events for the upcoming 30 days including; car club meetings, car shows, cruises and motor sports activities.

Car Club Meetings and Automobile Events

Sunday, March 7, 2010

-L.I.C.O.A. VA Bagel Run, Northport, New York, 9:00 AM

Monday,March 8, 2010

-Fabulous 50's 60's Nostalgia Club Meeting, Holtsville, 7:30 PM

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Business Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Long Island Region #11 Meeting,Oyster Bay 8:00 PM

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

-Long Island Sound Region of Classic Car Club of America Meeting,Town of Oyster Bay Skating Rink Center Stewart Ave, Bethpage, 7:30 PM

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

-"Loving Long Island Night, 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM including a presentation by Bruce Adams on the "Long Island Motor Parkway 1908 - 2010", Wenonah Elementary School, Lake Grove

Thursday, March 11, 2010

-Long Island Buick Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

-Long Island Motor Touring Club, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

Saturday, March 13, 2010

-6th Annual "Polar Plunge" and Car Display -11:00 AM with Long Island Super Sport Team, All American Car Club, Thunderbird Owners of NY, and Radio Motor Patrol Assoc., A benefit for NY Special Olympics At Bar Beach Park - Pt. Washington

Sunday, March 14, 2010

-Breakfast with the Boss, Long Island Thunderbirds, South Bay Diner, Lindenhurst, 9:00 AM , Bring your bird.

-Bayport-Bluepoint 20th Annual St. Patricks Day Parade

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

-Long Island Thuderbird Club, Bertucci's, Melville, 7:00 PM.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Meeting, Hauppague, 7:00 PM

-Long Island Volkswagen Club, Farmingdale, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Queens County Region #11 Meeting, Bayside 7:30 PM

Thursday, March 18, 2010

-Peconic Bay Region of ACCA Meeting, 8:00 PM

-Studebaker Driver's Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:30 PM

Monday, March 22, 2010

- Presentation "The Incredibe Vanderbilt Cup Races" by Howard Kroplick. Restored Rusty Relics Car Club, Paramus, New Jersey. To benefit Child Abuse Prevention Services.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

-Long Island Chapter American Truck Historical Society Meeting, Bay Shore, 7:30 PM

Saturday, March 27, 2010

-South Side Boys of Long Island Car Club Breakfast, East Farmingdale, 7:45 AM

Sunday, April 11, 2010

-'CARS FOR CURES' benefit Car Show for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Eisenhower Park Field 6, East Meadow, Hosted with LI Vettes, Corvette Society and the Gents Auto Club.

-Mopar Power Club of Long Island, Burger King, Amityville, 11:00-3:00PM

Sunday, April 18, 2010

-Rte 112 Chevrolet Corvette Show, Port Jefferson, New York, 8:00 AM

Sunday, April 25, 2010

-Queens County Farm House Auto Show and Meet

-Mopar Power Club of Long Island, Burger King, Amityville, 11:00-3:00PM

Links to Car Shows and Car Cruises

-Life on Long Island Car Shows and Motor Sports

-National auto events listed on autoevents.org

Future 2010 Cruise Nights

-Cruise-Ins listed on Longislandchevelles.com

Mondays:

-Pep Boys (Sunrise Hwy-Lindenhurst approx. 1/2 mile east of Wellwood ave)

-Stop & Shop Shopping Center, Union Blvd, West Islip NY from 6pm on, sponsored by the Road Gents

Tuesdays:

-Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce Cruise Night, $3,6:00 PM-10:00 PM

-Bald Hill (Suffolk County - Exit 63 Long Island Expressway), From 6:00PM on.

Wednesdays:

-Cedarhurst Cruise Night

-Nathans, Oceanside

- Levittown Car Cruise. Every 3rd Wednesday Of The Month Cruise To Empress Diner In East Meadow On Hempstead Turnpike, Following Monthly Meeting At VFW Club, 55 Hickory Lane, 7:30PM, All Cadillac Owners Welcome, Sponsored By Long Island Dream Boats, LI Region Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Contact: Fred Miceli (516) 796-7618, Ken Kanner (718) 224-5519 Or Andy Zizolfo (631) 205-0118, Visit the Web Site At: www.lidreamboats.org Or caddycoupe1960@cs.com

Thursdays:

-Glen Cove Cruise Night

-Wendy's Parking Lot (Montauk Hwy-Oakdale 1/4 east of Locust ave)

-Kings Park at Keyfood shopping center on Indian head road just one block south of the Kings Park train station

Fridays

-Bellmore Cruise Night

-Hewlett Cruise Night

-Massapequa (Long Island Rail Road Station 8pm-10pm). Cars must stay the duration of the evening beginning at 7:15. Car owners are asked to donate two cans of food for admission. Live music on July 27, Aug.3, and Aug. 24. Contact info: (516) 797-4126.

Fridays and Saturdays:

Babylon Car Cruise to Cedar Beach

Saturdays:

-Smithtown Cruise-In

-Commack at the Walmart/Kohls/Home Depot shopping center on crooked Hill Road just north of the LIE

Sundays

-Captree State Park, which moves to the old OBI parking lot just west on Ocean Parkway, around this time of year (May). All year, when the roads are dry and salt-free, hundreds (500+ on really nice days) of the incurably car-crazy show up. But,get there before 7:30 AM (before 7:00 to be safe) or you might not get in.

- Road Gents Morning Cruise, 8AM till 12Pm at Bob's Shopping Center in West Islip Morning

Please recommend any other Long Island automobile events in the Comments section below or sending an email to Howard@Kroplick.com .

A famous feature of the Vanderbilt Cup Course in 1908 was the Deadman's Curve located in Bethpage, then called Central Park. However, few people know that there were two "Deadman's Curves" in this area. Here's the proof:

As seen in the above map (click to enlarge), the first Deadman's Curve was almost a 90 degree turn, located just below today's North Hermann Road. This photo was taken during the 1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes. Note the parked Central Railroad train in the background that was used as a viewing stand.

Here is the same Deadman's Curve today -100 years later. Note the pavement and the banked curve can still be seen. The utility tower in the background stands in the former Central Railroad right-of-way.

A 1909 postcard forever documented "Dead Man's Curve". But a closer look indicates this is not the curve at North Hermann Road.

This 1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes photo shows the same location as the postcard. Lewis Strang was driving the #P46 Renault near the shack that also appeared in the postcard. A bridge can also be seen in the background. Looking at the map, this "Dead Man's Curve" was located just pass the Central Avenue Railroad Bridge.

The turn was highlighted in this 1908 newspaper article entitled "Death Curve Fails to Deserve Name". Its location was described as "situated about three miles to the east of the grand stand. The turn comprises a descent of about forty feet just after crossing a bridge and then short "S" curves within a length of five hundred feet."

A 1912 view of the second Deadman's Curve looking east was likely taken from the shack at the top of the hill. Note the Motor Parkway sign to the left of the bush.The Stymus Farm can be seen in the background.

Finally, Michelle S. has forwarded this rare documentation of the sign. Michelle, thanks for your contribution to VanderbiltCupRaces.com!

This new index provides links to the most popular posts placed on VanderbiltCupRaces.com over the last three years. Updated: February 26, 2010

Vanderbilt Cup Races

Film of the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race: One of the first sports films ever made

Calling All Vanderbilt Cup Race Families: Feedback from the relatives of Vanderbilt Cup Race drivers and mechanicians

Profile of Eddie Rickenbacker:America's Ace of Aces and Vanderbilt Cup Race Participant

Driver Profile: William Luttgen : A grandchild's request generated a four-part post

1906 Hairpin Turn: Background on the most dramatic image of the Vanderbilt Cup Races

Krug's Hotel: The best accomodations on the course

The Long Island Motor Parkway

In Search of the Nassau Boulevard Lodge: Was there a toll lodge at the Western Terminus in Fresh Meadows?

The Proposed Motor Parkway Trailway: An opportunity to provide feedback on the Master Plan

New York Times Article “First Auto Parkway: From Road to Ruin”: Includes images from the Arcadia book "The Long Island Motor Parkway"

Historic Views of Roosevelt Field, the Motor Parkway and Lindbergh’s Takeoff: Includes a link to four amazing videoes of Lindbergh's flight

Alco-6 Black Beast

Road Test: Experience the first test of the Black Beast

Film "Ursula's Ride": Take a ride on the Alco "Black Beast"

The Inaugural Indy 500 Race-May 30,1911: The best film of the first Indy 500 Race including Harry Grant driving the Alco.

Long Island Automobile History

The Long Island Automotive Museum : Information on the best (yet sadly departed) automobile museum that ever existed on Long Island

The 1946 Mineola Jublilee: The last race for "Old 16" and Joe Tracy?

The 1951 Bridgehampton Races: Exclusive film documents the Third Annual Bridgehampton Races

Vanderbilia

Premium Vanderbilia :A ranking of memorabilia associated with the Vanderbilt Cup Races and the Long Island Motor Parkway

The Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups : The elusive sterling silver cups celebrating the 1908 winner

The Third Annual Vanderbilt Autocross will be held at Roosevelt Field on Sunday, August 8, 2010. The restored Alco-6 Black Beast Racer will once again participate and celebrate the centennial of the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race. Here is the film of the 2009 event.

For more information, contact Guy Frost at 1-516-621-2745.

Since 2008, I have been searching for a Vanderbilt Cup Race brassard (armband) reportedly found in the historic Malcolm House. As seen on the arm of William K. Vanderbilt, Jr, officials and press wore these distinctive armbands to allow access to the course. Last week my search for the Malcolm brassard took me to the archives of Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums. I was not disappointed!

Dr. William J. Malcolm was a physician for the 1908 and 1909 races who lived directly on the 1908 course in the hamlet of Jericho. In this 1909 program guide he was listed as one of the 24 "assistant surgeons".

Eureka!! I found it!! I was able to document it with my trusty Canon camera.

Since only 50-100 brassards were made for each race, they are highly collectible. These four brassards are owned by the Garden City Chamber of Commerce. They were donated by Crawford Robertson, son of George Robertson, the winner of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

This is the only brassard in my collection. Since the brassards for the 1905 to 1910 races always included the race date, it is likely this armband was worn by a physician for the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

Here chief surgeon Louis Lanehart can be seen driving with William K.Vanderbilt, Jr. on the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race course.

Among the thousands of items that have been donated to Nassau County, here is one item that has never been correctly identified. Does anyone know what this rather large lantern was used for?

February 28, 2010 Update: See comment below.

Beginning in November 1906, officials acquired the Motor Parkway right-of way from property owners and farmers from Queens to Riverhead, typically purchasing 1 to 20 acres of land. By far the largest parcel purchased was 891.21 acres in Ronkonkoma from Charles Wright. I always assumed that the Long Island Motor Parkway, Inc. needed to purchase the entire Wright property to connect to Lake Ronkonkoma. However, research indicates that William K. Vanderbilt Jr. had much larger plans for future development in this area. (Reminder: As with all VanderbiltCupRaces.com photos, click on the images to enlarge them.)

The Wright property included the eventual western terminus of the Motor Parkway and the Petit Trianon Inn on Lake Ronkonkoma. Note the southern border was adjacent to the Long Island Railroad.

Following two fatalities and several spectator injuries during the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race, it became clear that six years of racing, the sport had outgrown the venue of racing on Long Island roads. However, Motor Parkway officials refused to call it quits. In the December 28, 1910 issue of Horseless Age and the January 1, 1911 issue of The New York Times, A.R. Pardington, Second Vice President of the Parkway, authored an article calling for a "modern motordrome... a speedway like the Indianapolis course". Pardington stated:

Within 50 miles of New York, on line of the Long Island Railroad, and on line of the Long Island Motor Parkway, there should be built a speedway, introducing road conditions over which races for trophies like the Vanderbilt Cup and the Gold Cup of the Automobile Club of America can be run, and on which there can be races for any distance and of any time duration...This speedway would be Mecca of motordom, and the one spot where thousands would go weekly to witness contests of speed and endurance, with the knowledge that they would be rewarded by seeing real automobile racing under real and actual road conditions....To place New York on the automobile racing map as outlined above will cost but $500,000...A speedway near New York is a real need. This is the selling centre of the country. Cars require to be tested and demonstrated. The public demands entertainment and are ready to pay for it. Why, then, should not this need be met, and met promptly?.

The speedway plans went beyond the Pardington's PR campaign. After the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race, designs and cost estimates were developed for 3-mile and 5-mile courses to be built on the 892 acres of the former Wright property. Here for the first time ever are the plans for the two alternative courses. These documents were discovered among the maps in the Motor Parkway survey collection purchased last year. The three-mile loop was a basic oval design crossing the Motor Parkway to the North.

The layout included a grandstand, parking spaces, and camps for the racing teams.

On October 24, 1910, a cost estimate for $258,075.67 was prepared for the "construction of a 3-mile racing loop on Wright property situated at Ronkonkoma". This is equivalent to $5 million today. These estimates were found by Al Velocci in the archives of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.

This was the proposed 5-mile loop which was described by Pardington in his article: " I could here and now draft the plans for a speedway, giving a 5 mile road circuit, including right angle turns, a "hairpin" turn, and "S" turn, with grades approximating 8%, perfectly safe for no less than fifty free-for-all cars competing at one time, with a thrill in the grand stand for each ten seconds during an event." The design was very similar to the course for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race held at Roosevelt Raceway.

The 5-mile loop included a grandstand, an open stand, a garage, storage area, photographers and officials stand, scoreboard and the need to relocate of a section of Terry's Road.

Total cost for the 5-mile loop was $374,778.56, the equivalent of $7.5 million today.

Both cost estimates called for relocating the Hempstead Plains 5,000-seat grandstand and press box to Ronkonkoma at the cost of $14,000.

For two years, the speedway proposal stalled with little action taken to advance it. However, on February 21, 1913, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. wrote this letter to Alfred J. Kienzle, assistant treasurer of the Motor Parkway, stating; " It looks now as if the motordrome proposition might go through....". The proposal did not go through and Long Island missed an opportunity to rival the Indianapolis Speedway with its own "Ronkonkoma Motor Speedway".

This is the weekly update of Long Island 2010 car events for the upcoming 30 days including; car club meetings, car shows, cruises and motor sports activities.

Car Club Meetings and Automobile Events

Saturday, February 20, 2010

-Open House at Cap-A-Radiator, Farmingdale, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Get free answers to any questions you might have on radiators, heater cores or A/C.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

-The Presidents Council meeting to be held in Hicksville NY. For more information, call Andy 631-724-6234

-Tire Kicking Session, Gullwing Motors, 9:00 AM

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

-Long Island Chapter American Truck Historical Society Meeting, Bay Shore, 7:30 PM

Saturday, February 27, 2010

-South Side Boys of Long Island Car Club Breakfast, East Farmingdale, 7:45 AM

-Atlantic City Car Show & Swap Meet

Sunday, February 28, 2010

-Annual Automobile Flea Market,Southold Town Recreation Center, Peconic, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

-5th Annual "Polar Plunge" and Car Display, Bar Beach Park, Port Washington 11:00 AM

Monday,March 8, 2010

-Fabulous 50's 60's Nostalgia Club Meeting, Holtsville, 7:30 PM

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Business Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Long Island Region #11 Meeting,Oyster Bay 8:00 PM

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

-Long Island Sound Region of Classic Car Club of America Meeting,Town of Oyster Bay Skating Rink Center Stewart Ave, Bethpage, 7:30 PM

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

-"Loving Long Island Night, 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM including a presentation by Bruce Adams on the "Long Island Motor Parkway 1908 - 2010", Wenonah Elementary School, Lake Grove

Thursday, March 11, 2010

-Long Island Buick Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

-Long Island Motor Touring Club, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

Sunday, March 14, 2010

-Bayport-Bluepoint 20th Annual St. Patricks Day Parade

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Meeting, Hauppague, 7:00 PM

-Long Island Volkswagen Club, Farmingdale, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Queens County Region #11 Meeting, Bayside 7:30 PM

Thursday, March 18, 2010

-Peconic Bay Region of ACCA Meeting, 8:00 PM

-Studebaker Driver's Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:30 PM

Monday, March 22, 2010

- Presentation "The Incredibe Vanderbilt Cup Races" by Howard Kroplick. Restored Rusty Relics Car Club, Paramus, New Jersey. To benefit Child Abuse Prevention Services.

Links to Car Shows and Car Cruises

-Life on Long Island Car Shows and Motor Sports

-National auto events listed on autoevents.org

Future 2010 Cruise Nights

-Cruise-Ins listed on Longislandchevelles.com

Mondays:

-Pep Boys (Sunrise Hwy-Lindenhurst approx. 1/2 mile east of Wellwood ave)

Tuesdays:

-Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce Cruise Night

-Bald Hill (Suffolk County - Exit 63 Long Island Expressway)

Wednesdays:

-Cedarhurst Cruise Night

-Nathans, Oceanside

- Levittown Car Cruise. Every 3rd Wednesday Of The Month Cruise To Empress Diner In East Meadow On Hempstead Turnpike, Following Monthly Meeting At VFW Club, 55 Hickory Lane, 7:30PM, All Cadillac Owners Welcome, Sponsored By Long Island Dream Boats, LI Region Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Contact: Fred Miceli (516) 796-7618, Ken Kanner (718) 224-5519 Or Andy Zizolfo (631) 205-0118, Visit the Web Site At: www.lidreamboats.org Or caddycoupe1960@cs.com

Thursdays:

-Glen Cove Cruise Night

-Wendy's Parking Lot (Montauk Hwy-Oakdale 1/4 east of Locust ave)

-Kings Park at Keyfood shopping center on Indian head road just one block south of the Kings Park train station

Fridays

-Bellmore Cruise Night

-Hewlett Cruise Night

-Massapequa (Long Island Rail Road Station 8pm-10pm). Cars must stay the duration of the evening beginning at 7:15. Car owners are asked to donate two cans of food for admission. Live music on July 27, Aug.3, and Aug. 24. Contact info: (516) 797-4126.

Fridays and Saturdays:

Babylon Car Cruise to Cedar Beach

Saturdays:

-Smithtown Cruise-In

-Commack at the Walmart/Kohls/Home Depot shopping center on crooked Hill Road just north of the LIE

Sundays

-Captree State Park, which moves to the old OBI parking lot just west on Ocean Parkway, around this time of year (May). All year, when the roads are dry and salt-free, hundreds (500+ on really nice days) of the incurably car-crazy show up. But,get there before 7:30 AM (before 7:00 to be safe) or you might not get in.

Please recommend any other Long Island automobile events in the Comments section below or sending an email to Howard@Kroplick.com .

As noted on December 16, 2008, through the efforts of historian Bob Miller, New York Parks & Recreation has placed new plaques celebrating the Long Island Motor Parkway on the Queens Greenway section.Remember to click on the photo to enlarge it.

