Vanderbilt Cup Races

So little is known about the dozens of vehicle manufacturers once located on Long Island. Also, very few examples survive.  Other than the Fulton Truck at the Cradle of Aviation Museum (donated by Al Velocci), I don’t know of any still preserved on L.I.  Thanks for compiling this info. - just glad that Walter McCarthy had saved the brochure and other documents!

From Greg O's Garage; The F.R.P. automobile built in Port Jefferson

Here’s a 1947 Aerial of Idle Hour. If you visit the website, zoom in to view the estate with very good detail.  https://gisapps.suffolkcountyny.gov/gisviewer/

From Greg O's Garage; A Flying 'Feild' at William K. Vanderbilt Sr's Idle Hour

This could be the French De Dietrich #2 130hp racer driven by Arthur Duray with mechanician Frankville by his side during the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race on 14Oct1905. Photographer is standing on the east side of today’s Lakeville Rd looking NNW besides the wrought iron fence surrounding Willie K’s Deepdale Estate (approx 560 acres). The racer just turned left from I.U. Willets Rd and heading south on Hyde Park Rd (Lakeville Rd) The De Dietrich finished in 9th place averaging 55mph throughout the race.

From Mystery Friday Foto # 9 Solved: The #2 De Dietrich driven by Arthur Duray in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I was the one who removed the painting when I was working for my father
My father’s company was NJS carpentry and we were renovating that floor for senator Bensteins law office I am pretty sure and it was around 1990 or before
There was a cork mural behind it that I think might still be there .
I had it in my basement for about 5-6 weeks and was asked to bring it back so I did

From Update: The Hunt for the "Godfather" Train Painting is Over

That is wonderful to see the Tucker and the Tucker family getting some much deserved recognition.
Stephanie and her team need to do a feature on Bette Noir also !

From Greg O's Garage: A preview of PBS' MotorWeek feature on Tucker 1044

Ofter wondered if the 49 Studebaker borrowed Tucker’s design.

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved: The Tucker Tin Goose at a 1947 Exhibit

here’s # 44 in June 2017 before restoration at Westbury Gardens show and May 2019 after restoration at Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point

From Video of the Week: 1948 Tucker 1015 at the Arizona Concours d’Elegance

That was Great event. Thank You

From 2021 Video: The Alco Black Beast at Dash Drags New Hyde Park

I have three Brooklyn newspaper articles (June 7, 1905 Southampton preview and two June 11, 1905 Southampton result articles) of what might be the event mentioned in the above comments.

From Greg O's Garage; Photographs from the James L. Breese Photo Albums

Hi Al, the experimental BLM was clearly different from the BLM, which would appear in 1906. According to the Standard Catalog by Beverly Rae Kimes the engine in that first car would have had 85 hp. If that was an Aster engine is unknown to me, but the maximum output I could find for 1905 Aster engines was 60 hp. In the 1906 BLM a 24 hp Mutel engine imported from France was used. Another remark about the experimental BLM: the pictures from the Breese album show the car after rebuilding in 1908 (written on the picture). The original car with flitch plate chassis can be seen on a photo in the Standard Catalog. After rebuilding in 1908 the car had apparently received a pressed steel chassis like the standard BLM.

From Greg O's Garage; Photographs from the James L. Breese Photo Albums

Mystery Foto #8… The two historic cars are Porter-Knight racers AND they were built in Port Jefferson NY where this photo was taken. I believe that these two cars were built for the 1915 Indy 500. But they were withdrawn after attempting to qualify when it was determined that they would not finish the grind. They did not race. They did make an appearance in late June 1915 at the new 2 mile board track in Maywood, Illonois and once again were withdrawn as they had no chance of finishing.
And, yes, they were made in Port Jeff.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

THE CAR COUNCIL IS A VITAL PART OF OUR CAR CLUBS ON LONG ISLAND,  AND THE GREATER NEW YORK REGION HAS BEEN A PART OF IT’S SUCCESS OVER THE YEARS, KEEP IT UP. THANKS   ARTIE.

From The 2023 Long Island Car Club Council convened last Sunday at the Nassau County Police Academy

Arjejan, Regarding the Southhampton event,  closest I could find was an economy run from Brooklyn to Southampton in June of 1905 which was sponsored by the L.I.A.C.    Breese had his own machine shop in Southampton and that year built an auto from the ground up except for an Astor engine . Among the unusual components was the frame which was made of “armored wood”.

From Greg O's Garage; Photographs from the James L. Breese Photo Albums

According to an online article in the Port Time Record, the cars are two Porter-Knight racers parked in front of the Ardencraig Inn, on Port Jefferson’s Main Street .

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

This is really a treasure! The photos are very interesting, but the quality makes it difficult to identify all cars and events. It is however clear that the 1905 photo with James Breese and Walther Christie shows Breese at the wheel of his own Mercedes. What the 1905 event at Southampton was I still don’t know. The Mercedes however seems to be identical to the one with which Breese raced the 1904 Eagle Rock hill climb, but different from the one at Ormond Beach in 1905.

Of more interest to me is the page with the BLM racers, especially the photo on the right top of that page showing ‘Charlie’ and ‘Ray’ in Paris. The BLM they would produce indeed had an engine with French origin: the engine was bought from Mutel. Could they be test-driving a Mutel? Mutel cars are rare and thought to be produced only for the purpose of demonstration. Could this be such a car? A scan with a higher resolution would be much appreciated!

From Greg O's Garage; Photographs from the James L. Breese Photo Albums

Was there also, I a met a couple of entrants that I had remembered from the Port Washington Hillclimb the previous year? that was not allowed again for that year. Was told the residents of the Beacon Hill area at the top had complained. So, this event was the alternative.

From 2021 Video: The Alco Black Beast at Dash Drags New Hyde Park

The cars were Porter Knight racers.
Built in 1914-1915 for Indy 500
Town is Port Jefferson

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

They are 2 of the 3 Porter-Knights built for the 1915 Indy 500 race. (A.R. Pardington was the honorary referee for that race!) The cars failed to qualify for the race due to engine valve problems.
They were built by Finley R. Porter (with a Willys-Knight engine), who built his F.R.P. luxury car in the same Port Jefferson Station factory that had produced F.M. Richard’s Metropol. (Both cars were commercial failures.)
Many sources say Port Jeff, but as this Belcher Hyde map shows, the factory was in Port Jeff Station.
Any Boomer who grew up watching television might remember a totally fictitious 1928 “Porter” that talked, so this was a bit easier for some of us.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

With India making left-hand drive vehicles (currently for global exports; e.g. https://indianautosblog.com/made-in-india-skoda-kushaq-left-hand-drive-model-export-begins-p325329) yet still has anti-British sentiments similar to America in the past on various issues (https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/01/colonization-legacy-india-independence-movement/), it would be ideal if India transitions completely to driving on the right side of the road to match most countries directly (i.e. land-bordering countries such as China and Myanmar) and indirectly (e.g. Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Cambodia, EU (Denmark, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, etc.), Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, UAE, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, etc.) land-linked to India which includes India’s strategic partner and alliance countries. It would be a challenge due to the amount of infrastructure to modify but IMO, with well-structured plans, strategies, and support (foreign assistance, new policies (e.g. deregulating right-hand drive vehicles for mandating left-hand drive vehicles), road design (e.g. turning some two-way roads into one-way to improve traffic flow without expanding existing corridor, pedestrianizing some two-way roads to provide more safe areas for pedestrians, etc.), etc.), it can be done. If switching to right hand traffic is still not very feasible despite well-structured strategies and plans, then at the very least, I hope India emulates the US Virgin Islands where left-hand drive vehicles have no problem operating safely on the left-hand traffic roads by legalizing left-hand drive vehicles for domestic use and no longer mandate right-hand drive vehicles.

From Greg O's Garage: Why Do We in the U.S. Drive on the Right Side of the Road?

Great post. Do we know which route they took to Jacksonville being it was significantly more miles than a direct trip today?

From Greg O's Garage; Photographs from the James L. Breese Photo Albums