The Drivers
A total of 84 drivers participated in the six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910. American-born drivers accounted for 71% of the participants and 4 victories. French drivers made up only 10% of the participants but won 2 races. George Heath, born in the USA, won the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race for France in a Panhard. The most successful driver was American Harry Grant who won the two races that he entered in an Alco (1909 and 1910). Louis Chevrolet, whose name would eventually become one of the most famous brands in American car history, entered the most Vanderbilt Cup Races of any driver. His highest finish in four races was 10th in the 1905 race.
| Driver's Country of Birth | # of Drivers | Total # of Entries | % of Entries | # Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84 | 116 | 100% | 6 | |
| USA | 63 | 82 | 71% | 4 |
| France | 9 | 12 | 10% | 2 |
| Italy | 5 | 7 | 6% | 0 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 5 | 4% | 0 |
| Germany | 2 | 4 | 3% | 0 |
| Ireland | 1 | 3 | 3% | 0 |
| Belgium | 1 | 2 | 2% | 0 |
| Hungary | 1 | 1 | 1% | 0 |
The Cars
A total of 116 cars entered the six Vanderbilt Cup Races on Long Island held between 1904 to 1910. American cars made up 53% of the entries followed by Germany (16%), France (16%) and Italy (15%). USA and France each won three races. The most successful car make was the American Alco which won the two races (1909 and 1910) that it entered. The French Darracq with three entries won both the 1905 and 1910 Races. The most disappointing marque in the races was the German Mercedes with 16 entries in the six races. The highest finish for the powerful Mercedes was fourth in the 1908 and 1909 Races.
| # of Car Makes | # of Entries | % of Entries | # Wins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 116 | 100% | 6 | |
| USA | 33 | 62 | 53% | 3 |
| France | 7 | 18 | 16% | 3 |
| Italy | 3 | 17 | 15% | 0 |
| Germany | 2 | 19 | 16% | 0 |
Featured Drivers
- George Arents, Jr.
- William Borque
- Bruce Bruce-Brown
- Louis Chevrolet
- J. Walter Christie
- Albert Clement, Jr.
- Bert Dingley
- Arthur Duray
- Lee Frayer
- Harry Grant
- George Heath
- Victor Hemery
- Foxhall Keene
- Billy Knipper
- Vincenzo Lancia
- William Luttgen
- Herb Lytle
- Felice Nazzaro
- Edward Parker
- Al Poole
- Eddie Rickenbacker
- George Robertson
- Charles Schmidt
- Elliot Shepard
- Emil Stricker
- George Teste
- Joe Tracy
- Louis Wagner
- A.C. Webb
- Walter White
Featured Cars
- Alco #8 (1909)
- Alco #18 (1910)
- Benz #16 (1910)
- Chalmers-Detroit #7 (1909)
- Christie #11 (1905)
- Christie #17 (1906)
- Clement-Bayard #12 (1904)
- Darracq #18 (1905)
- Darracq #10 (1906)
- De Dietrich #2 (1904)
- FIAT #4 (1905)
- FIAT #16 (1905)
- FIAT #4 (1906)
- FIAT #8 (1906)
- Frayer Miller (1906)
- Hotchkiss #6 (1906)
- Isotta #6 (1908)
- Knox #20 (1908)
- Locomobile #7 (1905)
- Locomobile #9 (1906)
- Locomobile #1 (1908)
- Locomobile #16 (1908)
- Lorraine-Dietrich #18 (1906)
- Marquette-Buick #29 (1910)
- Mercedes #1 (1904)
- Mercedes #5 (1904)
- Mercedes X (1905)
- Mercedes #3 (1908)
- Mercedes #5 (1908)
- Packard #16 (1904)
- Panhard #7 (1904)
- Panhard #14 (1904)
- Pope-Toledo #4 (1904)
- Pope-Toledo #6 (1904)
- Pope-Toledo #3 (1905)
- Simplex #17 (1904)
- White Steamer #19 (1905)
Feature
The 128-page book by Howard Kroplick, a researcher and lecturer on the races, contains rare images of the races from the archives of major museums, libraries and private collectors. The book Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island will be available from Arcadia Publishing in March 2008.
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