The sign is located on the north side of Motor Parkway Bike Path at the 210th Street entrance.

This section of the Motor Parkway in Queens is absolutely beautiful, even more so with the recent snowfall. This is the view today looking east at the 210th Street entrance.

This is the view looking west.

Here is the copy on the historical marker. It does contain at least eight minor factual errors. Can you find them? If so, please leave a comment.

LONG ISLAND MOTOR PARKWAY

14.049 acres

The Long Island Motor Parkway, also known as the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, survives today as a bicycle path, but began as America’s first limited-access road for cars.

Originally started in 1908 by the railroad mogul and financier, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. (1878-1944), the parkway was the prototype for today’s superhighways. It was the first long-distance, concrete highway, utilizing bridges and overpasses to eliminate cross traffic, super-elevated curves for safety and speed, and was the first high-speed route from Queens to Suffolk County. The parkway’s history is filled with extraordinary racing cars, bootleggers, public controversy and historic preservation efforts.

“Willie K.” Vanderbilt, great-grandson of the noted railroad developer Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877), became a serious devotee of a brand-new mode of high-velocity transportation: the automobile. Having participated in the Grand Prix cross-country races in Europe that ran from Paris to Monte Carlo, “Willie K” tried to create a similar, long-distance road race back home. He chose Long Island because of its good roads which linked many towns of the country-side with one another.

Over the next three years Vanderbilt held his races on 25 mile routes, mostly over Nassau County local roads. In 1906, after a car crash in which a spectator was killed, Vanderbilt decided to remove the races from local roads and build a landscaped parkway to hold the races, without creating danger for spectators, and to create a road for pleasure driving for the rest of the time. He chose to build his road between eastern Queens and Riverhead. To this end, along with other financiers, corporation heads and car manufacturers, he formed the Long Island Motor Parkway, Incorporated.

On June 6, 1908 construction began on what was to become the nation’s first long-distance roadway for cars, featuring reinforced concrete paving, as well as bridges and underpasses to eliminate dangerous intersections. To cover expenses, two dollar tolls collected at 12 “toll lodges” designed by John Russell Pope (1874-1937), the New York architect who later designed the Jefferson Memorial and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C., as well as the American Museum of Natural History’s Theodore Roosevelt wing in Manhattan.

The first section of the road was finished in time for the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race, which was attended by a quarter-million fans. The races continued there until 1910, when three spectators were killed and twenty others injured. The State Legislature eventually banned racing outside of self-contained racetracks, effectively ending the Grand Prix sport here.

In 1912, the parkway was fully opened to the public as a private toll road for its entire 45-mile length. It was used primarily by New York City’s elite, travelling to and from their Long Island estates. With the onset of Prohibition in 1920, the parkway acquired the nickname “Rumrunner’s Road” because bootleggers often used it to avoid the police.

In 1929, Robert Moses (1888-1981), then president of the Long Island State Park Commission (1924-1964), began planning for the construction of the Northern State Parkway through Nassau County. Vanderbilt offered to sell his parkway to Moses, but the Commissioner refused to include the antiquated road in the modern parkway network he planned to link the five boroughs and relieve ever-increasing traffic. Vanderbilt reduced the toll to forty cents to remain competitive, but by 1937 the parkway was no longer solvent. Vanderbilt shut down the parkway in April of 1938. The components of the parkway were deeded back to the respective counties through which it ran. Within three months, NYC Parks' Commissioner Moses obtained portions of the parkway’s right-of-way for park purposes. He transformed the Queens section of the parkway into the “Queens Bicycle Path” before an audience of hundreds. This stretch of road is now used by walkers and joggers as well as bicyclists.

Only a few of the parkway’s original 65 bridges and underpasses survive. In 1998, then Mayor Giuliani approved $1,072,000 in funds for the reconstruction of the overpasses at 73rd Avenue, Hollis Hills Terrace, Francis Lewis Boulevard and Springfield Boulevard, all of which Parks continues to maintain. The bridges and the road itself reflect the state of the art roadway technology of the early 20th century, when the parkway was built and modernized. Some of the original roadway material was as a patented form of reinforced concrete. In years prior, road building used different methods and materials, ranging from “corduroy” (log) roads to wood planks, and from oyster shells to plain dirt and oiled dirt surfaces. Parks later repaved the roadway with additional asphalt, but portions of the original concrete and asphalt surfaces, together with markers and fence posts, can be seen as one walks along the route.

In 1986, Parks rehabilitated this section of the parkway through Alley Pond and Cunningham Park. It was then incorporated into NYC Greenway program in1993 as part of the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway. The Greenway Program, a collaborative effort of the Department of Transportation, the City Planning Office, and Parks is one of the most ambitious networks of landscaped paths in the nation.

In 2002, due to efforts of the Friends of Cunningham Park, the parkland section of the Long Island Motor Parkway located in present day Cunningham and Alley Pond Parks in eastern Queens was placed on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places. This section amounts to approximately 2.5 miles of roadway. While efforts are underway for preservation of other sections of the historic Motor Parkway, this section of the parkway that falls under Parks’ jurisdiction is the largest preservation effort of this type for the Motor Parkway.

The overgrowth alongside the road has resulted in a canopy of trees over much of the length of the parkway, making the parkway true to is name- as much a park as a right-of-way, and truly green progenitor to the current parkway system.

City of New York Parks & Recreation

Adrain Benepe, Commissioner

Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor

www.nyc.gov/parks

June 2007

As most LIMP fans know, for many years Bob Miller has done wonderful work to preserve this historical parkway. His 21-minute video tour of the Motor Parkway can be seen in the video section of the Blog. Bob, thanks again for all your preservation efforts.

For more information on the Queens section, check out the Long Island Motor Parkway Index.

The restored Alco-6 Black Beast Racer will be one of the featured cars in these two 2010 Long Island car shows to benefit various charities:

-Sunday, April 11, 2010, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Fifth Annual Spring Car Show Fundraiser, Smithtown, NY. To benefit the St. Patrick School.

-Sunday, July 18, 2010, New York AutoFest 3, Hicksville, New York. To benefit St. Paul the Apostle Knights of Columbus Council 6802.

As Louis Wagner was about to win the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #10 Darracq, starter Fred Wagner waved what is believed to be the first checkered flag used to signify the finish of an auto race. Here are the winners of the six Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island...the last four receiving a checkered flag from Fred Wagner. Remember to click on the image to enlarge it.

1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race: George Heath winning in a Panhard (France), averaging 52.2 mph. A white flag signified the end of the final lap.

1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race: Victory Hemery winning in a Darracq (France), averaging 61.4 mph. A red or yellow flag signified the end of the final lap.

1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race: Louis Wagner winning in a Darracq (France), averaging 60.8 mph. First known use of a checkered flag to signify the finish of an automobile race.

1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race: George Robertson winning in a Locomobile (USA). First American car to win the Vanderbilt Cup Race.

1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race: Harry Grant winning in an Alco (USA), averaging 62.8 mph.

1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race:Harry Grant winning in an Alco (USA), averaging 65.18 mph. First car and driver to win consecutive Vanderbilt Cup Races.

February 17, 2010 Update: Bill B: Does anyone know the use of the other flags?

Bill, as shown below, the meaning of the flags used during the 1904 to 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races changed every year. NASCAR is worried about potholes on their tracks...Vanderbilt was concerned about trains and runaway horses!

-1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race Instructions to Special Officers at Highway Crossings:

"In case a runaway horse gets on the course, use your red flag to warn the racers."

"Waving your white flag, or keeping it in view, serves to remind them the course is clear."

-1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race Instructions to Contestants:

"Bear in mind that the RED FLAG means "Everything All Right."

"Bear in mind that the YELLOW FLAG means "Danger," and therefore use extreme caution."

"Obey promptly the YELLOW FLAG signal, which will be given at the "Start and Finish" line at the conclusion of the race."

"Evey turn and crossroad will be guarded by flagmen, whose "ALL-RIGHT" signal will be a RED FLAG, and whose "DANGER" warning will be a YELLOW FLAG."

"Contestants are particularly warned to give prompt heed to the YELLOW FLAG at the two railroad crossings, and be prepared to come to a full stop.

"Again, keep in mind that the RED FLAG means "ALL RIGHT," and the YELLOW FLAG means "DANGER".

-1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Instructions to Special Officers and Flagmen:

"In case a runaway horse gets on the course, use your YELLOW FLAG to warn the contestants."

"Waving your RED FLAG, or keeping it in view, serves to remind the contestants that the course is clear."

"Bear in mind that the RED FLAG is a warning to spectators that a car is coming, and is a sign to contestants that the course is clear."

"Bear in mind that the YELOW FLAG is a warning to the contestants that there is danger ahead, and to use extreme caution or stop."

The use of the white flags (and two horses!) during the 1904 race can be seen at the 35 second mark of this remarkable film.

The use of the checkered flag seen at the end of the 1906 race was not mentioned in any of the official instructions and did not even get a mention in articles describing the race. Unfortunately, it was not seen in this film of the 1906 race.

On Saturday John Cuocco and I had a memorable visit to the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum located in Philadelphia. Assembled by renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Frederick Simeone over a span of 50 years, the Museum collection contains over 60 of the rarest and most significant racing sports cars ever built.

We were honored to receive a personal tour of the Pre-World War I racers by Dr. Frederick Simeone.

As can be expected, I immediately began to look for the racers related to the Vanderbilt Cup Races. When I saw this banner of Old 16 and Willie K at the 1908 race, I knew that I would not be disappointed.

This is the powerful 60-HP American Underslung known for its ability in long distance racing. "Underslung" refers to the chassis which was slung under the front axles, unique for its time. The huge 40-inch tires provided excellent clearance for road races.

February 15, 2010 Update: The #23 American racer driven by William Wallace participated in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race, finishing 26th.

An identical car to this 1912 National Speed Car was the only stock car to win the Indy 500 (1912). Nationals finished 7th and 12th in the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race and an impressive 3rd, 4th and 13th in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

February 15, 2010 Update: The #11 National driven by William Mertz finished 7th during the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

February 15, 2010 Update: The #11 National can be seen here during the race passing under the Jerusalem Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge. The Hempstead Plains grandstand and press box are in the distance in the background. Note the guard rails on both sides of the road- another pioneering feature of the Motor Parkway.

February 15, 2010 Update: Here is the #10 National which finished third during the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race, averaging 64.7 mph. The racer was on the Merrick Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge in East Meadow. The chimney of the Meadow Brook Lodge can be seen on the left.

The Mercers were considered the most versatile race cars of their era as evidenced by this spectacular unrestored 1913 Raceabout.

February 15, 2010 Update: Two Mercers participated in the Wheatley Sweepstakes which ran with the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races, finishing 4th and 8th. In this photo, three Mercers were lined up prior to the 1910 race at their headquarters at August Porrier's Garage in Garden City. The #42 Mercer can be seen in the middle with driver E.H. Sherwood and mechanician H.M. Ozier. The car was owned by Washington Roebling, II , the nephew of one of the builders of the Brooklyn Bridge and a victim of the Titanic sinking. To the right was the #47 Mercer with driver W.T. Fry and mechanician C.M. Kitrell. The Mercer on the left was likely a backup racer.

February 23, 2010 Update: Here is a close-up of the front of the middle car identifying it as "Entrant No. 42". The only other #42 that ran in the Vanderbilt Cup Races and Sweepstakes was #42 Hudson of the 1909 Massapequa Sweepstakes which looked totally different.

Dr. Simeone and I spent some time together discussing his magnificent collection and his beautiful book "The Spirit of Competition". Dr. Simeone was quite familiar with the Alco Black Beast Racer and offered valuable insights and suggestions on how to present and describe the car in the future. Thank you Dr. Simeone for an unforgettable afternoon!

I strongly recommend a visit to this amazing museum when your visit Philadelphia. For more information and directions, follow this link.

This is the weekly update of Long Island February 2010 car events including; car club meetings, car shows, cruises and motor sports activities.

The snow was plowed off the streets of Philly and over 65 AACA members attended today's presentation of "The Incredible Vanderbilt Cup Races".at the 74th Annual AACA Meeting. Over $250 was raised for Child Abuse Prevention Services as a result of the book-signing of Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island and The Long Island Motor Parkway following the presentation.

Car Club Meetings and Automobile Events

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

-Long Island Volkswagen Club, Farmingdale, 7:00 PM

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Meeting, Hauppague, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Queens County Region #11 Meeting, Bayside 7:30 PM

Thursday, February 18, 2010

-Peconic Bay Region of ACCA Meeting, 8:00 PM

-Studebaker Driver's Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:30 PM

Saturday, February 20, 2010

-Open House at Cap-A-Radiator, Farmingdale, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Get free answers to any questions you might have on radiators, heater cores or A/C.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

-The Presidents Council meeting to be held in Hicksville NY. For more information, call Andy 631-724-6234

-Tire Kicking Session, Gullwing Motors, 9:00 AM

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

-Long Island Chapter American Truck Historical Society Meeting, Bay Shore, 7:30 PM

Saturday, February 27, 2010

-South Side Boys of Long Island Car Club Breakfast, East Farmingdale, 7:45 AM

-Atlantic City Car Show & Swap Meet

Sunday, February 28, 2010

-Annual Automobile Flea Market,Southold Town Recreation Center, Peconic, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

-5th Annual "Polar Plunge" and Car Display, Bar Beach Park, Port Washington 11:00 AM

Links to Car Shows and Car Cruises

-Life on Long Island Car Shows and Motor Sports

-National auto events listed on autoevents.org

Future 2010 Cruise Nights

-Cruise-Ins listed on Longislandchevelles.com

Mondays:

-Pep Boys (Sunrise Hwy-Lindenhurst approx. 1/2 mile east of Wellwood ave)

Tuesdays:

-Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce Cruise Night

-Bald Hill (Suffolk County - Exit 63 Long Island Expressway)

Wednesdays:

-Cedarhurst Cruise Night

-Nathans, Oceanside

- Levittown Car Cruise. Every 3rd Wednesday Of The Month Cruise To Empress Diner In East Meadow On Hempstead Turnpike, Following Monthly Meeting At VFW Club, 55 Hickory Lane, 7:30PM, All Cadillac Owners Welcome, Sponsored By Long Island Dream Boats, LI Region Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Contact: Fred Miceli (516) 796-7618, Ken Kanner (718) 224-5519 Or Andy Zizolfo (631) 205-0118, Visit the Web Site At: www.lidreamboats.org Or caddycoupe1960@cs.com

Thursdays:

-Glen Cove Cruise Night

-Wendy's Parking Lot (Montauk Hwy-Oakdale 1/4 east of Locust ave)

-Kings Park at Keyfood shopping center on Indian head road just one block south of the Kings Park train station

Fridays

-Bellmore Cruise Night

-Hewlett Cruise Night

-Massapequa (Long Island Rail Road Station 8pm-10pm). Cars must stay the duration of the evening beginning at 7:15. Car owners are asked to donate two cans of food for admission. Live music on July 27, Aug.3, and Aug. 24. Contact info: (516) 797-4126.

Fridays and Saturdays:

Babylon Car Cruise to Cedar Beach

Saturdays:

-Smithtown Cruise-In

-Commack at the Walmart/Kohls/Home Depot shopping center on crooked Hill Road just north of the LIE

Sundays

-Captree State Park, which moves to the old OBI parking lot just west on Ocean Parkway, around this time of year (May). All year, when the roads are dry and salt-free, hundreds (500+ on really nice days) of the incurably car-crazy show up. But,get there before 7:30 AM (before 7:00 to be safe) or you might not get in.

Please recommend any other Long Island automobile events in the Comments section below or sending an email to Howard@Kroplick.com .

Nycbikemaps has posted this 2009 five-minute video of the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway bike path including a good portion of the Motor Parkway in Fresh Meadows. The 20-minute bike ride was played back at 4 times the speed. As a result, you can visualize what it was like to ride on this section of the Motor Parkway at around 40 miles per hour.

Here are the timed-coded features of the video:

1 minute 19 seconds: After traveling on the Kissena Greenway, the cyclist enters the Motor Parkway near Peck Avenue and 199th Street.

1 minute 42 seconds: On the 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge built in 1926.

2 minutes 40 seconds: The beautiful Hollis Hills Terrace Motor Parkway Bridge built in 1925.

3 minutes 53 seconds: The Springfield Boulevard Motor Parkway Bridge built in 1924. Note the entrance/exit ramp to the left of the bridge in this photo.

3 minutes 59 seconds: The location of the Rocky Hill Lodge (seen here in the 1930s). Note the entrance/exit ramps on both sides of the toll booth. The right ramp can still be seen in the video.

4 minutes 26 seconds: The bike path going under the Grand Central Parkway. The photo shows the same location as seen in 1940 with the original Grand Central Parkway bridges over the Motor Parkway built by Robert Moses.

4 minutes 38 seconds: Nycbikemaps leaves the Motor Parkway bike path. Thanks for the great tour!!

This is a link to a pdf of the entire Motor Parkway path in Queens.

-Today: Presentation "The Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island” at the 74th Annual Meeting of AACA, Philadelphia, PA, Friday, February 12, 2010.

In May 1906, Charles J. Swain and John Wilkins, Jr. of the Cape May Automobile Club announced that intended to purchase two specially-built Stanley Steamer racers to compete in the American Elimination Trial for the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race. Swain proudly announced to the automobile trade journals: "Preliminary negotiations were made for the purchase of two Stanley steamers, guaranteed to do a mile in thirty seconds, and capable of standing up for the Vanderbilt Cup car journey".

Driver Fred Marriott and Francis E. Stanley can be seen in one of the Stanley Steam "Vanderbilt" racers in this rare 1906 photo.

Unfortunately, the racers were never even entered into the 1906 American Elimination Trial. Freelan Stanley became ill and the Stanley brothers were unable to finish the cars in time for the September race. In a letter to the owners Swain and Wilkins, Freelan Stanley wrote:

"Owning to my absence and the fact that my brother will be away more or less this summer, we shall be unable to complete them in season for the Vanderbilt races. Hence, of course, you are no obligation to buy them."

Swain and Wilkins were furious. "We lost the confidence of many friends. The fact the club intended challenging for the Vanderbilt Cup with our cars had been broadcast. We were ignominously thrown down at the last minute, by the one man upon whom we had placed every reliance, and in whom we had every confidence." They documented their ordeal in this "explanation" published in the September 6, 1906 issue of The Automobile.

So what happened to the Stanley Steamer Vanderbilt racers? One of them ended up in the amazing car collection of Jay Leno. Here is a link to information, photos and two videos on Leno's 1906 car.

