Willie K’s Family
William K. Vanderbilt Jr. (1878-1944) was the great-grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who built a transportation empire in shipping and railroads. Known to his friends as Willie K, he was the second child and first son of William K. Vanderbilt (1849-1920) and Alva Erskine Smith (1849-1933). He was a railroad executive, an accomplished yachtsman, and a pioneer auto racing driver. At the age of only 26, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. proposed the first international road race to be held in the United States by donating the Vanderbilt Cup.
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Racing in Newport
After his marriage, Willie K was an independent adult and ready to embrace another passion, automobiles. In 1900, he purchased, at the cost of $10,000, one of the first racing cars imported in the United States, a 28-hp Daimler nicknamed the White Ghost. On September 6, 1900, Vanderbilt and his society sporting friends gathered at a half-mile Aquidneck Park horse track near Newport, Rhode Island, for a series of automobile races. Vanderbilt won three of the featured five mile races with an average speed of 33.7 mph. The following year, he returned to compete in the Aquidneck Park winning both the five-mile and ten-mile races in his 35-hp Mercedes Red Devil.
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Vanderbilt and the “Race to Death”
Vanderbilt returned to Europe in May 1903 to compete among 216 cars in the infamous Paris-to-Madrid Race driving his 80-hp Mors. While it must have been disappointing at the time, a cracked cylinder on the first day of competition spared him exposure to the numerous accidents that earned the event the name “Race to Death.” At least eight people were killed during the race, including car maker Marcel Renault, ending the first great era of motor racing, the European city-to-city races on open roads.
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Vanderbilt Wins Hill Climb Contest
On Thanksgiving Day 1903, Vanderbilt took his 60-hp Mors to West Orange, New Jersey, and won the Eagle Rock Hill Climbing Contest. He broke the record time for the steep, curvy, one-mile hill. After his victory, crowds surrounded Vanderbilt, who wore a fur coat to protect against the wind while driving.
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Vanderbilt Sets One-Mile Land Speed Record
The zenith of Vanderbilt’s racing career was the Ormond-Daytona Beach Automobile Tournament in January 1904. For the event, he purchased a giant 90-hp Mercedes, among the most powerful cars in the world. On January 27th, he set the one-mile land speed record on the beach going 92.3 mph, surpassing the record established earlier in the month by Henry Ford.
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Vanderbilt Offers the Cup
At the turn of the 20th century the superiority of European automotive craftsmanship cast a long shadow over America’s fledgling car industry. To encourage American automobile manufacturers to challenge European quality, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. envisioned America’s first international road race, modeled after those held in Europe. On January 8, 1904, the 26-year old Vanderbilt proposed that officials of the newly formed American Automobile Association (AAA) bring such a race to his native Long Island. He donated a 10½ gallon, 30-pound silver cup designed by Tiffany & Company. Embossed on the precious metal was the image of Willie K in his proudest racing moment, atop his Mercedes at the 1904 Ormond-Daytona Beach Automobile Tournament.
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Nassau Farmers Protest Race
The lure of an economic boon from thousands of free-spending visitors to the Long Island community proved incentive enough for Nassau County supervisors to approve the use of public roads for auto racing when they met on August 23, 1904. Unconvinced, however, were many farmers who still relied on horses for transportation and saw automobiles as playthings of the idle rich. Despite several legal attempts to stop the race, Nassau County supervisors and judges gave their approval a few days before the Saturday race date.
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The Map of the 30 Mile Course
The race course traversed 30.24 miles of public roads in the center of Long Island. Triangular in shape, Jericho Turnpike, Massapequa-Hicksville Road, and the new Hempstead-Bethpage Turnpike formed its sides. Running clockwise and beginning in Westbury, the three long stretches of roads were connected by major turns in Jericho, Plainedge, and Queens. The plan called for a 10-lap race with drivers stopping in two “controls” on each tour of the course. The controls were in the towns of Hicksville and Hempstead, the largest population centers in Nassau County. At the controls, the cars were stopped, inspected, and allowed to proceed slowly over railroad tracks led by officials on bicycles. Deducting the length of the two controls, one lap of the course was 28.44 miles making the race 284.4 miles.
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The Garden City Hotel
In the center of the course was the Garden City Hotel, the largest and grandest hotel on Long Island and headquarters for the AAA Race Commission. Days before the race the hotel was booked to its capacity.
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Crowds Gather
The race’s daybreak start attracted thousands of adventurous souls who streamed into Long Island from New York City continuously on Friday night and early Saturday. With hotels and roadhouses overflowing, they camped, gambled, drank, socialized, and established a tradition of revelry that became a hallmark of the event.
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Crowds Wore Their Finest Clothes and Hats
In the custom of the day, the crowds typically wore their finest clothes to great public events such as the Vanderbilt Cup Race. Fashion called for virtually all men to wear hats. The dome-shaped bowler with narrow brim was particularly popular.
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The French Clement-Bayard
The prestige of the Vanderbilt name drew many leading European manufacturers and drivers to the race. Cars entered by France (6), USA (5), Germany (5), and Italy (2) were among the 18 starters. The French cars included three 90-hp Panhards, a 60-hp Renault, an 80-hp De Dietrich, and an 80-hp #12 Clement-Bayard (pictured above at the starting line). At the wheel of the De Dietrich was one of the leading European drivers, Fernand Gabriel, who finished second in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Race and was the declared winner of the 1903 Paris-Madrid Race. The German cars were all Mercedes, each owned by Americans. Two 90-hp F.I.A.T. cars represented Italy, one owned by Willie K’s cousin, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt.
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The American #6 Pope-Toledo and the French #7 Panhard
Each race car carried two men, the driver and a mechanic called a riding mechanician. The mechanician assisted with repairs, helped navigate the course, and worked a hand pump to maintain oil pressure. Outclassed by the Europeans’ powerful racers, some with large 90-hp engines, the five American starters included modified touring cars such as 24-hp #6 Pope-Toledo driven by Herb Lytle. Following the Pope-Toledo was the French 90-hp #7 Panhard driven by George Heath.
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The American #17 Simplex Filled with Holes
Only the American 75-hp #17 Simplex driven and owned by Frank Croker, son of the Tammany Hall boss Richard Croker, approached the power of the European machines. During the pre-race weigh-in, the Simplex failed to meet the race weight limitation of 2,204 pounds. Croker reduced the weight by drilling holes throughout the chassis, which can be seen below the engine’s hood and on the mechanician’s seat.
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The “Curve of Death” in Jericho
The first major turn of the course, called the “Curve of Death” by newspapers, was located on narrow streets surrounded by the Jericho General Store and W.B. Powell’s Jericho Hotel. Flagmen were hired by the AAA Race Commission to keep the turn clear and warn spectators of approaching cars.
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The American #4 Pope-Toledo Taking the Jericho Turn
A photographer on the porch of the Jericho Hotel captured the American 60-hp #4 Pope-Toledo taking the Jericho Turn. The car, driven by A.C. Webb, broke a steering knuckle during lap six and finished a disappointing tenth.
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The American #16 Packard “Gray Wolf” Taking the Massapequa Turn
The sleek 30-hp #16 Packard “Gray Wolf” was a dirt-track car designed by its driver Charles Schmidt. The first Packard racer had previously set one-mile and five-mile records in January 1904. An American Mutoscope and Biograph cameraman captured the “Gray Wolf” taking the second major turn on the course from Massapequa-Hicksville Road to the Bethpage-Hempstead Turnpike.
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The French #7 Panhard Taking the Massapequa Turn
During lap three, George Heath’s #7 Panhard was in second place when he took the Massapequa Turn. Before the race, Heath’s Panhard was one of the favorites to win.
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The French #14 Panhard at the Hempstead Control
Through the first three laps, the 90-hp #14 Panhard driven by George Teste led the race, averaging 66.4 mph. Teste’s car was stopped at the Hempstead control for inspection on Fulton Street. During lap four, when Teste’s car left the race with ignition problems, Heath’s Panhard took the lead for the first time.
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The American #16 Packard Gray Wolf at the Hempstead Control
Shown stopped at the Hempstead Control, the small Packard “Gray Wolf” proved surprisingly durable and was in fourth position when the race ended.
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Arents Crashes in Elmont
When approaching Elmont on the Hempstead-Jamaica Road, Arents’ left rear tire blew. The bare rim struck a trolley track, overturning the car. Arents was thrown from the car, suffering a serious head injury from which he eventually fully recovered. Tragically, Mensel was pinned under the car and fatally injured.
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Crowds Venture on the Course
After five laps, only nine of the 18 starters were still running. Restless spectators ventured dangerously out onto Jericho Turnpike near the Westbury grandstand, searching for the few remaining approaching cars.
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George Heath Wins Averaging 52.2 MPH
One of the most noteworthy photographers of the early 20th Century, Russian immigrant Nathan Lazarnick captured the winning moment of the race. After six hours, 56 minutes, and 45 seconds, George Heath’s Panhard was the first car over the finish line, averaging 52.2 mph. Only one minute and 26 seconds behind in total time, the Clement-Bayard finished in second place. With the two leaders having completed the race, the crowds near the grandstand swarmed onto the course. Fearful for the lives of the spectators and drivers, the race was stopped. When the race was called, the American Pope-Toledo driven by Herb Lytle was in third place.
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Clement Protests Race
An anguished Clement, his face coated with oil and dust, approached race referee Vanderbilt immediately after the race. Clement protested that he was unfairly delayed at the Hicksville and Hempstead Controls. In a late night meeting at their Garden City Hotel Headquarters the Vanderbilt Race Commission, led by Vanderbilt, denied the protest and declared Heath’s Panhard the winner. The Vanderbilt Cup was awarded to France.
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Profile of the Winner George Heath
Born in America and a British citizen living in Paris, George Heath had the greatest year of his racing career in 1904. The Panhard employee not only won the Vanderbilt Cup, but also claimed victory in the 1904 Circuit des Ardennes in Belgium in July. After winning the first Vanderbilt Cup Race, Heath said “My control of my machine is instinctive. I know at all times just what speed I am making. Constant practice enables me to do these things. I like to travel fast, and I like to handle my car at great speed.”
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Race Participants Celebrate Again at the Garden City Hotel
The 50th anniversary of the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race was celebrated in 1954 at an appropriate location, the Garden City Hotel. Holding the Vanderbilt Cup were three participants in the race, George Arents Jr. (left), driver of the crashed #5 Mercedes, Joe Tracy (right), driver of the #3 Royal Tourist, and his mechanician Al Poole (center).
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Riding in the #6 Pope-Toldeo
At the 2004 Centennial Celebration of the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race, the #6 Pope-Toledo participated in time-trials. The centennial event was held on October 2, 2004 in East Garden City on Long Island. Hop aboard on hear and see how it feels to ride in this classic car.
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The Revised Course for the 1905 Race
The 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race was an immediate success with the public and supporters of automobile racing. America finally had a major road race that attracted great drivers and cars from around the world. Newspapers and automobile trade journals heaped praise on Vanderbilt and his event. Enthusiasm swelled in the public and the auto factories, ensuring a second Vanderbilt Cup Race in 1905 to be held on October 14th. It was obvious to American and European automobile manufacturers that exciting road races attracted more customers to their products than the less dramatic reliability trials also run during the period. Many drivers, including 1904 winner George Heath, were critical of the Hempstead and Hicksville controls which required the cars to stop for periods of two and six minutes. In response, the AAA Race Commission modified the 1905 course to eliminate the stops in large towns and reduce the number of sharp turns. The new layout was 28.3 miles long, still through rural Long Island. At 10 laps, the distance covered in the race would be nearly the same as in 1904 at 283 miles. The start-finish line and grandstand were moved to Jericho Turnpike in Mineola, approximately four miles west of the 1904 location.
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Joe Tracy Provides a Ride for “Sob Sister” Ada Patterson
Prior to the 1906 American Elimination Trial, driver Joe Tracy gave Hearst journalist Ada Patterson a ride in the 90-hp Locomobile entry. Patterson was one of the original “sob sister” reporters known for investigative exposes that led to reform of public institutions.
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Bert Dingley Wins Trial in a Pope-Toledo
The winner of the American Elimination Trial was Bert Dingley in the 60-hp #2 Pope-Toledo. Dingley overtook Joe Tracy’s Locomobile on the last lap, averaging 56.5 mph and winning by 59 seconds. Despite an outcry from newspapers, automobile magazines, and manufacturers, the AAA Race Commission retained only the top two finishers and selected three also-rans to complete the team: a front-wheel drive Christie, a White Steamer, and another Pope-Toledo.
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Italian Vincenzo Lancia was an Early Favorite
Competing against the five American cars, France, Germany, and Italy started 14 of their greatest cars and drivers. F.I.A.T. provided five cars for Italy, with engines ranging from 90 to 120 hp. The most prominent driver in the race was Italian Vincenzo Lancia who won the 1904 Florio Cup, covering the 231 mile Italian course with a then astounding average speed of 71.88 mph. The affable Lancia was both the crowd and gamblers’ favorite and later went on to develop his own car company.
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White Steamer In Front Of Harbor Hill Estate
A 40-hp White Steamer made by the White Sewing Machine Company was one of the five American entries. Seen with its driver Walter White practicing in front of financier Clarence Mackey’s 648-acre Harbor Hill estate in Roslyn, the steamer was the only steam powered car ever to compete for the Vanderbilt Cup.
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Louis Chevrolet Makes His American Debut
Another F.I.A.T. was driven by a novice Swiss-born driver whose name would eventually become one of the most famous brands in American car history ─Louis Chevrolet. Known for his daring and sometimes reckless racing style, Chevrolet completely destroyed his 110-hp F.I.A.T. the Monday before the race in a practice run. Uninjured, Chevrolet used a back-up 90-hp car for the race.
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White Steamer Headquarters at Bulls Head Hotel in Greenvale
The White Steamer was headquartered at Aloysius Huwer’s Bulls Head Hotel. A popular location for viewing the race, the hotel and garage barn were located at the junction of North Hempstead Turnpike and Glen Cove Road in Greenvale.
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Referee William K. Vanderbilt Jr. at the Grandstand
At 6:00 in the morning on Saturday, October 14th, referee William K. Vanderbilt Jr. stood ready to officiate at the Mineola grandstand.
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Willie K’s sister, the Duchess of Marborough
Approximately 5,000 people gathered at the Mineola grandstand including William K. Vanderbilt Jr.’s sister, Consuelo, the Duchess of Marlborough (center wearing a white blouse). Encouraged by her mother, Alva Vanderbilt, Consuelo married England’s Duke of Marlborough in 1895.
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Virginia “Birdie” Vanderbilt Attends the Race
Willie K’s wife Virginia (center) also attended the race, accompanied by her friend Mrs. Peter Martin (left). Virginia attended the 1904, 1905, 1906 and 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Races. Even after her separation from Willie K in 1909, she attended the 1915 Vanderbilt Cup Race in San Francisco.
