Vanderbilt Cup Races

Just loved this story.  Best to date!

From Newsday:On the trail of LI's lost history A grand statue,vintage cars-he's saving them from oblivion

Thank you Howard for your help. Sharing history is the best part of discovering it!

From Frederick Gilbert Bourne- President of Singer Sewing Machine & a Long Island Motor Parkway Director

Great to see Newsday gave some well deserved recognition to Howard.  Hoping to see Howard at Pebble Beach Concourse d’ Ellegance today.

From Newsday:On the trail of LI's lost history A grand statue,vintage cars-he's saving them from oblivion

Excellent write-up Howard, and congratulations for the recognition of all your toils. It’s always nice to get good press!

TG

From Newsday:On the trail of LI's lost history A grand statue,vintage cars-he's saving them from oblivion

Roosevelt Field and environs looking north-northwest.  LILCO gas holder, General Bronze, LIMP Toll House and Super’s house, George Dade’s building at LIMP on northeast side of Old Country Road where I worked ca. 1960, original open RF Mall.  Girl Scout HQ not yet built.  First houses on Raymond Court.  RF hangars.  Mitchel housing.  LIRR spur to Arma.  Macy’s opened in 1956 and Gimbel’s in 1962 so between the two dates.  Both lodge and Super’s house still there then.  Too much eyestrain for more.  Figoni and Falaschi body on ca. 1938 Delahaye 135 an I mistake me not.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #34 Solved: Newly Opened Roosevelt Field Shopping Center on October 3, 1956

Ugly aside - La Salle had the iniquity of refusing admittance to Jewish students and other minorities (not that they ever admitted it, of course).  Sam, III

From Frederick Gilbert Bourne- President of Singer Sewing Machine & a Long Island Motor Parkway Director

Mystery Photo #34.
Looks like Roosevelt Field Mall, looking northward. Motor Parkway bridge crossing over Meadowbrook Parkway in the lower right hand corner of photo or that maybe a freight siding of the LIRR.
Not sure what oil company owned the large oil tank, but you can see the Long Island Railroad’s Central Extension right of way in the bottom of the picture.
Date of photo, looks like the early 1960’s?
One building on the bottom maybe a paper company served by the LIRR. or Double Day Publishers?
Neighborhood to the left of the photo with the curved streets is Mott Section.

From Mystery Foto #34 Solved: Newly Opened Roosevelt Field Shopping Center on October 3, 1956

Certainly is a familiar location and a unique car,which I have no idea what it is,but it does have a front grill like a Bagarrte,which I’ll check out and get back to ya.

From Mystery Foto #34 Solved: Newly Opened Roosevelt Field Shopping Center on October 3, 1956

Great memories for me on this one. As a kid it he early 70’s, LaSalle had a day camp in the summer. I was lucky enough to go and even as a little kid loved the old mansion.

From Frederick Gilbert Bourne- President of Singer Sewing Machine & a Long Island Motor Parkway Director

The Cup is massive…..big enough for a kegger, ice and all…...no doubt that one stood in the middle of a room as the centerpiece.  The ‘36, ‘37 Vanderbilt Cup needs a bit more loving…..it is part of the lineage and the break in time was worth study in auto design, speed and importance of technology and how much it had advanced since the dawn of speed.

From Tazio Nuvolari in Victory Lane After Winning the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I gave it a try and was getting nowhere,so I gave up,it was too complicated for me,I did come across some of the names said,but didn’t know who was who.