Two additional websites with information on Stanley Steamers:

-Stanleymotorcarriage.com

-Oldcarandtruckpictures.com

March 10, 2010 Update: As suggested by Kelly, other Stanley Steamer Vanderbilt Cup Race replicas can be found Stanelyregister.net.

One innovation of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race was the first use of service racing pits in an American automobile race.

The pits were described in the Ocober 1, 1908 issue of The Automobile :

"Spectators on the homestretch will be treated to a noteworthy innovation in the establishment of a depressed official supply stations stretching for 300 feet in front of the grandstand. it will take the form of a pit 10 feet wide and 5 feet deep, and will be reached by a switch from the main course. Here will be kept tires, oil, water and gasoine. The heads of the mechanics will be visible above the edges of the pit. Not only will the passing of supplies and filing of tanks be seen, but the interesting operation of the quick-changing of tires also. "

In this photo, driver William Luttgen and his mechanician were refueling their Mercedes during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race in front of the Hempstead Plains (now Levittown) grandstand and the "pits". Note William K. Vanderbilt Jr.standing behind the car carefully observing the car which he owned.

Here Luttgen stopped at the pit for refueling and a change of the right rear tire. The 1908 rules allowed only the driver and mechanician to work on the car . The rules were modified in 1910 to allow two of the pit crew to replenish water, oil and fuel and to assist in replacing tires.

Long Island Business News has published an article on the Motor Parkway Trailway based on the January 2010 press release issued by the engineering firm VHB:

Hope for the Vanderbilt

by David Winzelberg

Published: Long Island Business News

January 29, 2010

First used as a raceway for the well-heeled nearly 100 years ago, the original Vanderbilt Long Island Motor Parkway is now on track for a long-awaited restart.

The Nassau County Department of Public Works has tapped Hauppauge engineering firm VHB to develop a master plan to transform the broken road that once connected Queens and Ronkonkoma into a viable recreational trail. The ultimate goal of the plan is to create an alternate transportation connection among communities and provide a protected route for hikers and bicyclists.

William K. Vanderbilt Jr. began building his privately owned parkway in 1908, and when it was finished it became the first concrete high-speed road in the country. Home to a race called the Vanderbilt Cup, the Motor Parkway attracted the area’s rich and famous to slap on the goggles and drive. Vanderbilt lost the road in 1938 for failing to pay property taxes and it was turned over to Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Little by little, as suburbia spread eastward, small sections of the parkway disappeared or were rerouted to accommodate development. In Nassau, most of the parkway has become a right-of-way for the Long Island Power Authority. Just 16 feet wide, Vanderbilt’s winding parkway used about 60 bridges to eliminate intersections, most of which have been demolished. Preservation groups have lobbied LIPA and local officials for years to save what’s left, and the master plan is a step in that direction.

The engineers working on the plan will inventory existing conditions of the old road, including the tangled web of right-of-ways and transversals through private properties. After the mapping is completed, the VHB team will then design access for the public and easy maintenance features into sections. Identifying where the parkway was originally located will depend heavily on the use of historical records, old maps and interviews with people familiar with the parkway and its history. VHB has already conducted several meetings with the Long Island Motor Parkway Panel, a volunteer group dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of the trail.

Denis Byrne, who heads a committee called Long Island Greenways and Healthy Trails, has been a strong supporter of reusing the old parkway. "This proposed path will help us change Long Island for the better by allowing people to combine recreational and transportation activities in a fun, safe and enjoyable manner,” Byrne said.

VHB project manager Paul Campagnola said community participation would be a key aspect of the project known as the Long Island Motor Parkway Trailway. He said engineers will work with the county to advertise public meetings and target local officials, civic and business groups, parks and open space proponents, and other stakeholders. Campagnola will be working with Bill DeSantis, a veteran engineer who specializes in roadway, bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Ryan Lynch of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign said the grassroots effort to reopen the trail is another indication of the rising demand for transportation choices on Long Island. “Anytime you can create a safe place for biking and walking you can reduce congestion on the roads,” Lynch said, “especially for short trips.”

Scheduled for completion by the fall, the trail’s master plan will include construction cost estimates and develop a timeline for the whole project.

These are the 17 cars that raced in the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race held on October 24, 1908. The race was run over a 23.46 mile course including 8 miles of the Long Island Motor Parkway. The winner needed to complete 11 laps of the course for a total of 258.06 miles. Remember to click on the photos to enlarge the image:

#1 Locomobile (USA) driven by Joe Florida, 90 HP. Finished 3rd. Crashed into touring car on course at finish. Unofficial third place.

#2 Knox (USA) driven by Al Denison, 50 HP. Finished 7th. Running in lap 10 when race was called.

#3 Mercedes (Germany) driven by Emil Stricker. 120 HP. Finished 6th. Caught fire at Locust Grove, running when race was stopped

#4 Chadwick (USA) driven by William Haupt. 60 HP. Finished 10th. Magneto problem on lap 7. Running in lap 9 when race was called.

#5 Mercedes (Germany) driven by William Luttgen. 90 HP. Finished 4th. Car owned by William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Running in last lap when race was called.

#6 Isotta (Italy) driven by Herb Lytle. 60 HP. Finished 2nd. Previously won the 1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes. Less than two minutes behind winner. First to finish, but started 10 minutes ahead of #16

#7 Matheson (USA) by James Ryall. 60 HP. Finished 12th. As seen in this photo, caught fire before completing lap 4.

#8 Thomas (USA) driven by Joe Seymour. 60 HP. Finished 8th. Running in lap 9 when race was called.

#9 Hotchkiss (France) driven by E.J. Kilpatrick. 90 HP. Finished 15th. Broke clutch in Central Park during lap 3.

#11 Acme (USA) driven by Cyrus Patschke. 90 HP. Finished 14th. Broke camshaft gear in Central Park during lap 3.

#12 Thomas (USA) driven by George Salzman. 110 HP. Finished 5th. Running in lap 11 when race was called

#15 Matheson (USA) driven by Louis Chevrolet. 90 HP. Finished 16th. Cracked cylinder in Jericho during lap 2.

#16 Locomobile (USA) driven by George Robertson. 90 HP. Finished 1st. First American car to win the Vanderbilt Cup Race. Averaged 64.3 mph.

#17 Renault (France) driven by Lewis Strang. 115 HP. Finished 13th. Willie K pushed car at the start. Broke clutch during lap 4.

#18 Mercedes (Germany) driven by Foxhall Keene. 120 HP. Finished 11th. Cracked two cylinders in Jericho during lap 5.

#19 Thomas (USA) driven by Howard Gill. 115 HP. Finished 17th. Gear trouble during lap 2.

#20 Knox (USA) driven by William Bourque. 40 HP. Finished 8th. Running in lap 9 when race was called.

Vanderbilt Cup Race Starting Lineups

-1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

-1905 American Elimination Trial

-1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race

-1906 American Elimination Race

-1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race

-1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes

-1908 Garden City Sweepstakes

This is the weekly update of Long Island February 2010 car events including; car club meetings, car shows, cruises and motor sports activities.

Car Club Meetings and Automobile Events

Monday, February 8, 2010

-Fabulous 50's 60's Nostalgia Club Meeting, Holtsville, 7:30 PM

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Business Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Long Island Region #11 Meeting,Oyster Bay 8:00 PM

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

-Long Island Sound Region of Classic Car Club of America Meeting,Town of Oyster Bay Skating Rink Center Stewart Ave, Bethpage, 7:30 PM

Thursday, February 11, 2010

-Long Island Buick Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

-Long Island Motor Touring Club, Massapequa, 8:00 PM

Friday, February 12, 2010

-74th Annual AACA meeting, Philadelphia

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

-Long Island Volkswagen Club, Farmingdale, 7:00 PM

-Mustang & Shelby Club of Long Island Meeting, Hauppague, 7:00 PM

-VCCA-Queens County Region #11 Meeting, Bayside 7:30 PM

Thursday, February 18, 2010

-Peconic Bay Region of ACCA Meeting, 8:00 PM

-Studebaker Driver's Club Meeting, Marjorie Post Park, Massapequa, 7:30 PM

Sunday, February 21, 2010

-The Presidents Council meeting to be held in Hicksville NY. For more information, call Andy 631-724-6234

-Tire Kicking Session, Gullwing Motors, 9:00 AM

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

-Long Island Chapter American Truck Historical Society Meeting, Bay Shore, 7:30 PM

Saturday, February 27, 2010

-South Side Boys of Long Island Car Club Breakfast, East Farmingdale, 7:45 AM

-Atlantic City Car Show & Swap Meet

Sunday, February 28, 2010

-Annual Automobile Flea Market,Southold Town Recreation Center, Peconic, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

-5th Annual "Polar Plunge" and Car Display, Bar Beach Park, Port Washington 11:00 AM

Links to Car Shows and Car Cruises

-Life on Long Island Car Shows and Motor Sports

-National auto events listed on autoevents.org

Future 2010 Cruise Nights

-Cruise-Ins listed on Longislandchevelles.com

Mondays:

-Pep Boys (Sunrise Hwy-Lindenhurst approx. 1/2 mile east of Wellwood ave)

Tuesdays:

-Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce Cruise Night

-Bald Hill (Suffolk County - Exit 63 Long Island Expressway)

Wednesdays:

-Cedarhurst Cruise Night

-Nathans, Oceanside

- Levittown Car Cruise. Every 3rd Wednesday Of The Month Cruise To Empress Diner In East Meadow On Hempstead Turnpike, Following Monthly Meeting At VFW Club, 55 Hickory Lane, 7:30PM, All Cadillac Owners Welcome, Sponsored By Long Island Dream Boats, LI Region Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Contact: Fred Miceli (516) 796-7618, Ken Kanner (718) 224-5519 Or Andy Zizolfo (631) 205-0118, Visit the Web Site At: www.lidreamboats.org Or caddycoupe1960@cs.com

Thursdays:

-Glen Cove Cruise Night

-Wendy's Parking Lot (Montauk Hwy-Oakdale 1/4 east of Locust ave)

-Kings Park at Keyfood shopping center on Indian head road just one block south of the Kings Park train station

Fridays

-Bellmore Cruise Night

-Hewlett Cruise Night

-Massapequa (Long Island Rail Road Station 8pm-10pm). Cars must stay the duration of the evening beginning at 7:15. Car owners are asked to donate two cans of food for admission. Live music on July 27, Aug.3, and Aug. 24. Contact info: (516) 797-4126.

