Vanderbilt Cup Races

Art-
The Detroit Public Library has quite a few photos of Ty Cobb his Chalmers and other vehicles in their archives.

https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/search/catch_all_fields_mt%3A%28Ty%20Cobb%20Chalmers%29%20OR%20catch_all_fields_et%3A%28Ty%20Cobb%20Chalmers%29

From Kleiner's Korner: Two American Pastimes Brought Together

Greg, GREAT !

From From the Helck Family Collection: Unpublished Photos from the 1908 Sweepstakes Races

Another example of the affinity that Hugh Chalmers of the Chalmers Automobile Company had for baseball - attending the opening game of the 1916 season for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League.  From “American Motorist” of June, 1916.

From Kleiner's Korner: Two American Pastimes Brought Together

It was a thrill to discover these glass negatives within the archives! And as always Greg, you were able to find all the information on them in seemingly lighting speed!

From From the Helck Family Collection: Unpublished Photos from the 1908 Sweepstakes Races

Without the steering wheel or headlights, I don’t think the front would seem to be a front!  😊

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

And if you were there with a color camera it might look like this,

From From the Helck Family Collection: Unpublished Photos from the 1908 Sweepstakes Races

These are GREAT!  Love the details, including the grouping of the international flags, and the outstretched tarp over the pit area.  Such a different angle to experience the race!  Thanks Greg, you cannot beat a glass plate negative!

From From the Helck Family Collection: Unpublished Photos from the 1908 Sweepstakes Races

Say it ain’t so! Ugh, no doubt the Great Depression played a role in the parkway’s decline. Those are chilling letters to receive just before the frigid holidays of 1934 just up ahead. It’s apparent in the letters that Motor Parkway Inc took care of their employees, even during their decline! Thank you for sharing these amazing details Greg, and for Al Velocci’s illusive facts that continue to fascinate!

From The 1930's decline of the Motor Parkway

The drivetrain was a FWD system simular to the 1966 Olds Tornado but with a Pontiac 287 V8, not base on a Corair drivetrain system use in 1959.
Chuck Jordan was head designer of GMC design team.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

Thanks for the comments and further input.  Glad you found it interesting.

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

That is an odd curve to the left there.  The route is northbound Woodbury road to a left turn to go westbound onto Jericho turnpike.  But ordinarily you’d be able to continue straight to keep going north on Woodbury road but we don’t see that viable here.  It’s an embanked left with no way to go straight.  I think that just for this race they created the embankment and turnoff we see here in the picture.  Similar to the turnoff where racers came off the Motor Parkway to northbound route 107 in the 1909 and 19010 VCR’s.

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

As always, cool info Art. I either read this or told by others, it wasn’t uncommon for people to picnic within cemeteries ( when visiting a relatives grave ) in the past. Neat that the church building hasn’t changed much at all up till now.

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

That is quite a beautiful church inside and out. We rented it in 2002 for our wedding.

The priest was not included, he was a separate order.

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

Art. Thanks for the interesting story about the 1908 race and this location. Why was the race called off ? Regarding the picture titled “The race is on”, it appears that the race car is heading west coming out of a curve and a bit of a down slope grade. I suppose that over the past 115 years, Jericho Tpke. has gone through many re configurations because there is no curve there now. Or is that a left hand turn off Woodbury Road onto Jericho Tpke.?

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

1- 1955 GMC L’Universelle Dream Truck
2- Designed by Chuck Jordan
3- Sadly after its show life she was dismantled by GM

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

That’s the 1955 GMC concept car “L’Universelle”. It was designed by Harley Earl with assists from Charles Jordan and Philip Monaghan. According to a Motortrend article from 9/1/2003 by Don Keefe, the car has disappeared without a trace.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

This is the 1955 GMC L’Universelle concept van. It wasdesigned by the GMC Division design team under direction of Charles Jordan, to go on display at the GM Motorarma
first at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, then other cites afterward.
Where is this van tody? unknown?
This was on my Facebook site just recently, I made comment of those thin WWs that was use on later cars.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

It looks a lot like the Corvair based concepts of the 50’s. I would guess it is General Motors.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

This was on my Facebook website recently, Check out my comment about the WWs.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

1955 GMC L’Universalle - predecessor to the Chevy Corvair vans

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck