Vanderbilt Cup Races

What a treat!

Too bad Henry didn’t do the narration, too.

I used to meet Henry and Bruce Wennerstrom monthly at Sardi’s for the monthly Madison Avenue Race Car and Chowder Society (do I have that right) meet.

Ole Böök
7519 Boulevard East
North Bergen, NJ07047

Just great, Thanks for sharing.  Also thanks for putting this terrific site together.              Dennis

From Roy W:

“Thanks for the movie. I was 9 years old in 1957. What beautiful cars; I remember them well. Of course they were death traps. But you can’t have everything.”

From Lou (Cadillac Lasalle Cub)

Here’s a gem brought to you by the Vanderbilt Cup Blog. It’s a promo film from GM shot in 1957 highlighting the advancement of the automobile. I’m proud to say it was filmed right here on Long Island with the help of the Old Long Island Car Museum. Cadillac’s are discussed throughtout the film with the best part at the end. They showcase a brand new 1957 Eldorado Brougham! Maybe we can figure out if the car is a surviver and let the current owner know about this footage.

From Bruce (Cadillac Lasalle Club):

Thanks for posting that so we all can view and admire the achievements of the makers of our beloved industry.

From Jim J (Cadillac Lasalee Club):

Great post!  I can’t tell.  Is the Brougham Kenya Beige or Nairobi Pearl

From Cynthia M:
This is just INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Jose G:
1922   First American car with four-wheel hydraulic brakes

The Duesenberg, made in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the first American car with four-wheel hydraulic brakes, replacing ones that relied on the pressure of the driver’s foot alone. Hydraulic brakes use a master cylinder in a hydraulic system to keep pressure evenly applied to each wheel of the car as the driver presses on the brake pedal.

From Fred Miceli, President/Director of Cadillac & LaSalle Long Island Dreamboats:

“The Cadillac pictured is a 1957 Eldorado Brougham four door hardtop. It was built with a brushed stainless steel top & and also had suicide type rear doors. The vehicle was hand built by G.M. Cadillac Division and was a limited edition. Only 400 were built and was sold for $ 13,074. I have no idea where the 57 pictured is today.”

Thanks everyone for the feedback and great information! FYI,  $13,074 in 1957 is the equivalent of $98,500 today.

Howard

I think the 1904 Knox is in our collection at the Seal Cove Auto Museum. The only notes I have say that our car was built for Harry A. Knox, President Knox Automobile Company. Same model, same color… sure looks to be the same car. Unfortunately, when Richard C. Paine Jr., the Museum’s founder, died he took most of the information about the cars to the grave with him… trying to establish their provenance is proving an interesting challenge!
Does anyone know if any records from Clark’s Long Island Auto Museum exist?

Since posting the above, yesterday we found the car’s registration hidden away inside the car. Last registered to Waleta H. Clark on February 3, 1970. No doubt about it, its the same Knox.

You can see some photos of it running for the first time since the Claks owned it on the Seal Cove Auto Museum Facebook page.

Roberto:

Congratulations on your discovery!

Howard

Amazing… a few days after confirming that the Seal Cove Auto Museum’s 1904 Knox came out of the Henry Austin Clark Jr. Museum, who should walk through the door but Austie’s son and grandson! They were on Mount Desert Island attending a wedding and had no idea that the Knox was here. Austie’s son was rather taken by our Thomas Flyer and remembered when the remains of the original 1908 New York to Paris car was owned by his dad prior to Bill Harrah acquiring it.  Back then, the Flyer’s driver, George Schuster, denied that it was the original car… It took Harrah’s pointing out repairs to Schuster that he had made to convince the old man that this was indeed the actual race car that he had won the race in.