Fridays and Saturdays:

Babylon Car Cruise to Cedar Beach

Saturdays:

-Smithtown Cruise-In

-Commack at the Walmart/Kohls/Home Depot shopping center on crooked Hill Road just north of the LIE

Sundays

-Captree State Park, which moves to the old OBI parking lot just west on Ocean Parkway, around this time of year (May). All year, when the roads are dry and salt-free, hundreds (500+ on really nice days) of the incurably car-crazy show up. But,get there before 7:30 AM (before 7:00 to be safe) or you might not get in.

Please recommend any other Long Island automobile events in the Comments section below or sending an email to Howard@Kroplick.com .

As reported last year, the contract for developing a master plan for a Motor Parkway Trailway in Nassau County has been awarded to VHB Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture, P.C. Members of the Long Island Motor Parkway Panel, including myself, met with VHB, LIPA and Nassau officials yesterday to provide input and the comments submitted on VanderbiltCupRaces.com.

VHB recently issued this press release on the project:

VHB TO DEVELOP MASTER PLAN FOR HISTORIC LI MOTOR PARKWAY TRAILWAY

- Once a playground for the rich and famous of the Gatsby era, now will be a biking and hiking trail for all to enjoy

HAUPPAUGE, NY - January 22, 2010 - The Long Island Motor Parkway will once again become a recreational amenity - now for all to enjoy. The Nassau County Department of Public Works has selected VHB to develop a master plan for the reuse of the Long Island Motor Parkway Trailway. Once completed, the LIMP Trailway will become a trail for hikers and bicyclists to enjoy, while maintaining its historical significances. It will also provide an important transportation connection between communities, open space resources, and employment centers for those wishing to walk or bike through Nassau County.

Well before the everyday traffic congestion on the Long Island Expressway or Northern State Parkway, William K. Vanderbilt Jr.'s Long Island Motor Parkway provided a leisurely and picturesque drive from Queens to Ronkonkoma after the turn of the last century. The nation's first concrete high speed road was ideal for the rich and famous of the day to drive and race their cars.

When ground was broken in 1908, the road was marveled by A.R. Pardington, the then-vice president of the Long Island Motor Parkway and general manager of the Vanderbilt Cup, who stated, "Think of the time it will save the busy man of. Speed limits are left behind, the Great White Way is before him, and with the throttle open he can go, go, go and keep going, 50, 60 or 90 miles an hour until Riverhead or Southampton is reached, in time for a scotch at the Meadow Brook Club, a round of golf and a refreshing dip in the surf, and all before dinner is served, or the electric lights begin to twinkle."

The undertaking of the project will utilize VHB's resources and depth of experience in creating master plans for recreational facilities, bikeways and greenways from Maine to Florida. VHB will inventory existing conditions of the trail and its right-of-ways and transversals through private properties and analyze route options and design accessible, easily maintained trails for public use. Identifying where the parkway was originally located will require the use of historical records and old maps as well as conversations with groups and individuals familiar with the parkway and its history.

A key aspect of the project will be community participation, including outreach to the public and trail advocates to take part in meetings. VHB will work with county personnel to advertise public meetings and target local officials, civic and business organizations, parks and open space proponents and other stakeholder groups to attend.

Once completed, the comprehensive master plan for the Long Island Motor Parkway Trailway will include details on existing conditions, structures, road crossings and profile the trail for proposed grading, drainage, trail alignment, plantings and other treatments such as trail markers and signs. Completion of the plan is expected to take six to nine months. Other deliverables to the county will consist of construction cost estimates and identifying any permits or approvals necessary and to develop a timeline for the project.VHB has already conducted several meetings with the Long Island Motor Parkway Panel, a volunteer group dedicated to the historic preservation and revitalization of the trail.

VanderbiltCupRaces.com will be providing regular updates on this project.

The Museum of the City of New York has announced an upcoming exhibition Cars, Culture and the City" to run from March 25, 2010 to August 8, 2010. The exhibition will include photos, memorabilia and films on the Vanderbilt Cup Races and the Long Island Motor Parkway from my collection .

One month after the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race, William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. and his business associates met to select a name for their company and for the first parkway to be built exclusively for automobiles. These are the original eight "suggested names for the company":

"Cars, Culture, and the City" is the first exhibition to explore New York City’s century-long relationship with the car and marks the 100th anniversary of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA). The exhibition will feature visionary drawings and models; historic photographs, films, and advertisements; and a wealth of car memorabilia to tell this fascinating, yet untold, story. Wardsauto.com provides details of the exhibition.

March 11, 2010 Update: Note new dates of the exhibit.

Three previous posts have been updated today:

With the help of several VanderbiltCupRace.com contributors, the above California race photo has been identified.

I recently discovered another photo of this accident taken by William Pickering at the Bryant Room Local History Collection at the Bryant Library in Roslyn.

A 2010 photo of the Mineola railroad crossing on Jericho Turnpike.

VanderbiltCupRaces.com recorded its second highest monthly viewership ever with 3,593 unique visitors in January. The daily average of 116 represented an 82% increase over January 2009. Thanks for stopping by!

The website retained its #1 ranking among the 950,000 websites that appear for a Google search on "Vanderbilt Cup Races" and a #1 ranking among 241,000 websites that appear on a similar Bing.com search. Below is a summary of posts that were placed on the website last month:

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick

Vanderbilt Cup Races

Clarence Mackay, the Vanderbilt Cup Races, a Horse and Newsday

The 1906 Accident That Changed Long Island Auto Racing

Opening Day on the Motor Parkway: The 7 “P” Cars for the First Race

Opening Day on the Motor Parkway: the 7 “G” Cars of the Garden City Sweepstakes

Five Locomobiles with Vanderbilt Cup Mascots

The Elusive Sterling Silver Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups

Can You Help Identify This 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race Brass Box?

The 1906 Westbury Grandstand & the Current Battle over the Hitchcock Property

Another View of the Westbury 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race Grandstand

The Location of the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race Grandstand in Westbury

The Vanderbilt Cup Races, LIMP and LILCO

Startling Lineups

Opening Day on the Motor Parkway: The 7 “P” Cars for the First Race

Opening Day on the Motor Parkway: the 7 “G” Cars of the Garden City Sweepstakes

Long Island Motor Parkway

Historic Views of Roosevelt Field, the Motor Parkway and Lindbergh’s Takeoff

A Motor Parkway Sign in Suffolk County

Then and Now: Petit Trianon

The Motor Parkway’s Petit Trianon at Lake Ronkonkoma

The Motor Parkway Tollgate Inns That Were Never Built

The Motor Parkway Weathervane

The Vanderbilt Cup Races, LIMP and LILCO

Alco-6 Black Beast Racer

“Black Beast” Featured in “Old Cars Weekly” Article

Vanderbilia

Five Locomobiles with Vanderbilt Cup Mascots

Another Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup on Ebay

The Elusive Sterling Silver Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups

Can You Help Identify This 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race Brass Box?

Then and Now.

Then and Now: Petit Trianon

Presentations

The Vanderbilt Cup Races, LIMP and LILCO

Favorite Websites

A Favorite Website: Team Dan Race Archives

A Favorite Website: WikiMapia

A Favorite Website: Chronicling America-Access to Historic Newspaper Articles

A New Favorite Website: OldLongIsland.com

Website Features

New Weekend Feature: 2010 Long Island Car Shows, Cruises and Motor Sports

Can You Identify This California Race Photo?

Banner Year for VanderbiltCupRaces.com and December 2009 Highlights

A New Favorite Website: OldLongIsland.com

As shown in this 1938 aerial, the Long Island Motor Parkway was located to the west and south of the historic Roosevelt Field airfield. Here are other historic photos of Roosevelt Field and the Motor Parkway

This is a 1926 aerial of Roosevelt Field looking north. The Long Island Motor Parkway was along the dotted yellow line surrounding the airfield. I believe this is the only aerial showing the temporary road that connected Ellison Road to the Motor Parkway for the 1908,1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race courses.

In 1919, Long Island became part of aviation history when an airship crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the very first time and ended its voyage at Roosevelt Field. In this photo, the British Army's 643-foot dirigible R-34 can be seen after landing. The men on the left were standing on the Motor Parkway Bridge located on the spot where the current Zeckendorf Boulevard Bridge over Meadowbrook Parkway is today.

One of the busiest days on the Motor Parkway was June 16, 1927, when Charles Lindbergh returned to Roosevelt Field to celebrate his successful solo flight to Paris. Lindbergh had taken off from the Roosevelt Field eastern runway 27 days earlier. The cars on the bottom of the photo were lined up on the southern border of the Motor Parkway.

Here is a close-up of the Motor Parkway Bridge leading to Roosevelt Field on the day of Lindbergh's 1927 reception. According to Al Velocci's book The Toll Lodges of the Long Island Motor Parkway , and Their Gatekeeper's Lives, Charles Lindbergh was a frequent user of the Motor Parkway entering and exiting at the Garden City Lodge. The lodgekeeper's daughter Peggy Williams "vividly recalls meeting him, and her father and Lindbergh having nice chats".

Robert Richer has forwarded this website featuring four amazing videos of Lindbergh's flight from Roosevelt Field to Paris. Part 3 shows a spectacular film of the takeoff. Watch Lindbergh barely make it over the telephone wires on Merrick Avenue. Robert notes:

Win Perkins, a real estate appraiser who specializes in airport properties, has posted on his Web site a video he created of Charles Lindbergh's famous and risky takeoff in the Spirit of St. Louis. According to Perkins, this is unlike any other presentation of the takeoff footage. Perkins said he "painstakingly assembled news footage from five cameras that filmed Lindbergh's takeoff from Roosevelt Field, Long Island" and "mixed it with enhanced audio from the same newsreel sources."

This 1935 diagram of Roosevelt Field shows the location of Lindbergh's takeoff relative to the Long Island Motor Parkway.

Okay, I admit it, the title for today's post is a bit of a stretch....but trust me I will link all these subjects together and it's fun!

Clarence Mackay (1874-1938) was the heir to the Comstock silver fortune and was a major figure in the development of the international telegraph business. Mackay was friends with William K.Vanderbilt Jr. and, as with most of New York high society, would often attend the Vanderbilt Cup Races.

As seen in this photo following the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. (in the middle wearing googles) was asked to address his friends and race officials at the Westbury grandstand.

Clarence Mackay can seen standing next to Willie K. during the speech.

Before and after the races, Mackay also hosted huge parties for his friends and business associates at his 648-acre estate overlooking the village of Roslyn. Built from 1900 to 1902, Mackay's Harbor Hill estate was one of the largest on Long Island with formal gardens and terraces surrounding the main house designed by Stanford White. In 1910, Mackay commissioned two 25-ton, 40- foot replicas of the famous Champs-Elysees Marley Horse statues for his Harbor Hill west garden. Note the southwest statue in the red circle. The estate gradually fell into despair and the mansion was taken down in 1947. Today, the only remains of the estate are the gate house, a water tower, the dairyman's cottage and the two pink granite horse statues.

In the 1950s, the northwest Mackay Horse Statue was moved to the entrance of Roslyn High School where it stands today. The southwest Mackay Horse statue stood in its original location in the backyard of an East Hills house. The house recently went to contract and Shulman family wished to find a new public home for the statue. My friend Ian Zwerdling and I stepped in and have been coordinating efforts to move the statue to the Gerry Pond Park in Roslyn.

On Wednesday, the Mackay Horse statue was removed from its pedestal for storage.

Here I am with the horse's massive head.

Ian Zwerdling and the remains of the horse's groom.

North Hempstead Town Clerk Leslie Gross and I celebrating the successful removal of the statue. Along with the Shulman family, Franklin Perrell of the Roslyn Landmark Society and the Gerry Trust, Ms. Gross has been instrumental in efforts to save the statue.

Check out today's Newsday for an article on the Mackay Horse project. More photos and a video can be found on this link to Newsday.com . Other related websites are mackayhistory.com and a VanderbiltCupRaces.com favorite oldlongisland.com.

Throughout the Long Island Motor Parkway, there were signs providing directions and "No Trespassing" signs. This photo shows a typical Motor Parkway sign placed in Suffolk County.

Heading east to Lake Ronkokoma, the last parkway bridge went over Deer Park Avenue in Suffolk County. Over 20 additional bridges were planned but never built due to lack of funds. These "No Trespassing" signs were placed on intersections with major public roads to keep unwanted traffic off the Motor Parkway including; trucks, pedestrians and equestrians.

It is possible to find the location of this specific sign based on the two directional signs. This direction sign and the "No Trespassing" sign appeared for a driver heading east on the Motor Parkway. A right turn brought the driver south to Islip (4 miles), Central Islip (1 mile), and Oakdale (7 miles). A left turn brought the driver north to Smithtown (4 miles), St. James (6 miles) and Kings Park (6 miles).

This direction sign was seen by a driver heading south on a public road at the interesection with the Motor Parkway. A left turn on to the Motor Parkway brought the driver heading to Lake Ronkokoma, 4 miles away. A right turn on to the Motor Parkway brought the driver west to Great Neck (36 miles), New York (50 miles) and Brooklyn (50 miles).

Based on the above mileages, the most likely location of this sign was the intersection of the Motor Parkway and Wheeler's Road near Central Isllip and Hauppauge.

As described yesterday, in 1911 the Long Island Motor Parkway Inc. built the Petit Trianon Inn as an attraction to the eastern terminus in Lake Ronkonkoma. Today, the Petit Trianon receives the "Then and Now" treatment with images from 1911 to 2008.

This is the front view of the inn after construction was completed. Originally called the Motor Parkway Inn, the name was changed to the more elegant sounding Petit Trianon, after one of the smaller buildings on the grounds of Versailles near Paris.

This postcard was sold at the inn and showed the view from the lake. Visitors had access to Lake Ronkonkoma for bathing, boating and fishing.

This postcard showed the "reading room" lounge in the south wing of the inn.

This 1925 survey for the nearby Lake Ronkonkoma Heights development showed the exact location of the Petit Trianon and nearby staff Annex building.

Sold off by the Long Island Motor Parkway in the late 1920s, the building survived until 1958, when it was destroyed by a fire. Surrounded by a metal fence, the remnants of the inn are seen here as they appeared in 1960.

The staff Annex building was also designed by John Russell Pope with many of the elements of Petit Trianon. As seen here in 2003, the building had become a nursing home. Around 2006, the building was sold to a land developer and was taken down.

This is the site of the Petit Trianon as it appears "Now". Only the fence around the ruins remains.

When the Long Island Motor Parkway route was completed to Lake Ronkonkoma in 1911, officials decided to build a first-class dining facility and half-way stop for travelers.William K. Vanderbilt Jr. once again commissioned architect John Russell Pope to design the Parkway Inn later renamed Petit Trianon.These two rare photos show the Petit Trianon under construction in early 1911.

In this photo, workers can be seen finishing the roof.The interior of the inn featured a large reception room suitable for weddings, balls and special events. Accomodations for spending a night or a weekend were available in the 30 bedrooms on the second floor.

On June 9, 1911, William K.Vanderbilt Jr. held a special dinner reception at the inn the night before its official opening.

The 1911 menu provided an extensive variety of food as expected by the high-end clientele of the inn. Note the filet mignon entree cost $1.00.

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick

Feedback and contributions are much appreciated on VanderbiltCupRaces.com . Please leave your comments at the end of a post on the Blog or send an email to me at Howard@Kroplick.com .

Future Event

-Presentation "The Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island” at the 74th Annual Meeting of AACA, Philadelphia, PA, Friday, February 12, 2009

VanderbiltCupRaces.com Indexes

-The Vanderbilt Cup Races

-The Long Island Motor Parkway

-59 Films and Videos

-The Alco-6 Black Beast

-January-December 2009

-January-December 2008

Long Island Car Clubs

-Links to 31 websites (Updated: January 16, 2010)

Favorite Websites (Latest addition: January 20, 2010)

-24 links to websites focusing on the Vanderbilt Cup Races, Motor Parkway, racing, aerial surveys and Long Island

Blog Updates

-January 16, 2010: Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup mascot sells for $2,805.55 on Ebay

-Recent updates

The small Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups have become one of the most collectible of Vanderbilia. A Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup radiator mascot (without the cap) was sold last night for $2,805.55 on Ebay surpassing the previous Ebay auction price of $2,550 sold on December 29, 2009.

Earlier this month Joel Finn, the prominent racing author and major collector of automobilia and vintage automobiles, provided this information concerning the different types of Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups as shown in the above photo:

The Locomobile piece was first made in Sterling Silver and given out as favors to the invited attendees at the Vanderbilt Cup victory dinner held at the Stratfield Hotel in Bridgeport, CT on November 9, 1908. These were never made available for sale to the general public. In March 1909, Locomobile began offering two different versions made in pewter to owners of their cars. When the cup was supplied with a radiator cap the price was $2.25. If the owner wanted a cup to install on his existing radiator cap the price was $1.50. Both prices included mailing.From a memo by the sales department in October 1910, it was stated that almost 900 had been sold to that point.

As a follow-up to Joel's comment, let's take a closer look at the 1908 Bridgeport banquet and the Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups. Remember to click on the images to enlarge them.

This was the official ticket to attend the banquet celebrating the officers of the Locomobile Company and the crew of the first American car to win the Vanderbilt Cup Race. The admission price was $5 equivalent to $100 today.

As shown in this photo, approximately 300 men attended the banquet.There is not one woman in the room.

A banquet brochure was placed on each table setting. Note the small bow on the left side.

The guest list included; the winning driver George Robertson and mechanican Glenn Ethridge, Locomobile officers, Bridgeport business owners, members of the automobile trade press and Vanderbilt Cup Race officers. Although listed as a guest, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. did not attend.

