Vanderbilt Cup Races

We’re over Mitchel Field looking north-north-east toward Westbury. We can see Stewart Avenue and the Central branch of the LIRR along with a small piece of Merrick Avenue in the upper right corner. I believe the housing complex is the officers’ quarters for Mitchel Field. The LIMP structures are the two side-by-side bridges over the LIMP connecting Stewart Avenue with Roosevelt Field. The sport complexes are: Meadowbrook Club Polo Field, Mitchel Field baseball field (a stretch, I know), and the Roosevelt (auto) Raceway. I think the date is 1936 because the track appears to be configured for the 1936 V.C.R. and not yet reworked for the 1937 race. Besides the site for the 1936 & 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Races, you can also see remnants of the temporary road connecting Old Country Road to the LIMP for the 1908, 1909, and 1910 races. I also think a case might be made for including the 1960 race course on land just below the grandstand near the upper left corner.

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

Howard that post and film were fantastic. To see all those vintage cars together must have been a sight to see. Truly the greatest car event on the island. I even just sent links to both our my son’s to see the a slice of the wonderful automotive history of their home.  Thank you for keeping it alive and going for generations now and to come.
All our Best,
Scott & Vicki Alexander

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

Thanks Howard.  I will convey to him that he still has a fan on Long Island.  At age 84, his public presence remains pretty impressive.  Though it is slowly fading, as is inevitable with the march of time.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

Update #1: The automobile has bee identified as a 1965 Pontiac Le Mans

From Mystery Foto #65 Solved:The "Robert Moses" Eastern Motor Parkway Bridge Over Northern State Parkway

Looking northeast over the east Garden City, Mitchel Field, Roosevelt Field area.
Bottom right semi circle is the Mitchel parade grounds.
The left to right diagonal just above the semi circle is the Stewart Line RR.
The diagonal above that one, parallel to the rest is Stewart Avenue
The diagonal above that one is the LIMP.
The housing area is the Mitchel Field complex.
The twin bridges over the LIMP leading to Roosevelt Field are visible, one of which
was built by the private Meadow Brook Club.
At the top is Roosevelt Raceway.
The time frame—1938

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

Knowing then the history of Camp Mills when I was in high school in the 1970s I took my metal detector to the narrow strip of land that ran parallel to the south side of Transverse Road and east of Old Country Road.  This area was between Transverse and a housing development to the south.  At that time it was park-like land used mainly by people walking their dogs.  I uncovered a wealth of military artifacts along this strip, including US. Army insignia of specific units, buttons and metal tent stakes galore.  Not long ago I was back in Garden City and noted that this strip of land is still undeveloped.  My hunch is that it remains ripe for searching.
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Howard Kroplick

William, wonderful story.

FYI, I always had great respect for your father as President Johnson’s press secretary and as one of the great political commentators of this era.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

Penny H.

Let us all hope that all those wonderful cars that appeared in the 1954 Vanderbilt Celebration are still with us and being cared for by owners who appreciate their unique place in automotive history.

The video was great.

Thanks for posting the article.

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

Greg H.

Thanks for sharing the article on the Tucker and the Helck family collection. There was some great footage of the #16 Locomobile, which I sent to my Locomobile friend.

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

Howard, ... A terrific video, that really may have been the best car show on L.I. !  Thanks, John Benfield

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

Howard, wow, you’re making great progress.  I’ve never seen a Tucker cyclops headlight before, and one that works.  Can’t wait to see it finished.
Good job!!!
Rog

From On the Road to Pebble: The Unique Tucker Cyclops Headlight

Question; was the Bill Pollock, with a Chadwick Raceabout, the same of that name who had a very successful racing career in California in the ‘50’s, driving among others, an Allard, (multiple winner at Pebble Beach), Corvette, Maserati and Alfa?  He died last year in his 80’s.

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

Howard,
As I’m sure you know, some of these cars (including the ALCO?) were rounded up by Henry Austin Clark for the running of the Bridgehampton races in 1949-53, and at least once one was driven by Joe Tracy. They repeated at the inaugural races at the “new” Bridgehampton Race Circuit in 1956. Also, turn 9 at that track was named Arents Corner, in honor of Mr. Arents’ destruction of a Ferrari at that spot before the course was open. (He survived.)
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Howard Kroplick

Earl, the Bridgehampton Arents (George Arents III) was the son of the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race driver George Arents II.  http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/saturday_search_and_findings_a_map_of_the_bridgehampton_race_circuit

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

Yeeks, am I ever turned around.  We’re over Mitchel Field housing looking (LI) NE over Stewart and the LIMP at the 1936 or 1937 George Vanderbilt Cup course (not sure which), with Merrick (Post) Avenue at the far top right.  Can’t recall the name of the road going over the LIMP but, without cheating, I think it was built for the racecourse.  LIRR Mitchel Secondary lower left to upper right (was Central Branch).  LIMP structure"S”, plural?  Other than the bridge?  Red box?  Duh!  Sam, III

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

My 1931 Chrysler Imperial came to me with a Packard trunk inside of which was a Cyclops steerable headlight mounted on a bumper over-rider bar, replete with an armored cable for connection to the steering gear.  Not fitting the Imperial, it went for a tidy sum at a Hershey meet.  Can you tell if the Tucker set-up was actually a Cyclops or is that just a name you stuck on it?  Sam, III
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Howard Kroplick I

Sam III, I believe it was just the name given to the middle headlight.

From On the Road to Pebble: The Unique Tucker Cyclops Headlight

AHA!  Actually, “OH, WOW!” might better serve.  Thanks, one and all.  Sam, III

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

Close up photo #1 shows the Central Railroad of Long Island line built by Alexander Stewart running directly through Mitchel Field, (though by then it had long been acquired by the LIRR) running parallel to duplex homes recently constructed along Ellington Ave. West (now torn down and replaced with condos) and Ellington Ave. East where the single family houses still stand today. 

These brick residential buildings were built during the Base Reconfiguration period occurring between 1927 - 1932 when massive construction replaced virtually all of the remaining standing wooden structures left over from Camp Mills in the WW I time frame.  Notice how none of the future temporary wooden barracks north of Ellington are in place yet where the baseball diamond is, demonstrating this is from pre-WWII. 

Also seen in the shot near the bottom right is the Non-Commissioned Officers Club which would later be used as the Navy PX in the ‘60’s (sadly, that building although still standing has now been condemned) as well as the building that became the NCC Bookstore (which is currently undergoing a major renovation with a Starbucks-like structure inside it to be added soon). 

Selfridge Ave. runs up to the relocated Main Gate at Stewart Ave.  Selfridge was positioned slightly to the West of the old main entrance as judged by the position of first house of East Ellington.  The blank lot next to it was where the roadway leading to the airfield proper was located originally. 

In close up photo #2, Bradley Hall, used for visiting single Airmen can easily be seen (though the bandshell in front of it in the semi-circle had not been created yet).  Notice the two lone trees still standing on the Quadrangle / Parade Grounds (created as the focal point of the Reconfiguration and which did not exist prior to it) which had not been removed yet, suggesting again this photo is from from the same Reconfiguration period, circa 1930 or so. 

North of Stewart Ave, running parallel to it is the LIMP.  The bridge crossing over the Parkway (better seen in close up photos #3 & #4) leading to the eastern portion of Roosevelt Field can be seen as well.  Farther off in the distance, the grandstands of what became the original Roosevelt Raceway (for cars), leftover from the Vanderbilt races after racing on local surface streets was banned are seen.  A portion of the elaborate looping course is visible too. 

The red outlined box in close up photo #5 would be the approximate area in which Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field years earlier.

All these aerial photos are looking to the Northeast from Mitchel Field towards Westbury and the Salisbury portion of East Meadow.

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

Oh, what a slice out of my past!  Charlie Stich.  Alec Ulmann.  Many others.  Howard had posted a Helck collection pic of Governor Thomas Dewey and his wife Frances at Lowell Thomas’ 1949 picnic for automotive collectors and other notables, sitting in Charlie’s or Alec’s huge Mercedes tourer with one of them alongside.  “Hemp Oliver” was Smith Hempstone Oliver, one-time ambassador to Kenya.  Sam, III

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

Update #3: Lee Chambers provided a Camp Mills postcard.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

The Pontiac in the mystery photo IS, POSITIVELY, NOT a 1965 Pontiac GTO, and it is POSITIVELY NOT a 1965 Pontiac Tempest or Tempest Custom.  It IS however, a 1965 PONTIAC LEMANS.  Tempest and Tempest Custom shared the same grilles that year and the GTO based off of the LEMANS, shares that models grille.  From a distance looking at a 1965 Pontiac Le Mans vs GTO you can tell by the placement of the nameplate in the LH side grille, and on the GTO models, by the hoodscoop that those models had How do I know this?  I love old PONTIACS prior to 1972.
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Howard Kroplick

Peter, thanks for the correction!

From Mystery Foto #65 Solved:The "Robert Moses" Eastern Motor Parkway Bridge Over Northern State Parkway

Courtesy of Richard Panchyk, if anyone wants a high-resolution jpeg of this aerial, please send your request to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola