VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Then & Now of the 1936 Course- A Request from the Tazio Nuvolari Museum in Mantua, Italy
The Manager of the Digital Bank at the Tazio Nuvolari Museum in Mantua, Italy has requested locations and cartographic references showing how the 1936 track layout for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race corresponds to today’s topography and roads in Westbury.
Frank Femenias, VanderbiltCupRaces.com reader and cartographic contributor, has once again provided his mapping magic
Thanks Frank! Wonderful work!
Now images taken by Howard Kroplick.
Enjoy,
Greg O. and Howard Kroplick
The February 24, 2026 email from Fabio Castagna, Head of Digital Bank Museo Tazio Nuvolari, Mantova, Italy.
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Dear Mr. Kroplick,
I am writing to you in my capacity as the Manager of the Digital Bank at the Tazio Nuvolari Museum in Mantua, Italy.
We are currently undergoing an extensive process of updating and certifying our historical records regarding Tazio Nuvolari’s international victories. The 1936 Vanderbilt Cup at Roosevelt Raceway is a cornerstone of our collection and a symbol of Italian racing heritage.
To finalize the Museum's official technical files with certified data, we are seeking your authoritative confirmation regarding two key elements:
- The exact location of the 1936 Start/Finish line and the Administration Building. Based on our research, we have identified the site as the area currently occupied by the Samanea New York Mall (1500 Old Country Rd)and the Westbury Plaza (Regency Centers).
- An accurate cartographic reference (or overlay) showing how the 1936 track layout corresponds to today’s topography and road network in Westbury. Having a "scientific" mapping would allow us to correctly archive the circuit's history within our Digital Bank.
Furthermore, it would be a true pleasure to formalize this collaboration through an official partnership by featuring your logo and link on our Museum’s official portal and providing you with our logo and link for your website, sealing this historical bridge between Mantua and Long Island.
We would be honored to include your written confirmation and any cartographic references you might provide in our official archives. This will allow us to offer visitors and researchers at the Museum the most accurate and definitive technical documentation available today.
Thank you for your extraordinary dedication to preserving this history and for any assistance you can provide to the memory of the "Flying Mantuan."
Best regards,
Fabio Castagna
Head of Digital Bank Museo Tazio Nuvolari - Mantova - Italy
__________________________________________________________
The layout of the course and location of Administration Building.
Location of the Start Finish Line.
Then
The 1936 Course looking south east.
Overlap of the 1936 Course
Note: The locations of the Administration Building and the Start Finish Line
Then: Start Finish Line
Now: Location of the Start Finish Line
Location of Start Finish line for the 1936 course. Parking lot of former Target store looking west.
Then: Administration Building
Location of the Administration Building
Hangar F was the original home for the Roosevelt Aviation School and was used as the Administration Building during the 1936 Race.
Now: Location of the Administration Building
The former Fortunoff's store looking south from Old Country Road
Film: 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Comments
Amazing, Howard you and your team have come a long way! Ann
This is very exciting news. So glad to see VCR getting the recognition it deserves!
As always this is very interesting. But it gets me to thinking, where would Roosevelt Raceway overlay on this plot? And another question, I had always thought that Linkbergh took off from this end (call it east of the Roosevelt Field Mall) of the area we’re talking about. Can you clarify where he took off from?