The huge 10 1/2 gallon Vanderbilt Cup made by Tiffany & Company was placed in the back of the room. But, were the the small four inch sterling silver Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups distributed before this official banquet photo was taken? Let's take a closer look at the tables.

As evidenced by the brochures on the plates and the uneaten rolls, close-ups of the tables reveal that the official photo was likely taken at the beginning of the banquet. But, no Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups can be seen.

In this close-up, a gentleman was reading the brochure just before he was asked to turn and look at the photographer. But, again, the elusive small Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup can not be found.

The automobile trade journals widely covered the banquet, including this November 12,1908 article published in The Automobile entitled "The Home Coming of the Victor".

Every detail of the reception was described even this song honoring George Robertson sung by guests to the tune of George M. Cohan's hit "Harrigan". But, no mention was made of the distribution of the Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups.

To date, I have not found visual evidence of the cups at the banquet or a mention of the cups in numerous 1908 reception articles. It is possible that the cups were distributed after the official photo was taken and journalists were told, for some unknown reason, not to mention them. In any case, the origins of the elusive sterling silver Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups are still very much a mystery.

January 18, 2010 Update: Joel Finn has provided new information concerning the cups in his comment below.

The history of the Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup radiator mascot is much clearer primarily due to this Locomobile brochure courtesy of Walter McCarthy.

Please leave a comment if you can further unravel the mystery of the sterling silver Locomobile Vanderbilt Cups.

WikiMapia is an online map and satellite imaging resource that combines Google Maps with a wiki system, allowing users to add information, in the form of a note, to any location on Earth. Here are some links to locations related to the Long Island Motor Parkway and Vanderbilt Cup Races

-Western Terminus of Long Island Motor Parkway, Fresh Meadows (1928-1938)

-73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge, Fresh Madows

-Springfield Boulevard Motor Parkway Bridge

-Site of Rocky Hill Toll Lodge, Hollis Hills, Queens

-Wheeler Farmway Bridge

-Deepdale Estate, Lake Success

-Remnants of Great Neck Lodge

-Old Courthouse Road Motor Parkway Bridge

-Motor Parkway Marker, Willis Avenue, Williston Park

-Site of Krug’s Korner Hotel, Mineola

-Roslyn Toll Lodge

-Mineola Toll Lodge

-Site of Vanderbilt Cup Race Grandstand (1905)

-General Manager’s Office, Garden City

-Current Location of Garden City Lodge

-Garden City Hotel

-Site of Meadow Brook Lodge, Westbury

-Site of Vanderbilt Cup Race Grandstand, Westbury (1904 &1906)

-Hairpin Turn (1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race), Old Westbury

-Rosemary Hall, Old Westbury (Home of driver Foxhall Keene)

-Site of Locomobile Headquarters, Jericho

-Site of Vanderbilt Cup Race Grandstand, Levittown (1908-1910

-Site of Vanderbilt Cup Race Officials Stand/Press Box

-Site of Massapequa Toll Lodge

-Massapequa Turn (1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race)

-Site of Motor Parkway Ground-Breaking Ceremonies

-Deadman’s Curve, Bethpage

-Remnants of Botto Farmway Motor Parkway Bridge, Bethpage

-Site of Bethpage Toll Lodge

-Colyer Motor Parkway Bridge, Old Bethpage

-Site of Huntington Toll Lodge

-Idle Hour Estate, Oakdale (Willie K’s honeymoon location)

-Remnants of Ronkonkoma Lodge

-Site of Petit Trianon Inn and Eastern Terminus, Lake Ronkonkoma

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick

Feedback and contributions are much appreciated on VanderbiltCupRaces.com . Please leave your comments at the end of a post on the Blog or send an email to me at Howard@Kroplick.com .

Future Event

-Presentation "The Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island” at the 74th Annual Meeting of AACA, Philadelphia, PA, Friday, February 12, 2009

VanderbiltCupRaces.com Indexes

-The Vanderbilt Cup Races

-The Long Island Motor Parkway

-59 Films and Videos

-The Alco-6 Black Beast

-January-December 2009

-January-December 2008

Long Island Car Clubs

-Links to 31 websites (Updated: January 16, 2010)

Favorite Websites (Latest addition: January 8, 2010)

-22 links to websites focusing on the Vanderbilt Cup Races, Motor Parkway, racing, aerial surveys and Long Island

Blog Updates

-January 16, 2010: Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup mascot sells for $2,805.55 on Ebay

-Recent updates

As noted by J. D. Marklin, another miniature Vanderbilt Cup mascot celebrating the 1908 victory by Locomobile is up for auction on Ebay. With less than two days remaining, the current bid is $1,525.

Last month a Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup mascot sold for $2,550 on Ebay. Expect the bidding to go up $500-$1,000 in the last 15 seconds of the auction.

January 16, 2010 Update: Locomobile Vanderbilt Cup mascot sells for $2,805.55 on Ebay

In October 1906, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. and his associates announced "the first automobile speedway ever constructed in this or any other country".

As described in the October 25,1906 issue of The Automobile entitled "The Speedway Across Long Island", the plan called for "a straightaway road of 65 or more miles that will extend from Floral Park through the center of Long Island to Riverhead. The idea takes on a more practical phase than the mere building of a race course, the proposition being to provide an automobile highway..."

The article described the plan to have "inns" with tollgates allowing access at frequent intervals. "Each tollgate will take the form of an old English inn, where the motoring public will be privileged to refresh themselves under club conditions. Each inn will be provided with its garage, charging and supply station, oil-sprinkling equipment, road repairing tools and material."

Soon after the Motor Parkway plans were announced, architect John Russell Pope submitted this design for a tollgate inn. This plan was discovered in the archives at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.

As shown in Russell's design, the tollgate for the Motor Parkway was to the right of the inn.

Pope envisioned the first floor would have a waiting room, living room, kitchen and a keeper's door to collect tolls.

The second floor had three bedrooms, storage and a bathroom

The design called for a car weathervane on the roof of the inn. This feature was later incorporated into the Motor Parkway's general manager's office.

Among the 572 recently discovered survey maps of the Motor Parkway, only this survey included a sketch of a "toll-gate inn". The "Babylon Lodge" was planned for Lee Avenue at Wheatley Heights near Wyandanch. Neither the inn or a lodge was built at this location.

As described in Al Velocci's book The Toll Lodges of the Long Island Motor Parkway, and Their Gatekeepers' Lives, the inn concept was soon dropped due to costs and concerns about antagonizing hotel owners and automobile service companies along the Motor Parkway route. Russell replaced the inn concept with the smaller lodge design as shown here in the Meadow Brook Lodge. Russell designed the first six Motor Parkway lodges which all had small living spaces for the lodgekeeper's families and some of the design features from his original inn plans.

Last Sunday, the locations of the grandstand and officials' stand/press box for the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race were documented between Powells Lane and Hitchcock lane on Jericho Turnpike. After moving to Mineola in 1905, the Start/Finish Line returned to its original Westbury location with a larger grandstand and press box for the 1906 race.

As seen in this 1906 map, the grandstand and press box were directly in front of Thomas Hitchcock's horse track. Two buildings were key to finding the locations for the 1904 and 1906 grandstands and press boxes; John Allen's house to the east of the grandstand and Baltazzi's large barn to the west of the grandstand.

For the 1906 race, John Allen's home on Jericho Turnpike became the headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Commission.

This photo shows Vincenzo Lancia racing down Jericho Turnpike between the grandstand and press box. Notice the cameraman to the left of Lancia's Fiat. His camera captured the grandstand action in this 1906 film.

Here, Duray's #18 De Detrich was making a move on Elliot Shepard's Hotchkiss in front of the grandstand. The photo was taken from the roof of the press box near the scoreboard. The view is to the west with the Baltazzi Barn to the left in the background.

This is the same view 104 years later looking west down Jericho Turnpike.

This amazing photo shows the crowds on the course after the 1906 race was called. It was estimated that 200,000 spectators saw the race around the 28-mile course. Again, the photo was taken from the roof of the press box...this time looking east. The Vanderbilt Cup Commission Headquarters (John Allen's home) can be seen in the background to the right.

This photo was taken yesterday at the site of the grandstand with the same view to the east. The traffic lights are at the Jericho Turnpike intersection with Powells Lane.

This Google Earth photo shows the locations of the Westbury grandstand, the press box, John Allen's home and Baltzazzi's barn. The oval for Thomas Hitchcock's former one-mile horse track is still very visible. This Wikimapia aerial has an even better view.

The look of the Hitchcock property has not changed in over 100 years. The history and photos of Hitchcock's Broad Hollow Farm can be found at OldLongIsland.com, a VanderbiltCupRaces.com favorite.

In 1992, the 97-acre Hitchcock estate was purchased by the Diocese of Rockville with plans to open the Queen of Peace Cemetery. After battling the Village of Old Westbury for years, the Diocese filed suit against the village, village officials and consultants on November 30, 2009.

The Alco "Black Beast" was one of the cars featured in the September 3, 2009 Old Cars Weekly article "The Iconic & The Obsure".

The article describes the 14th Annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance noting; "Great and small, Greenwich gathers the best of the best"...From the moment Howard Kroplick 1909 ALCO Black Beast roared onto the show field early Saturday with no muffling of its 100 hp, 680.8 cid six-cylinder engine, the weekend's incredibly diverse array of competition cars were also ensured their due."

The next scheduled appearance of the Alco "Black Beast" will be the on the convention floor of the 74th Annual Meeting of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) on Friday and Saturday, February 12-13, 2010.

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