Vanderbilt Cup Races

Related Posts

• Feb 13 2024

  Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: #7 Locomobile at the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race starting line

  Did you identify this racer at the starting line?

• Sep 30 2023

  The InstaGRAM Report: Peter Helck Vanderbilt Cup Race Paintings, Part One

  An up-close look into Peter Helck's Vanderbilt Cup artwork

• Jun 26 2023

  Mystery Friday Foto #25 Solved: The 1905 Locomobile Being Tested

  Did you identify this new race car being tested from the Helck Family Collection?

• Nov 28 2022

  Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

  Did you identify this photo from November 16,1901?

• Oct 31 2022

  Mystery Friday Foto #44 : Joe Tracy test driving the 1905 Locomobile racer at the Bridgeport factory

  The Helck Family Collection challenged you to solve this weekend's Mystery Foto.

• Oct 12 2022

  Greg O’s Garage: Famous signatures found in the Helck Family Collection

  For over 60 years, Peter Helck saved every postcard and/or letter to his files. The amount of correspondence in his vast collection is staggering.

• Sep 21 2022

  The Henry Ford Archives: Race cars and artifacts from the “Driven to win: Dawn of Racing” exhibit

  The Henry Ford has posted images and profiles of race cars and artifacts in their collection that were part of a recent "Dawn of Racing Exhibit."

• Jan 02 2022

  Walt Gosden Article: A Vanderbilt Locomobile

  Automotive historian Walt Gosden has discovered a 1918 designed and built for "Mrs. W.K. Vanderbilt."

• Nov 27 2021

  VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: 12 Previously unpublished photos of the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race

  I recently purchased an unknown family's scrapbook of 250 photos taken from 1905 to 1914. Highlight are these previously never published 12 photos of the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

• Oct 26 2021

  Greg O’s Garage: Joe Tracy and the Society of Automotive Engineers

  Once again, from the Helck Family Collection, more gems, this time in the form of Joe Tracy's engineering certificates, the famed Vanderbilt Cup Race driver, and personal friend of Peter Helck.

• Aug 09 2021

  Mystery Foto #32 Solved: The 1905 Locomobile taking a practice run in Bridgeport for the 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup

  The Helck Family Collection challenged to identify this weekend's Mystery Foto.

• Jun 08 2021

  New Hyde Park Herald Courier: Vanderbilt Cup Races in New Hyde Park

  I wrote this brief article for this week's Guide to New Hyde Park published by the New Hyde Park Herald Courier.

• Dec 12 2020

  Helck Family Collection: Distinguished service citation for Joe Tracy awarded by Automobile Old Timers in 1948

  Among the documents found in the Helck Family Collection are veteran Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy's original honors and licenses. This citation was awarded to Joe Tracy at the Ninth Annual Meeting of the Automobile Old Timers on November 9, 1948.

• Sep 05 2020

  Kleiner’s Korner: A “True” 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race Illustration

  This "Before Dawn" illustration was found in the Helck Family Collection with 1904 written on the back. Here is background on its artist Allen True and the illustration.

• Jul 21 2020

  Kleiner’s Korner: From the Helck Family Collection- In Search of the 1905 Locomobile Racer

  Prior to "Old 16" gaining fame and fortune, the Locomobile Company built a "monster" racer that participated in the 1905 Gordon Bennett and Vanderbilt Cup Races. While much is known about "Old 16", very little attention is given to why the 1905 racer was built and what became of it.…

• May 30 2020

  The 1908 Locomobile Model E of the Collection on Palmetto in Clearwater, Florida

  One of the featured vintage automobiles of the soon to be opened automobile museum "The Collection on Palmetto" is a beautiful 1908 Locomobile Model E with a Vanderbilt Cup trophy mascot. Laura Giner of "The Collection" has requested information on the mascot and provided several images.

• Mar 11 2020

  Kleiner’s Korner: Another Poole Connection to the Vanderbilt Cup Races

  As shown in the Helck Family Collection of letters to Al Poole from his brother Alex, we can establish that Alex also counted Joe Tracy as a friend and was deeply involved with the design and manufacture of automobiles.

• Dec 11 2019

  Kleiner’s Kolumn: Al Poole’s Original Documents from the Helck Family Collection

  The Helck Family Collection contains official documents pertaining to Peter Helck's friend Al Poole. The documents include his driving license and being summoned to appear in court, both in his home country of England and in the United States.

• Oct 21 2019

  Mystery Foto #42 Solved: The Team Reunion of Joe Tracy and Al Poole for the 1956 “Rerun”

  The Helck Family Collection challenged you to identify this weekend's Old 16 Mystery Foto.

• Aug 26 2019

  Mystery Foto #34 Solved: Joe Tracy at the 1939 Automobile Old Timers Luncheon in NYC

  The Helck Family Collection challenged you to find veteran Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy in this 1939 photo of "Old Timers".

• Apr 06 2019

  Joe Tracy at the Long Island Automotive Museum in Southampton

  While in his late 70s and early 80s, veteran Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy worked for Henry Austin Clark, Jr. at the Long Island Automotive Museum. Thanks to Walter McCarthy, several images and a video of Tracy at the museum have survived.

• Nov 28 2018

  Exclusive: The 1954 Opening of Henry Austin Clark, Jr.‘s “Carnival of Cars” in Times Square

  On July 15, 1954, Henry Austin Clark, Jr. and investor Robert W. Dowling opened the "Carnival of Cars" museum in the basement of the Astor Theater in Times Square. The grand media opening event with early television celebrities was captured by Bob Grier.

• Oct 08 2018

  Mystery Foto #40 Solved: Clearing the 1905 Course for Vincenzo Lancia’s #4 FIAT

  This weekend's Mystery Foto documented three people in a Vanderbilt Cup race car.

• Jul 21 2018

  Helck Family Collection: Peter Helck Recalls the Greatest Vintage Car Event in Long Island’s History

  Among the treasures discovered in the Helck Family Collection is an unedited 128-page biographical document written by Peter Helck. In the first post from these memoirs, Peter Helck recalls the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race held on Long Island.

• Nov 28 2017

  Book “Monzanapolis”: 1905 Vanderbilt Cup- Crash in the Morning

  Looking for a holiday gift for your favorite Vanderbilt Cup Race fan? I recommend Aldo Zana's new book Monzanapolis- The Monza 500 Miles-The endless America-Europe challenge.

• Oct 14 2017

  Ads From the Long Island Automobile Club 1902 Offical Program “One-Hundred Mile Endurance Test”

  On April 26, 1902, the Brooklyn-based Long Island Automobile Club ran the second "One-Hundred Mile Endurance Test on Long Island." I recently purchased the official program for this event which was part of a scrapbook owned by W. Wallace Grant, the president of the club.

• Mar 15 2017

  VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: A Vanderbilt Cup Race Scrapbook Discovered in Garden City

  The Garden City Archives have discovered a small scrapbook of photos from the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races. The scrapbook was a gift from Dorothy Peters Hubbell, whose family had direct links to the Long Island Motor Parkway and the founding of Garden City.

• Jan 21 2017

  Driver/Mechanician of the Week: Al Poole (1904, 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races)

  The driver/mechanician of the week is Al Poole- the mechanican for Joe Tracy in the 1904, 1905 , and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races and the 1905 and 1906 American Elimination Trials.

• Jul 25 2016

  Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Krug’s Hotel in Mineola Circa 1912 Revised 7/26/2016

  This weekend's Mystery Foto was another previously unpublished photo of a prominent building on the courses of the Vanderbilt Cup Races.

• Sep 26 2015

  Anatomy of a Peter Helck Painting: Bulls Head Turn

  In 1941 Peter Helck created this marvelous painting of Joe Tracy in his Locomobile battling Ferenc Szisz in a Renault at Bulls Head Turn in Greenvale during the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

• Mar 23 2015

  Mystery Foto #12 Solved: Buckminister Fuller’s Dymaxion #3 Built at the Former Locomobile Factory

  Art Kleiner challenged you again with this weekend's Mystery Foto.

• Jan 04 2014

  Vanderbilia: The 1905 Locomobile Model Owned by the Helck Family

  In 1948, prominent artist Peter Helck commissioned a model of the 1905 Locomobile that participated in the 1905 Gordon Bennett Race, the 1905 American Trial for the Vanderbilt Cup Race and finished third in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

• Dec 28 2013

  Vanderbilia Postcard Series #2: The Locomobile Postcards of the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race

  In celebration of its surprising third place finish in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Locomobile Company of Bridgeport , Connecticut published a series of 12 postcards showing the #7 racer driven by Joe Tracy and Al Poole.

• Feb 12 2013

  Article: “The Cup Races- Recollections of 1904-1905-1906” by Joe Tracy

  VanderbiltCupRaces.com contributor Walter McCarthy has forwarded this July 1944 article by driver Joe Tracy published in Veteran Motor Car Club of America's Bulb Horn. Illustrations were provided by the prominent artist Peter Helck.

• Jan 29 2013

  Then & Now: New Hyde Park Turn

  One of the six exciting turns in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race was the intersection of Lakeville Road and Jericho Turnpike.

• Aug 11 2012

  Then & Now: Maple Cottage- The Locomobile Headquarters for the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races

  Racing teams for the Vanderbilt Cup Races typically had local headquarters to store and work on their racers and also provide lodging. In 1905 and 1906, the Locomobile team from nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut set up their headquarters at Maple Cottage, a farmhouse and inn located in Lakeville (now Lake Success).

• Aug 07 2012

  The Lakeville Hotel In Lake Success

  On the courses for both the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races, the Lakeville Hotel was a great place to catch the action.

• Feb 28 2012

  A Recently Rediscovered Peter Helck Painting “Bulls Head Turn”

  Jim Blanchard has forwarded an image of this spectacular Peter Helck painting.

• Jan 31 2012

  Then & Now: Krug’s Corner in Mineola

  Krug's Hotel, on the north-west corner of Jericho Turnpike and Willis Avenue in Mineola, was a favorite viewing site for the 1904, 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races. This Then & Now look found a rarity- A building on the Vanderbilt Cup Race course that is still standing!

• Dec 10 2011

  Then & Now: The 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race “S Turn” in Albertson

  One of the most exciting places to watch the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race was the "S Turn" at the intersection of I.U.Willets Road and Willis Avenue in Albertson.

• Sep 01 2011

  Race Profile: The 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race- France Captures Second Consecutive Race

  The First William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., Cup Race held in 1904 was an immediate success among the public and supporters of automobile racing. America had finally created a major road race that attracted great drivers and cars from around the world. Newspapers and automobile trade journals helped to build the interest…

• Aug 27 2011

  A Tribute to the Mechanicians of the Vanderbilt Cup Races

  Every race car that participated in the Vanderbilt Cup Races of 1904 to 1910 carried two men, the driver and a riding mechanic called a mechanician. The mechanician assisted with repairs, helped navigate the course, and, when needed, worked a hand pump to maintain fuel pressure. The mechanician was the…

• Aug 01 2010

  Archives: 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race

  Links to posts related to VanderbiltCupRaces.com (Updated: Febraury 1, 2012):

• Jul 31 2010

  Archives: Joe Tracy

  Posts related to driver Joe Tracy Updated: September 24, 2011:

• Feb 18 2010

  Then & Now: The Locomobile Factory in Bridgeport

  Old 16, the first American car to win a Vanderbilt Cup Race, was manufactured directly across the Long Island Sound in Bridgeport. Here are some photos of the Locomobile factory, one of the largest automobile manufacturing plants of its era. Remember to click on the photo to…

• Dec 19 2009

  Starting Lineup: The 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race

  These 19 cars competed in the second Vanderbilt Cup Race held on October 14, 1905 won by the #18 Darracq driven by Victor Hemery. Remember to click on the photos to enlarge the image:

• Sep 18 2009

  Five More Vanderbilt Cup Race Photos from the Pickering Collection

  As discussed this week, on Wednesday I met with Catherine Pickering, the granddaughter of William Pickering, one of Long Island's first photographers. Our examination of her grandfather's photo collection revealed several Vanderbilt Cup Race photos, many never published before. In an exclusive to VanderbiltCupRaces.com, five more race photos…

• Mar 20 2009

  Film: A Tribute to Joe Tracy

  Today marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Joe Tracy , one of the best Vanderbilt Cup Race drivers. In tribute to Joe and his mechanican Al Poole, I have placed a five-minute film of their racing careers in the Blog.