Vanderbilt Cup Races

Incredible car Howard. Good luck with the restoration. It’s gonna look fantastic.

From Restoration Update #2: 1930 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Sedan Berline #2448 J-399 (1/17/2025)

The location is Roosevelt airfield, the photo is facing east, taken on November 6th, 1953. Roosevelt Field is a former airport, located in Westbury, Long Island, New York. Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field or the Garden City Aerodrome, it was a training field (Hazelhurst Field) for the Air Service, United States Army during World War I.
In 1919, it was renamed in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt’s son, Quentin, who was killed in air combat during World War I.
The Hempstead Plains Aerodrome originally encompassed 900–1,000 acres (364–405 ha) east of and abutting Clinton Road, south of and adjacent to Old Country Road, and west of Merrick Avenue.
Hazelhurst Field No. 2 was renamed Mitchel Field on July 16, 1918, to commemorate John Purroy Mitchel, the former mayor of New York killed in a flying accident on July 6, 1918, while training with the U.S. Air Service in Louisiana. On September 24, 1918, the Army dedicated the eastern portion of Hazelhurst Field No. 1 as Roosevelt Field.
Once in civilian hands, the owners sold portions along the southern edge of the field and split the remainder of the property into two separate areas. Curtiss Field, a 300-acre (120 ha) airport on the original site of Hazelhurst Field, occupied half of the western portion along Clinton Road. Roosevelt Field occupied the remainder, consisting of seven hangars and a large parking ramp adjacent to Curtiss Field, and an east–west packed clay runway 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in length on the bluff. The area between Curtiss Field and the Long Island Motor Parkway, which ran north of and parallel to Stewart Avenue
Both fields were bought in 1929 by Roosevelt Field, Inc. The western field, called “Unit 2”, and the runway atop the bluff, called “Unit 1”, were connected by a broad earthen taxi ramp and the consolidated property was named Roosevelt Field. Unit 1 was sold in 1936 and became the Roosevelt Raceway, while Unit 2 continued to operate as an aviation center under the name Roosevelt Field. At its peak in the 1930s, it was America’s busiest civilian airfield.
In 1966, Murray collaborated with media art collective USCO to design and produce the psychedelic multimedia event The World, which took place in the Roosevelt Field abandoned airplane hangar in Long Island and was dubbed the first discotheque.[10][11][12] Live and recorded music played while slides and film were projected onto the crowd. Music acts that performed included The Young Rascals, The Hollies, Del Shannon, The Isley Brothers, and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.[11] The World was featured on the cover of Life magazine in May 1966.
The grandstand for the 1936 and 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Races. After the 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Race, no major road race was ever held again at Roosevelt Raceway.
The track was soon used for midget racing and then harness horse racing.
Roosevelt was the premier Golden Age airfield of the eastern U.S., enjoying many on-site operators. Among them were Bird, Lockheed, Monocoupe, Kittyhawk, Stearman, Stinson, Waco, Aeronca, Fairchild, Fleet, Standard, Travel Air, Kellett, Curtiss-Wright and Rearwin aircraft sales and service. It housed service hangars and flight training facilities, as well as repair services including aviation welding, sheet metal, engine and instrument companies.
It hosted aircraft manufacturers including Fleetwings, Loening, and Amphibions, Inc. The Roosevelt Flying Corp provided short haul air transport, and Plane Speaker Corp., Skywriters, Inc. and Air News, Inc. provided aerial advertising services. A branch office of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) was on the field

From Friday Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Newly Discovered 1953 Drennan Aerials of Roosevelt Field

Fresh Meadows aerial above is a Fairchild aerial photo from Sept 5, 1951

From Update with Aerials: Video of the Week: Robert Moses: Long Island's Master Builder

Roy Warner - Here’s a high resolution aerial of Fresh Meadows including 51st Ave and 199 St. See above.

From Update with Aerials: Video of the Week: Robert Moses: Long Island's Master Builder

The first time I saw this Mustang was at the engineering building in Dearborn, Michigan before you even owned it Howard. It is so gratifying to know that it is in your safe hands along with all of your other treasures. Thank you.

From MSM and Motor Junkie- 20 Ford Mustang Prototypes That Didn’t Make It To Production

Howard, I almost bought the LIMP plate advertised on eBay. Thank you for the article.
Love your website, we’ve met at Amelia when you had the Tucker there.
Thanks for your work.

From Fraud Alert Update: Guide to Identifying Authentic Versus Reproduced Long Island Motor Parkway and Roosevelt Field Porcelain Plates

One more . . . results

From Mystery Friday Foto #3 Solved: The 1904 Panhard #15 At the Starting Line

90 hp Panhard
Driver George Teste, Mechanician E. Artent
1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race, October 8, 1904
Finished 12, had to pull out in 4th round due to ignition problem.

From Mystery Friday Foto #3 Solved: The 1904 Panhard #15 At the Starting Line

The 1989 FWD Mustang wasn’t completely abandoned by Ford. Instead of becoming a Mustang, it became the Probe, which was in production for about 10 years.

From MSM and Motor Junkie- 20 Ford Mustang Prototypes That Didn’t Make It To Production

Interesting article on one of the many tours in the US at the time. However in this post a few errors have crept, which I would like to correct. The car on the last photo is not a Maxwell, but a rather unknown make, a White Star. A photo of the same car is shown below, where its participant number 29 can be clearly seen. The make name can be read vaguely on the hood. The make had only a short life, from 1909 to 1911.
Further there is mention of a Mrs. Cameo and Mrs. Schwabach in an Locomobile: I suppose the first lady was the well known Mrs. Joan N. Cuneo, who was driving her own Rainier car as a press car. In the added page from Motor Age (including participant list) the second lady is named Schwaibach.
By the way I count only 38 paricipants and 8 official cars, but indeed in the Motor Age article it is mentioned that several participants had withdrawn.

From Alco, Ty Cobb & the 1909 New York to Atlanta Good Roads Tour

That’s the number 15 (90 HP) Panhard & Levassor driven by Georges Teste with mechanician E. Artent at his side. The photo was taken on October 8, 1904 during the first Vanderbilt Cup Race. The Panhard finished in the number 12 position. I’m fairly certain that’s Willie K. in the fur coat (foreground) with his back to the camera. Standing near the left rear wheel could be the starter C. H. Gillette although at first I thought it was Jefferson DeMont Thompson. Standing next to the driver (Teste) could be A. R. Pardington. In the lower right corner with the distinctive bowler hat could be Peter Prunty although he wasn’t the starter that year.

From Mystery Friday Foto #3 Solved: The 1904 Panhard #15 At the Starting Line

The French Panhard #15 at the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Oct 8, 1904. This 90hp racer driven by George Teste with mechanician E. Artent led the first three laps but then encountered ignition problems on Lap 4 in Bethpage (Central Park), ultimately finishing in 12th place. Willie K is standing at the bottom center with a cap and fur collar with his back to the camera. I believe that’s Mr Dermott by the mechanician’s rear wheel with the white band on his left arm. If the photo is at the starting line on Jericho Tpke in Westbury between Post Rd and Hitchcock Ln, the photo is looking SSW. But the photo may have also captured one of the two Controls on the 1904 course. I would assume Willie K and race officials were likely tending near the Start/Finish line in Westbury.

From Mystery Friday Foto #3 Solved: The 1904 Panhard #15 At the Starting Line

#15 Panhard (France) driven by George Teste. 90 HP. Finished 12th. Led race after first 3 laps. Ignition problems on Bethpage Road during lap 4.
The driver was George Teste
The Mechanician was E. Artent
The race was the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race held October 8, 1904
Finished 12th in the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

From Mystery Friday Foto #3 Solved: The 1904 Panhard #15 At the Starting Line

You left at least one mustang out of the this interesting list and compilation. The electric four door car called a Mustang but it is in production. You mention the Mustang sedan but did not show a photo of a production Granada that was basically a Falcon/Mustang underneath it all. The Fairmont and Fox body Mustangs were actually big Pintos. But a Mustang II also fell in the Pinto school of cars.

From MSM and Motor Junkie- 20 Ford Mustang Prototypes That Didn’t Make It To Production

I was trying to get hold of Nick Greco I have recording of his dad while on tour in bermuda. Sorry for his loss, I ran across check he sent which was never cashed. Im not sure if he ever got his recording of the vhs in1996. Please contact Freshtvbermuda on all social media platforms.

From Sad News: We Lost a Good Friend and Master Mechanic

Mark The first year of the Motor Parkway’s version of the E-ZPASS was 1912. Rather than a plate it was a red disc about 3 inches in diameter that was wired and hung down over the radiator cap. The first plate as we know it was issued in 1915.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Found- The oldest known Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate

I inadvertently left this Brooklyn Life article (July 10, 1910) off this post which notes that the reason for the postponement was that “the intolerable heat and drought would have taken the edge of the competition”.  It also notes “The Long Island Derby” planned for Riverhead the week before had been cancelled.

From Kleiner's Korner: The 1910 Inaugural Sweepstakes: The Motor Parkway Races that Weren't

When was the motor parkway ‘EZPass’ plates first issued?

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Found- The oldest known Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate

That’s Louis Chevrolet sitting in the wreckage of his 110 HP (some accounts have it at 120 HP) FIAT after having collided with a telephone pole in Lakeville near Willie K.‘s Deepdale estate during a practice run on or about October 2, 1905. Several factors combined to cause the crash: high speed (about 70 mph); slippery road surface; and early morning fog. Twelve days later on October 14th., during the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Chevrolet hit another telephone pole driving a 90 HP back-up FIAT near the “S” curve on Willis Avenue in Albertson.

From Mystery Friday Foto #2 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Wreck on the Course

The name John Heyer has been mentioned before on various sites, but I am not related to them….as far as I know.

From A Family Discovers 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race Photos in their Grandfather's Photo Album