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The American #7 Locomobile at the Start
Popular American driver Joe Tracy and his riding mechanician Al Poole received a resounding ovation when they approached the line in the 90-hp #7 Locomobile. The second place finisher in the American Elimination Trial, the red Locomobile was as powerful as any American entry and, at 1,195 cubic inches, had the biggest engine in the race.
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The “X” Mercedes at the Start
Country representation in the Vanderbilt Cup Races was determined by the manufacturer of the car, not the nationality of its driver or owner. Four Mercedes owned by Americans were entered on behalf of Germany. The drivers representing Germany included Belgian driver Camille Jenatzy, the first man to hit 60 mph and the winner of the 1903 Gordon Bennett Race, and American Al Campbell, who placed a large X on the front of his car instead of the bad luck “hoodoo” number 13.
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The French #18 Darracq Driven by Victor Hemery
Darracq & Company of France was represented by two 80-hp cars in the race, the #18 car driven by Victor Hemery and the #6 car driven by Louis Wagner. The well-engineered Darracqs were the lightest cars in the race and used shaft drives instead of chains.
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Foxhall Keene Driving his Mercedes
Driving the #5 Mercedes, “Society Swell” Foxhall Keene was an active American sportsman proficient at polo, equestrian events, and pigeon shooting. In the late 1890s, some say Foxhall Keene suggested chicken a la king to the chef at Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City, and originally served as Chicken à la Keene. A friend of Vanderbilt’s, Keene lived just five miles east of the starting line in his Westbury estate “Rosemary Hall.” The grandstand crowd saluted the native Long Islander after his strong start.
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The Locomobile Passes Krug’s Hotel in Mineola
Joe Tracy was driving a steady race in his #7 Locomobile as it passed Krug’s Hotel on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola. Krug’s Hotel was a favorite spot for teams and enthusiasts alike. During the years the course ran directly past the hotel, spectators stationed there were nicknamed “Krug’s Klockers” because of their enthusiasm for timing practice runs.
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The White Steamer Sputters in Front of Vanderbilt’s Estate
The unique 40-hp #19 White Steamer sputtered early in the race. During lap five, the steamer punctured its left front tire at the Guinea Woods Turn and limped on its rim as it passed William K. Vanderbilt Jr.’s Deepdale estate in Lake Success. Portions of the gates surrounding the Deepdale estate (left) are still standing today on Lakeville Avenue.
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Louis Chevrolet in the Italian #16 F.I.A.T. in Old Westbury
As Louis Chevrolet in his 90-hp #16 F.I.A.T. made the Guinea Woods Turn on lap seven, he stood in tenth place. His car was soon out of the race as he ran into a telegraph pole at the “S” Curve at Willis Avenue and I.U. Willets Road in Albertson.
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Lancia at the Guinea Woods Turn
Lancia dominated the race from the beginning in his 120-hp #4 F.I.A.T, cutting laps at a breathtaking pace to average an astonishing 72 mph over the first 113 miles. As he made the Guinea Woods Turn in Old Westbury on lap seven, Lancia had a commanding lead of over 30 miles.
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Christie and Lancia Collide
As captured by the prominent artist Peter Helck (1893-1988), Lancia was impatient to get back on course after replacing a tire on lap eight when leading by over 30 miles. He misjudged the speed of the approaching racer Walter Christie. He pulled onto the road in front of the American car, which hit him from behind. Lancia’s two rear wheels took 40 minutes to repair.
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The Grandstand Crowd Near the End of the Race
The Mineola grandstand crowd went wild when Victor Hemery won in the Darracq, averaging 61.5 mph. The 1904 winner, George Heath, finished in second place only three minutes and 42 seconds behind.
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Crowds Storms Lancia After His Finish
With the first two places decided, the battle for third place was heated between Lancia’s F.I.A.T. and Tracy’s Locomobile. After Hemery completed his winning run, spectators packed the road near the grandstand. Lancia was forced to bring the F.I.A.T to a crawl before he crossed the finish line. He was stormed by a horde of admirers for his amazing race in what the New York Times called a “hurricane of cheers.”
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Locomobile Finishes Race As Lancia Looks On
Within a minute of Lancia’s finish, Tracy’s Locomobile (right) crossed the finish line while the disappointed Lancia watched in his car. Tracy had done the seemingly impossible by making up time on the flying Italian and beating Lancia by two minutes and five seconds, averaging 56.9 mph. The third place finish was the first time an American car had ever placed in an international competition.
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Victor Hemery: The Victor
Known as a ruthless competitor, winner Victor Hemery was one of the most highly regarded drivers in the field. Only weeks before the Vanderbilt Cup Race, he won the prestigious Belgian International Races at the Ardennes Circuit. In 1904 he won acclaim for his victories in the Mount Ventoux and Gaillon hill climbs.
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Elsie Janis Entertains Race Participants
No greater evidence of the success of the Vanderbilt Cup Race emerged than when popular culture embraced it. In January 1906, the two races inspired a Broadway musical titled, aptly enough, “The Vanderbilt Cup,” starring 17-year old sensation Elsie Janis. Before the 1906 competition, race participants had box seats to watch Janis perform on stage: (from left to right) George Robertson, Ralph Mongini, Al Poole, Walter Christie, Louis Wagner, unidentified, Louis Vivet and Joe Tracy. The show featured appearances by track racer Barney Oldfield who developed special effects to simulate the race on stage using a treadmill.
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Tracy and Poole Practicing in Lakeville
Veteran Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy (right) and his riding mechanician Al Poole gave their new 90-hp Locomobile a practice run around their Lakeville Hotel headquarters near Lake Success. Tracy won the American Elimination Trial after battling for much of the distance with Hubert LeBlon’s Thomas entry. Tracy averaged 52.3 mph for the 297 mile race.
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Lee Frayer and Eddie Rickenbacker At the Start
Another innovative machine showcased in the 1906 American Elimination Trial was the unique, air-cooled Frayer-Miller entry with designer Lee Frayer (right) at the wheel. Frayer’s riding mechanician, 16-year-old Eddie Rickenbacker (left), was arguably the most significant historical figure present that day. Rickenbacker later drove in both the 1915 and the 1916 Vanderbilt Cup Races and five Indianapolis 500 Races. He even purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1927. His greatest moments came from his career in aviation, where he became America’s World War I flying ace and, later in life, rose to President and General Manager of Eastern Airlines. Click here for a summary of Eddie's racing career.
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The 1906 Course
For the third time in as many years, drivers in the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race faced a new course layout. The construction of a new trolley line stretching from Queens to Mineola forced a redesign of the western section of the course from its 1905 configuration. The grandstand returned to its 1904 site on Jericho Turnpike in Westbury. The first 12 miles of the new 29.7-mile course was unaltered from 1905, including the turns at Jericho, East Norwich, and Bull’s Head Hotel in Greenvale. The remaining 17.7 miles presented hilly sections and more challenging turns than drivers had seen before. After heading south on Glen Cove Road, the revised course included a “Hairpin Turn” in Old Westbury, two new turns in Roslyn, the challenging hills in Manhasset Valley, and two more turns in Lakeville. The final challenges were a turn at Krug’s Hotel in Mineola and a nearby railroad crossing heading back east on Jericho Turnpike. In all, the course presented 11 turns per lap or a total of 110 during the 10-lap, 297-mile race.
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Peter Prunty Announces the Racers
The center of attention at the start-finish line was announcer Peter Prunty, who wielded an imposing megaphone more than a yard long. He was the public address system for every Long Island Vanderbilt Cup Race, relaying messages phoned in from throughout the course.
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The Unique Grandstand Map
New for the grandstand area was a large green map with the course outlined in white. It sat atop the grandstand and was used to help observers follow the race. Color-coded cardboard icons of race cars – red for America, blue for France, white for Germany, and yellow for Italy – were moved about on wooden pegs to indicate where cars were on the course. The map was a curiosity in that it was printed backward, as photographic evidence clearly proves. For example, East Norwich, located on the east section of the course, was shown above on the west side of the map.
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Alva and O.H.P Belmont
Willie K’s mother, Alva (second from left), and his step-father, O. H. P. Belmont (third from left) watched the race from their front-row box seats. Alva was a regular attendee at her son’s races and always attracted visitors to her box seats just in front of the course.
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Vanderbilt Confers with Officials and Delays the Start
When the scheduled 6:00 AM start time approached, referee William K. Vanderbilt Jr. (left) conferred with his longtime trusted aide and associate referee A.R. Pardington (center) and AAA Racing Board chairman Jefferson DeMont Thompson (right). Factoring reports from around the course that fog hung dangerously low, limiting visibility, they decided to delay the start by 15 minutes.
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The #10 Darracq driven by Louis Wagner
Louis Wagner (left) and riding mechanician Louis Vivet prepared to begin the race in the French 100-hp #10 Darracq. The Motor Way called the car “the peculiar wire wheeled, little Darracq.” Behind Wagner was the gray Italian #12 Itala driven by Alessandro Cagno. Foxhall Keene’s #11 Mercedes was absent as it had failed to start due to cracked cylinders discovered shortly before practice began.
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Crowds at Krug’s Hotel in Mineola
Trade magazine Motor World called the Jericho Turnpike section of the course as “ that living, craning, waving lane from Mineola to the stand.” As the race began, spectators broke though six foot protective fences at Krug’s Hotel in Mineola to venture on to the road.
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Referee Vanderbilt Tries to Clear the Course
With a cry of, “Hundreds are going to be killed if the crowd is not controlled,” Locomobile driver Joe Tracy pulled to a stop to warn race officials after completing his first lap. Referee Vanderbilt jumped into his Mercedes with race chief surgeon Louis Lanehart and made one fast lap to check out crowd conditions and to clear the course. The crowd temporarily returned to positions behind the fences surrounding Krug’s Hotel.
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The #17 Christie
The blue unique 50-hp front-wheel drive #17 Christie, driven by its designer Walter Christie, sped around the Hairpin Turn. Most of the Old Westbury spectators probably did not appreciate the danger, but more than 2,000 people risked their lives crowding the course on the turn.
