Vanderbilt Cup Races

Highlights from Ford’s Garage

We chose to have our celebratory dinner at Ford's Garage because of the well-themed 1920s Ford atmosphere and great food. 
 

From left to right: Howard Kroplick, Gram Spina, Gloria Himes (Blas), Greg O, and Dave Baum.

A 1929 Ford Model A 5-window is featured promptly on a lift in the center of the bar. The horn works, and all four wheels slowly spin as if the Ford were coasting in first gear.

Model A 4-banger flathead engines decorate the booth corners throughout the restaurant. The napkins are shop rags, and the napkin holders are metal hose clamps.

The outside of the restaurant features two Model A Fords and vintage gas pumps.

The Ford Motor Company officially licenses the restaurant. This is the first (and so far only) Ford’s Garage in New York State, and it's right here on Long Island.

In Celebration of Marty Himes

Marty Himes was born on August 29, 1939, and died on October 23, 2023.  He will forever be remembered for his dedication to preserving Long Island racing history by everyone who visited his beloved museum in the past. 

The task of finding and documenting the cars, racing memorabilia, and all the other Long Island-related history was carefully processed and prepared for sale. It was handled by the Himes family, and close friends of Marty Himes. All of the memorabilia that Marty thought to save from being forgotten has now been sold to new caretakers.

The #52 Frankie Cal Midget racer was sold to Howard during the first online auction, and soon, this historic racer will be mechanically and cosmetically restored.  This image captures the moment we pushed it out of the museum building, where it had been parked since the early 2000’s. 

Thousands of memorabilia related to automotive history, racing history, and Long Island history were uncovered, documented, and then sold. 

This is one of the multiple crates I pulled out to document from one of the garages, and it was found exactly as you see it, with a motorcycle plate reading “Marty” on top.

I am fortunate enough to have visited the museum and gotten a tour from Marty back in August of 2023. The Himes family informed me that I was one of the last people to visit the museum before Marty passed away, and it's with great honor that I helped keep Marty’s legacy alive.

While the museum is no longer around, the memorabilia that Marty saved is still being used the way Marty intended: to inspire and preserve automotive history.