Vanderbilt Cup Races

Did you get the news photo of the Breese from 1915 that I sent earlier. Also perhaps the Kotchan offspring can solve the mystery of the early years of the Brynfan Tyddyn Special.

From Grand Prix Motors Mystery Solved!

Good to see someone has added this information. All I know comes from the book “The Great Savannah races of 1908, 1810, 1911,” apparently published privately by Julian K. Quattlebaum, M.D. (Senior—His son, same name and profession [who removed my appendix], raced sports cars on the Savannah-Effingham Motorway (later Savannah International Raceway and now Roebling Road) when we lived there in the 1960s and were active in the Savannah Region, Sports Car Club of America (now Buccaneer Region).

From Film: The Great Savannah Races (1908-1911)

Nice race Howard !

From Video "The Alco-6 Black Beast Racer at the Second Annual Vanderbilt Autocross"

From Jim Andrews:

Howard,
Thanks for a fun web site and blog. I will be back again. I just listened to your Alco, Old 16 and the Pope-Torpedo. I like the sound of Old 16 starting up the best. But I got to hear Old 16 and ride in it with Jerry Helck at Boston Corners. One of my favorite memories was taking Old 16 and Peter Helck’s big Benz-Mercedes to the car show at the Vanderbilt mansion in Hyde Park. It was raining and the rooster tail off the front wheels would go in your lap when you turned a corner. Old 16 stalled at a red light and as traffic backed up it was great to see David Helck as mechanic jump out, give it a quick crank and hear it take off with a wonderful resonant roar. I don’t remember who was driving, but it probably was not Jerry, his bad knee and Old 16’s clutch did not get along.

Jim Andrews

From Video "The Alco-6 Black Beast Racer at the Second Annual Vanderbilt Autocross"

We are thrilled to have Howard and this magnificent piece of Automotive and Long Island History at our “Great Neck Plaza Annual Autofest”, October 11th, 2009.  Looking forward to seeing up to 150 Antique and Classic Cars on display.  For further information, please call (516) 829-8374 and ask for “Maria”.
Jay Corn
Chairman, Autofest

From New York Times Wheels Blog "1909 Alco-6 Race Car Roars"

In the Seventies I ran a garage in Amenia,NY. One Saturday morning my brother Kevin and I saw Old 16 on the side of Rt 22. We stopped and found it had fouled a spark plug,we pulled the plugs cleaned them. We were thanked for our help and Old 16 took off headed south. We both are glad to have this memory of Old 16 Ed Mistler Jr.

From Old 16 Locomobile: The 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Winner

From the New York Times Blog:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/1909-alco-6-race-car-still-roars/#comment-112463

The success this ALCO - 6 Race Car had in the Vanderbilt Cup Races in 1909 and 1910 is such a wonderful piece of history for Long Island. This is truly a must see for any automobile or history buff!

— Frank Krawiecki

From New York Times Wheels Blog "1909 Alco-6 Race Car Roars"

From the New York Times Wheels Blog:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/1909-alco-6-race-car-still-roars/#comment-112299

This machine must be seen to be appreciated. It is truly massive and a work of art. Strangely, owner Howard Kroplick appears to have been born behind the wheel at speed yet.

— Guy Frost

From New York Times Wheels Blog "1909 Alco-6 Race Car Roars"

From the New York Times Wheels Blog:

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/1909-alco-6-race-car-still-roars/#comment-112447

Dan, you really captured the experience of driving the Black Beast!

The misspelled “Bête Noir” logo was placed on the racer for the 1911 Elgin National Trophy Race, the last major race in which it competed:
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/index.php/blog/article/saturday_march_14_2009_the_alco_black_beasts_last_great_race

Enjoy,

Howard

From New York Times Wheels Blog "1909 Alco-6 Race Car Roars"

I own an Effyh as pictured.  I acquired it in 1976 in Southern Illinois. The engine & gearbox were removed when it was owned and raced by Bill Rutan. in New England…I purchased them from him in about 1978 and the numbers matched those on the nameplate.  With the exception of missing suspension covers, the car appears to be identical, down to the rollbar details.

Does anyone have the data on the car shown, or its history after Kotchian?  Bill may be able to shed some light on this…where he got it and who it went to next.  1951 to 1976 owners are missing.

From Grand Prix Motors Mystery Solved!

Crowd control was non-existant in those days; it looks almost like a crowd at a modern bicycle race.

From Three More Spectacular 1904 Photos

Please ask Robin Kotchian if she has any recollection of what happened in the years following Fitch at Brlidgehampton in 1951. An Effyh (which I’ve owned for many years) was resurrected from the horse barn at Brynfan Tyddyn in 1954 by Jack DuPont and I purchased the car from Senator Wood’s estate after he did a major rebuild.

From Grand Prix Motors Mystery Solved!

Hi Robin:

Thanks for checking in. Do you have any more details or photos of your father’s wonderful tow-car?

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/index.php/blog/article/wednesday_july_15_2009_the_futuristic_tow-car_in_bridgehampton_in_1951

Enjoy,

Howard

From Grand Prix Motors Mystery Solved!

Do we know what time the AutoX will start this Sunday?

From Update on Second Annual Vanderbilt Autocross and Concours on Sunday, July 26th

This is beyond cool.  Always wanted a pic of my dad in one of his cars.  Thanks!

From Grand Prix Motors Mystery Solved!

Yes, EMRA (http://www.emraracing.org) still owns the rights to the V. Cup name. The licensing to Champ Car was not transferrable, so when it was acquired by Indy Car, the license ended. Indy Car has expressed an interest in licensing but has never come up with a substantial proposition.

From A CART Vanderbilt Cup Sighting in 2007

to hell with the effyh, what is the tow car???

From The Racer on the Trailer at Bridgehampton in 1951

tfman54 writes:

As a veteran of several Bridgehampton Historic Rallys….we run a lap over the old road course at every event it was great seeing one of the original races of the fifties. wish I could have been there but had to settle for the race circut events of the 1960s Thanks again for this excellent AUTOMOBILIA

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Film "The Bridgehampton Cup Race June 9, 1951"

Howard…Like Topsy, this thing is growing.  Jim McAllister was a dear pal, and a wonderful driver during his VSCCA days.  I remember when I was president of the VSCCA, I used to worry about such an old guy driving such hot cars…particularly the Maserati.  Now that I am in that age bracket, it doesn’t seem very old at all.  He was indeed a Ferrari dealer, and imported I believe the first Boxer into this country.  It was a totally illegal car, as it didn’t comply with emissions or safety requirements, so he couldn’t sell it. But he used to love to slap dealer plates on it, take it on the LIE at about three in the morning, and just open ‘er up.  It is nice to know that his son, a VSCCA member, runs the tug company, and was at the helm of one of his tugs when it recently nudged the totally refurbished USS Intrepid back into its birth on Manhattan’s Hudson River.

From In Search of "Grand Prix Motors" and Its Amazing Tow-Car

Hi Howard, Thank you for digging up information on the film! It’s all very interesting.  Regards,  Walter

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Film "The Bridgehampton Cup Race June 9, 1951"