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Arthur Duray Almost Loses His Mechanician
One of the stirring moments that built the legend of the Vanderbilt Cup Race thrilled the crowd at the “Hairpin Turn.” A spare tire and rim strapped to the back of the #18 Lorraine-Dietrich broke loose and began to thrash the gas tank. Riding mechanician Franville clutched the heavy mounted tire and lost his balance. Just as the car skidded through the turn, the French driver Arthur Duray handled the tight corner with one hand on the wheel while rescuing his assistant with his left arm.
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Lancia on Manhasset Hill
Vincenzo Lancia’s 120-hp #4 F.I.A.T. maintained his speed up Manhasset Hill on the North Hempstead Turnpike, one of the more challenging portions of the course. The hill presented a steep upgrade for about one and a half miles. Based on his spirited performance in 1905, Lancia was a crowd favorite and received a resounding round of applause from the grandstand crowd at the start and at the Spinney Hill grandstand.
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The Spinney Hill Grandstand
At the base of Spinney Hill in Manhasset Valley, a 500-person grandstand was constructed to view the action on North Hempstead Turnpike.
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The #8 F.I.A.T. on Jericho Turnpike
Approximately ¼ mile past Krug’s Hotel, Felice Nazzaro in his #8 F.I.A.T. sped past the only railroad grade crossing on the course on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola. At the crossing, the Long Island Railroad placed a stopped train for their guests to view the race.
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Elliot F. Shepard Jr. in the #6 Hotchkiss
Elliot F. Shepard Jr., a 30-year-old American and William K. Vanderbilt Jr.’s cousin, drove the most powerful car in the race, a French 130-hp French Hotchkiss. Shepard did not realize that he would soon become the center of controversy for the 1906 race.
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Hotchkiss Fatally Strikes Spectator
Just one of the many spectators persistently crowding the course, Curt Gruner, a 33-year-old mill foreman from Passaic, New Jersey, pressed his luck too far in 1906. Slightly to the east of the Long Island Railroad crossing on Jericho Turnpike near Krug’s Hotel, Gruner found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Elliot Shepard Jr.’s Hotchkiss struck him down on the lap six, killing the unfortunate man.
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First Use of Checkered Flag to Finish a Race
As Wagner was about to win the contest, starter Fred Wagner waved what is believed to be the first checkered flag used to signify the finish of an auto race. Standing on the railing above the flag, Willie K saluted the victor. The winning Darracq averaged 62.7 mph over the 297.1-mile race. Lancia’s F.I.AT. finished second, only three minutes and 18 seconds behind, followed 16 seconds later by Arthur Duray’s Lorraine-Dietrich.
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Crowd Swarms on to Jericho Turnpike
More than 200,000 spectators attended the race, breaking the attendance record set at the 1905 race. After the race was called, the crowd once again filled Jericho Turnpike around the grandstand.
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Louis Wagner Wins Again for France
The victory of driver Louis Wagner (left) and his riding mechanician Louis Vivet was the third consecutive win for France. Wagner called the race “certainly the most nerve-wrenching contest in motoring history,” and later wrote a magazine article about the horror of racing through roads crowded with people.
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Brooklyn Daily Eagle Cover
While the press praised the entertainment value of the race, the death to a spectator also fueled editorials crying for crowd control reform. The bone of contention was the continued use of public roads. Two days after the race, AAA President John Farson appointed a special committee to look into developing a privately owned speedway. At an October 18, 1906, meeting William K. Vanderbilt Jr. was named president of a newly formed “Automobile Highway Association.” The company would later become Long Island Motor Parkway, Inc., responsible for developing the first road built specifically for the automobile.
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Crowds at Dedication Ceremonies in Central Park, Long Island
Several hundred people attended the June 6, 1908, ground-breaking ceremony to commemorate the construction of the Long Island Motor Parkway. Guests of honor sat in what newspapers called a “rough grandstand” of wood planks at Jerusalem Road in Central Park east of Mineola. William K. Vanderbilt Jr. had planned to perform the ceremonial turn of sod with a gold plated shovel and make a speech, but the sudden and fatal illness of his stepfather, O.H.P. Belmont drew him away.
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Pardington Delivers Vanderbilt’s Speech
A.R. Pardington, the general manager for the Long Island Motor Parkway, filled in for Vanderbilt, reading from remarks Vanderbilt had written to mark the occasion. The comments praised the impact and potential of the automobile and reflected on unforeseen obstacles that had impeded the Parkway’s progress. “The automobile has come into such prominence that it has revolutionized all mode of travel. Distance has been eliminated, highways improved, unknown districts opened up, and pleasure given to thousands… land owners in almost every case, seeing what a benefit a road of this character would be to their property, gladly came forward with help, enabling us to complete a forty-five mile right of way.” Later, Pardington became the most important salesman for the Parkway with speeches throughout Long Ilsand and articles in popular magazines and trade journals. Harpers' Magazine article
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The Press and Officials’ Stand in Hempstead Plains
On September 10, 1908, the AAA Race Commission announced plans to christen the Motor Parkway with an event called, “The Long Island Motor Parkway Sweepstakes.” Five concurrent stock car races were scheduled for October 10, 1908. The idea was to create an opportunity to test the new course, timing systems, and crowd control for the Vanderbilt Cup Race scheduled two weeks later. Officials of the Motor Parkway Sweepstakes met in front of the new double-decker press and officials’ stand on race day.