From Mystery Foto #33 Solved: Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, Donor of the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Trophy

With a name like “Shinbone Alley”, I wanted to see if the path still existed. This road is now Shinbone La, Smithtown. Runs N/O Vanderbilt Motor Pkwy, and it’s just S/O Redleaf La. After viewing older maps of this area, Shinbone Alley use to continue well S/O the LIMP.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The 100 Planned Bridges Over & Under the Long Island Motor Parkway

Ed,
The license plate on the Oldsmobile is from 1910, the first year New York State issued license plates. That year the plates had white numbers and letters riveted on to a dark blue base. The 1911 and the 1912 plates were also undated. The 1912 plate had a porcelain-enamel finish, red background with white numbers and letters. 1913 was the first year New York issued dated plates.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Photos from the John E. Roosevelt Family Photo Album (1909-1910)

The photos from the Roosevelt family photo album are priceless showing racing how it was.  Thanks.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Photos from the John E. Roosevelt Family Photo Album (1909-1910)

Franz Heim in the Heimwagen, prior to the 1921 AVUS Rennen:
http://i66.tinypic.com/244tlyh.jpg

From Search: Information and Photos of Franz Heim. Submitted by Kurt Heim (January 9, 2015)

-Identify this Vanderbilt
-How was he related to William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. ?

Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, nephew of Willie K.

-How was he associated with the Vanderbilt Cup Races?

From VCR.com;
‘Sixteen years after William K. Vanderbilt II passed away in 1944 of heart failure, race promoters were still trying to leverage the legacy of his great race. On April 2, 1960 the New York Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) announced yet another “revival” of the Vanderbilt Cup.  This time, the Vanderbilt family member was 62 year old Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, author, newspaperman and a nephew of Willie K.

The race took place at the SCCA New York Region’s new road circuit on the Roosevelt Raceway’s grounds. The course utilized a portion of the parking facilities and access roads for a harness racing track. The 11-turn, 1.5 mile course included a straightaway nearly one half mile in length.’

-What year was this photo taken?

1960

From Mystery Foto #33 Solved: Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, Donor of the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Trophy

The Olds picture at Medowcroff was taken in 1912.  Look at Registration plate.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Photos from the John E. Roosevelt Family Photo Album (1909-1910)

Again a very beautiful photo collection! Thanks again for sharing. A small additon/correction, as the Circuit de “Bresirar” must be a small reading error. This photo was probably taken during the 1905 Coppa Florio, which was held at the Circuit de Brescia. Wagner started with number 8, also finishing at 8th place!
An interesting feature I didn’t notice before is the circular seat on the 1903 Darracq voiturette, which were apparently raced without mechanician. Could this seat be turned around?

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: From the Helck Family Collection- Driver Louis Wagner

These are really beautiful and sometimes even spectacular photos. which sometimes remind me of the photos made by Lartigue in the same era. We know all of course that many family archives contain hidden treasures and there are many understandable reasons why the owners want to keep it that way. Therefore we have to be grateful to those families who are willing to share their family history with the world. Thank you!

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Photos from the John E. Roosevelt Family Photo Album (1909-1910)

Cornelius Vanderbilt IV.  If I have it correctly “The Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt had two sons, William and Cornelius II…...Willie K is the son of William, Cornelius IV is grandson of Cornelius II…..so Willie K was IV’s great uncle? 

If I read correctly the Vanderbilt family was not too fond of Grace Wilson, who became III’s wife, but it appears only Willie K accepted her as part of the family.

“The Vanderbilt Cup would not return to the United States motor racing scene for more than twenty years. In 1960, sponsored by Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, it was run as a Formula Junior event and held again at Roosevelt Raceway. In 1965, 1967, and 1968, the Bridgehampton Sports Car Races were billed as the Vanderbilt Cup.”.......so IV brought the third generation Vanderbilt Cup into existence after Willie K then William K’s nephew, George Washington Vanderbilt III, revived and sponsored a 300-mile (480 km) race at the new facilities at Roosevelt Raceway in ‘37 and ‘38.

He passed in 1974 and this photo appears to be late in life…...I would suspect perhaps 1974 is my best guess.

https://www.geni.com/people/Cornelius-Vanderbilt/6000000001820087273
http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-cornelius-vanderbilt-ii-mansion-new.html

From Mystery Foto #33 Solved: Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, Donor of the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Trophy