Vanderbilt Cup Races

Josh, super! Please email it to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

From Then & Now: Alva Vanderbilt Belmont's Beacon Towers in Sands Point

E. Dean, good typo catch. Thanks!

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Driver Louis Rigolly in a Gobron-Brillié Racer

This is an easy photo to id.  Looking East, with the Wantagh State Pkwy at the bottom and Farmingdale at the top.  Hempstead Tpke on right, Newbridge Rd on angle at bottom, Motor Pkwy on left with the 2 bends in the road, going past the Aviation Country Club in Hicksville (notice the clubhouse), Republic Airport in distance at the top.  Location of Central RR tracks running across the center on slight angle.  Date pre-1947 - before Levittown, probably between 1939 and 1945.

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: Levittown/Bethpage on May 27, 1947

Gordon-Brillie? Is it not Gobron-Brillie? I am familiar with the Gobron-Brillie (my Cincinnati shop restored a Gobron-Brille engine a few years ago, but I have no knowledge of a Gordon-Brillie. Restoration of the Gobron-Brillie engine was interesting. These engines have two pistons in the same cylinder. Because the cylinders are verticle, the lower (upside down) piston tends to fill with oil, the result being a lot of smoke. We were able to stop the smoking after experimenting with rings.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Driver Louis Rigolly in a Gobron-Brillié Racer

we have a great color photo of a plane flying over it if you want

From Then & Now: Alva Vanderbilt Belmont's Beacon Towers in Sands Point

Some great pics of Beacon Towers whch like you, is one of my favorites, but I’ve always felt that C.P.H. Gilbert always designed some of the most beautiful estates, with De Lamar’s Pembroke and Guthrie’s Meudon being my absolute favories.

From Then & Now: Alva Vanderbilt Belmont's Beacon Towers in Sands Point

this area looks like levittown-bethpage area with grumman in the background.  i think that part of it was used as the grandstand during some of the races although i can’t really give you dates….the major road with the cloverleaf is the wantagh parkway built in 1927 so my guess for the photo would be in the late 20’s - early 30’s…i can see at least 3 motor parkway bridges…my husband rob helped me with this shot…

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: Levittown/Bethpage on May 27, 1947

Love this aerial. Hempstead plains/Levittown looking East. LIMP at left, LIRR at center, Hempstead Tpke on right, Wantagh pkwy section is running horizontally at bottom is only 9 years old here. Early 1947 just before levitt houses were built. Long Island Aviation Club airport on north side of the motor pkwy. Grandstand is gone, from west to east, Wantagh Parkway pkwy bridge, Newbridge Road pkwy bridge, Jerusalem Ave hwy bridge, Old Meridian Road farm hwy Bridge, Wantagh Ave pkwy bridge, Broadway pkwy bridge, Stewart Ave pkwy bridge, Dead Man’s Curve can be seen. Central (Bethpage) Park in the top left. I think ’08, ’09, and ’10 races ran through here when the grandstand was built 1908. Amazing, this area just 6 months later—>http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/images/blog/80509d_Levittown_Nov13_1947_ThAirview-2.jpg

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: Levittown/Bethpage on May 27, 1947

If I. was in. the. Aircraft,  I would. be. overseeing. Levittown. in. 1947.  The. LIMP   is. evident. from the. bottom. left. of. the. aerial.  It. heads. east,  then. curves. northeast; then. east. again.  The. 1908, 1909, and 1910 races used. the LIMP. section. seen..  Not. sure.  If. the. LIMP. was abandoned. when. the. Wantagh. St. Pkwy. was. built.,  but. there’s. a. bridge. overpass (Future. Salisbury. Park. Dr).  East of. that. is what. looks. to. be. a. bridge. over. Newbridge. Rd,  then.  Jerusalem. Ave. bridge. The. Farmway bridge. near. Bloomingdale Rd. and the. Wantagh. Ave. bridge are. in. the. far. distance. I’m. sure.  The. Long. Island. Aviation. Club is. also. evident.  The. DOTTED. PATH. that heads. west. from. DIVISION. AVE. seems. to. follow. the. present. direction. of. SCHOOLHOUSE. RD

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: Levittown/Bethpage on May 27, 1947

Hello Howard,
The photo appears to be looking east over what in a few years will become Levittown. The grandstand area is visable which served as part of the course for the 1908, 1909, and 1910 races. It is probably early 1938 since there are a few LIMP bridges still functional (I think I can see 4) and the northern extension of the Wantagh Parkway looks almost ready for traffic but didn’t open until December, 1938. I think I can see Grumman’s Bethpage airfield and the old Aviation Country Club field.