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Deadman’s Curve in Central Park
During the Sweepstakes races, Axel Peterson’s Rainier #M36 battled William Haupt’s Chadwick #P41 at “Deadman’s Curve” in Central Park, now Bethpage. A Long Island Railroad train can be seen in the background.
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Italian Isotta Wins the Motor Parkway Sweepstakes
The winner of the Motor Parkway Sweepstakes was Herb Lytle driving his Italian #P42 Isotta at an average speed of 64.25 mph, an American record for long-distance speed contests. As Lytle drove past the newly constructed Jerusalem Road Bridge over the Motor Parkway, his riding mechanician looked back towards the grandstand. The grandstand could be seen through the bridge passageway.
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Map of the Motor Parkway
The Long Island Motor Parkway was initially promoted as “The World’s Modern Appian Way,” a moniker first presented to the public in a Harper’s Weekly article written by A.R. Pardington in March 1907. Vanderbilt and his associates were careful to position the Motor Parkway as not primarily a speedway for race cars, but a modern convenience to all automobile enthusiasts. They extolled the virtues of economic development and the efficiency of quickly retreating from the city to the calm and healthful benefits the fresh country air of Long Island had to offer.
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Long Island Motor Parkway Annual-Fee Plates
The Long Island Motor Parkway would eventually connect Fresh Meadows, Queens, to Lake Ronkonkoma in Suffolk County, a total of 48 miles. A 5” x 5” porcelain annual-fee plate was issued to permit unrestricted year-round use on the Parkway. Number 100 was assigned to William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Reflecting its poor profitability and the availability of new free public parkways, the Long Island Motor Parkway closed for good on Easter Sunday, 1938.
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Map of the 1908 Course
The 1908 course was finalized in late September, including only 9 miles of the Long Island Motor Parkway and 11 new Motor Parkway bridges over and under public roads. The remainder of the course was 16.46 miles of public roads, primarily Round Swamp Road, Plainview Road, Jericho Turnpike, and Ellison Avenue. The Vanderbilt Cup Commission of the AAA announced the race would consist of 11 laps or 258.06 miles to be held on Saturday, October 24, 1908.
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Crowds Arrive By the Long Island Rail Road
Much maligned for its slow service, the Long Island Rail Road still transported the majority of spectators from New York City and Brooklyn to the races. At midnight on the day of the race, hourly trains would bring people to a special makeshift stop in the Hempstead Plains, approximately ¼ mile from the grandstand.
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Referee Vanderbilt and Chairman Thompson Inspect Locomobile
Vanderbilt took his role of referee very seriously and at times seemed ubiquitous. When driver George Robertson and riding mechanician Glen Etheridge stopped the #16 Locomobile to strap in a spare tire, Vanderbilt (left) and Jefferson DeMont Thompson, chairman of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Commission, inquired about road conditions. Robertson was wearing a racing mask and a scarf on his cap to clean his goggles.
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Stricker’s Mercedes passes under Carman Avenue Bridge in East Meadow
Running second, Emil Stricker drove the #3 Mercedes under the Carman Avenue Bridge in East Meadow during lap five. However, a broken fan blade gashed the radiator and the engine overheated on lap 10. Stricker finished in sixth place finish.
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Isotta Passes Under Jerusalem Avenue Bridge
Spectators on the Jerusalem Avenue Bridge watched Herb Lytle’s Italian Isotta challenge for the lead. Lytle put up a game fight in this stock car, finishing second. This was the same Isotta Lytle drove to victory in the Long Island Motor Parkway Sweepstakes.
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#20 Knox Taking the Woodbury Turn
William Borque in the #20 Knox skidded through the Woodbury Turn on to Jericho Turnpike. Tragically, Borque would lose his life in a racing accident the following year in 1909, becoming the first driver to be fatally injured at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Locomobile Passes Headquarters
As with the three previous races, Jericho Turnpike was a significant part of the course. For the 1908 race, the cars traveled east to west down the turnpike for the first time. Jericho residents were thrilled when George Robertson drove his #16 Locomobile past the team’s headquarters located in D.F. Maltby’s Automobile Garage. The building would later become Jericho’s first firehouse.
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William Cullen Bryant’s Family Enjoys the Race in Jericho
The Vanderbilt Cup Race never failed to draw people of wealth and social status. The family of noted poet and New York Evening Post editor William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) enjoyed a picnic at the races. From left to right were Bryant’s great-grandsons Frederick Marquand Godwin and his cousin Conrad Godwin Goddard, Bryant granddaughter Fanny Godwin White and Elizabeth Marquand Godwin, Frederick Godwin’s wife. The woman holding the thermos is Frederick Godwin’s sister Elizabeth Love Godwin, a great-granddaughter of Bryant (far right). Fanny White was the first woman to obtain an automobile license in Roslyn, New York.
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Robertson’s Locomobile at the Westbury Turn
The course left Jericho Turnpike at the intersection of Ellison Avenue in Westbury. In a classic Vanderbilt Cup Race moment, George Robertson in the #16 Locomobile stormed through the Westbury Turn as hoards of people lined the course.
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Robertson Flies Over the Ellison Avenue Railroad Bridge
The Locomobile, the pride of Bridgeport, Connecticut, soared over the Long Island Railroad Bridge on Ellison Avenue in Westbury. Driver George Robertson ran fast enough for the car’s wheels to clear the running surface as it crested the peak of the bridge.
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Robertson Heads to the Finish Line
With a lead of over four minutes, Robertson’s Locomobile began the final lap of the race apparently on his way to an easy victory. However, instead of taking a conservative pace, Robertson pushed so hard he lost control and skidded backwards off Plainview Road and destroyed one of his tires. Amazingly, the car was otherwise undamaged. Robertson’s place in history hinged on his skills and those of his riding mechanician Glenn Ethridge in changing the tire. In a swift two minutes and 10 seconds, a new tire was mounted on the rim.
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Robertson’s Locomobile Wins the Race
Robertson drove the big Locomobile across the line to claim the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup. For the first time, America could finally boast victory in an auto race against international competition. Robertson averaged 67.3 mph and finished one minute and 48.2 seconds ahead of the Herb Lytle’s Isotta.
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Robertson Takes the Checkered Flag
_edited-1-1_large.jpg "Motor Parkway #16 Locomobile 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Finish at Grandstand")
Brash and daring, 23-year-old George Robertson took the checkered flag from starter Fred Wagner before a huge crowd in the Hempstead Plains (now Levittown). Jefferson De Mont Thompson, Chairman of the Race Commission, was seen with his hands raised. Beside him to his left was the ever-vigilant referee, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Now called “Old Number 16,” the car is currently displayed at The Henry Ford, a museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
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Race Officially Called Off
The scene was pandemonium after Robertson won the race. Typical of crowds immediately following the declaration of a winner, people swarmed the road to head home or surround the winning car. The race was officially called off at 10:55 AM and telephone calls went out to signalmen to display white danger flags to waive off the remaining nine cars still on the course.
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Florida’s Locomobile Crashes into the Crowd
Running in third place behind Robertson and Lytle, Joe Florida, driver of the #1 Locomobile, did not get word to stop and plunged his car into the throng at the start-finish line. Note the smoke at the scene of the accident. Florida struck and injured an 18-year-old boy and then hit a touring car. Fortunately, none of the occupants of the touring car were injured and the boy recovered.
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Profile of the Winner
After his 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race victory, George Robertson was considered by many to be America’s premier race driver. Only weeks earlier he scored impressive stock car victories driving a Simplex in the 24-hour race at the Brighton Beach track and then in a Locomobile 40 at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. His driving career was cut short while practicing for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race when a newspaperman riding with him to develop a story panicked and clutched the driver as he entered a sharp turn. Robertson suffered injuries to his right arm that made it impossible for him to drive the heavy cars of the day in competition.
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Robertson’s Plaque
Collectibles and memorabilia from the Vanderbilt Cup Races have turned up in auctions, flea markets and the Internet throughout the years. The rarest items 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. Until 1910 when $2,000 was awarded to the winner, the plaque was the only official award and compensation given to the driver for winning the Vanderbilt Cup Race by the sponsors.
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Banquet in Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut, where the Locomobile was manufactured, declared Monday, November 9th a holiday as Robertson paraded the victorious #16 Locomobile around town before 30,000 spectators. That evening more than 300 business and community leaders attended the largest banquet in the city’s history up to that time in the dining room of the new Stratfield Hotel. The Vanderbilt Cup was proudly displayed in the back of the room.
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Locomobile Company Promotes Victory
Although the Locomobile Company promoted the establishment of “American Supremacy in Automobiles” in its ads, it soon decided to discontinue its racing efforts due to its expense. The Locomobile Company continued to prosper through World War I when it received several lucrative military contracts. But changes in the market and company management forced it to struggle through the 1920’s before eventually closing its doors in March 1929.
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The 1909 Course
At 12.64 miles, the 1909 course was shorter than those for any previous Vanderbilt Cup Race and for the first time did not cross railroad tracks. The Long Island Motor Parkway made up 5.15 miles of the total distance. Organizers believed the shorter course would decrease the intervals of time between appearances of cars and also provide more exciting entertainment for spectators. The 1909 race was held on October 30th, later in autumn than any other Vanderbilt Cup Race. The race began at 9:00 AM rather than the traditional daybreak start. The late start and colder weather of the later date were cited as reasons for a precipitous decline in attendance from previous years.
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Founder of Lipton Tea
Sir Thomas Lipton (center with his distinctive mustache), founder of Lipton Tea and knighted by Queen Victoria in 1898, was one of the most prominent spectators at the 1909 race. Lipton shared a passion for yachting with the Vanderbilts and competed for the America’s Cup yacht race on several occasions.