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: Levittown/Bethpage on May 27, 1947

This is an aerial view looking east towards Levittown. The year is 1947 as there are no Levitt houses built yet and the Wantagh Parkway can be seen at the bottom of the image. There are 3 ““Motor Parkway “” bridges in the photo, 2 of them, the Jerusalem Avenue and Newbridge Road bridges were used in the 1908,1909 and the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races. The 3rd bridge is the one going over Wantagh Parkway that was built later.The Long Island Aviation Club hangars are to the north side of the L.I.M.P. towards the top of photo.

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: Levittown/Bethpage on May 27, 1947

This is wonderful and nice to know its being restored. I first read about the place in Monica Randall’s book, ” The Mansions of Long Island’s Gold Coast ” and she shed more light on the second owner. What a beautiful mansion.

From Then & Now: The Home of Driver Foxhall Keene in Old Westbury

Easy one.This is the future Levittown with the Motor Parkway in left center and the Wantagh Parkway at the bottom. This is were the grandstands were and one of the oldest sections of the Parkway.

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: Levittown/Bethpage on May 27, 1947

Looking eastward over Island Trees, present day Levittown. At bottom of photo, left to right, is the Wantagh State Parkway, spanned by the LIMP on the left; the Newbridge Rd span in the center; then the cloverleaf at Hempstead Tpkke. on the right. There is a LIMP bridge (Jerusalem Avenue) at the top center; the Bloomingdale Rd. bridge is center left.  In the far center are the Wantagh Avenue and Hicksville Rd. (Massapequa Lodge) bridges.The date is about 1946. There are no Levitt homes yet (1947-1951). There are several homes at the bottom right which were pre-Levittown.  Gulf Flying Field existed near the bottom center.  There was another airfield at the center right on the south side of Hempstead Tpke. where St. Bernard’s Church now stands. Near the top left stood the Hicksville Aviation Country Club.  Races held here—1908, 09 10.

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: Levittown/Bethpage on May 27, 1947

Re: ” This may be the only existing film of a Motor Parkway gate lodge when the road was active.”, reminder - keep looking, Howard.  I used to frequent the Trans-Lux{?} Newsreel at 74th{?} and Madison during WWII and clearly remember a newsreel feature of the LIMP.  Bear in mind that it had just been closed and Dad drove me out and back, quite probably on the last day, with me standing up in the back seat, hanging on for dear life to the rug rope, so it was still vivid in my young mind (then).  Sam, III

From Documenting W.C. Fields on the Long Island Motor Parkway in 1925

I’ll be seeing you April 2 at your presentation,I’m looking foward to it,I would very much like to explore the Motor Parkway

From Special Upcoming Presentation: “Exploring, Biking and Hiking Along the Historic Motor Parkway"

Forgot to mention about the display at Simeone Automotive Museum of Aston Martin on Saturday was great,there were 30 of them there,what cars,some of them looked like a Porsche,one looked like the back of a1965 Mustang Fastback another like the back of a Ford Pinto,americanized cars. They ranged from 1930s till now

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Driver Louis Rigolly in a Gobron-Brillié Racer

Had to do alot of research on this mystery,but it was well worth it,to know a little more about history in the making. This time I tried to solve it,I had an idea on how to do it,so I took a shot at it,thought maybe I would solve part of it.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Driver Louis Rigolly in a Gobron-Brillié Racer

Gustave Lancelot (1830-1906) was a French photographer from Troyes, France (cf. the inscription on the photograph). Meaning that he was already 74 when he shot this photograph! The photograph seems to have been coincidental, because I do not know of any other photographs on the subject by him. However if you are interested in images of early car racing events in France, check the site http://gallica.bnf.fr/ where you can find a wealth of information on this. Check particularly the photographic albums of Jules Beau (1864-1932), an important photographer of early French sporting events including automobiles around the turn of the century (he is the source of the Semaine de Nice photograph, by the way).

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Driver Louis Rigolly in a Gobron-Brillié Racer

Haa,I guess I’m the first to see the results of the mystery,being that I’m always on the site to keep up with you. Another great job. I guess nobody from here could solve it according to the comments that I see now,but someone might,it’s not Tuesday yet

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Driver Louis Rigolly in a Gobron-Brillié Racer