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The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
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Recent Comments
Those are two Porter-Knight racers which were built to participate in the 1915 Indy 500. They never made it to the starting line due to engine trouble. The photo was taken on Main Street in Port Jefferson. Finley Robertson Porter had a factory there and built a few cars with the FRP badge from 1914 to 1918. I believe the location of the factory was in upper Port Jefferson near the train station.
From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson
Racers are 2 Knight-Porters built for the 1915 Indianapolis 500.
Both cars neglected to start the race due to engine trouble.
The cars were built at the F.R.P. (Finley Robertson Porter) auto plant in Port Jefferson, LI which in 1916 was taken over by the US Government to produce military equipment.
After WW1 it was again used for auto manufacturing.
From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson
These are 2 Porter Knight racers. They were built for the 1915 Indianapolis 500. Neither were able to start the race due to engine problems. The Long Island village where they were built and where this photo was taken is Port Jefferson.
From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson
I could pretend I’m a genius and rattle off the answers, but all I needed to do was Google Ardencraig Inn and this actually is the photo which pops up with an article telling much of the fascinating story! (Doesn’t talk about the specific race, and I don’t know the answer to that.)
From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson
Greg - Mineola, NY letterhead! Motor Parkway office building on NW corner of Old Country Rd and Mineola Blvd? This would be the first letter revealed from that office.
From Mystery Foto #35 Solved: Robert C. Watson, Jr. was Willie K's mechanician at the 1904 Ormond Daytona Tournament
Came across this Willie K letter with a Motor Parkway letterhead denoting R.C. Watson as Treasurer of the Motor Parkway.
From Mystery Foto #35 Solved: Robert C. Watson, Jr. was Willie K's mechanician at the 1904 Ormond Daytona Tournament
That was such a fun event! Wish they would run it again!
From 2021 Video: The Alco Black Beast at Dash Drags New Hyde Park
I remember that race. I was there with my borther and our dad.
My brother brought his mini Stutz speedster replica.
From 2021 Video: The Alco Black Beast at Dash Drags New Hyde Park
Billy. Re St. Georges lake…. known previously as Herrick Pond, at least back to 1873. Was much larger at one time with the western shore at today’s Old Searingtown Rd. and the northern end pretty much at the Shelter Rock Library parking field. The new Searingtown Rd. was built right thru the center of the lake ( in the early 1960’s I believe), dramatically reducing the size of that body of water Around 1890 starting referring to the lake as Herricks Pond. What I would like to know how the Library got it’s name, Shelter Rock is located on Shelter Rock Rd.
fairly close to Northern Blvd.
From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #4 Albertson
Earle T. Smith was married to Willie K’s daughter Consuelo from 1926 to 1935.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_E._T._Smith
We will try to track down the itinerary.
From "Over the Seven Seas": A Film Starring William K. Vanderbilt II
Mrs E.T. Smith was Mr and Mrs Vanderbilt’s daughter.
Does anyone have the full itinerary for this voyage?
From "Over the Seven Seas": A Film Starring William K. Vanderbilt II
Let’s be reasonable. If it was in the United States it would have potholes and radar traps.
From Mystery Friday Foto #7 Solved: The former FIAT Lingotto Factory in Turin, Italy
…and just to let you know, that my dear neighbor and friend Bob Lytle will be celebrating his 102 birthday in a few months. He is still driving after renewing his license at 100 years old…must be in the genes.
What a remarkable centurion!!!
Love you Bob❤️
From The Family of Vanderbilt Cup Racer Herb Lytle Has a Reunion at the 2019 Indy 500
From Paul Lewis Bancel:
Lingotto. Now that is cool!
From Mystery Friday Foto #7 Solved: The former FIAT Lingotto Factory in Turin, Italy
Wow, great info. I was asking because there is a dedication plaque at the park specifying a death of a child drowning at the sand pit. There is a sign on one of the fences of the town park saying property of Nassau county so the county must have put up the fence around it before the town took over the property. The wooded area behind the park is a storm basin. Would love more info on this and St George Lake. Also I can’t find any info on Theodore Brown who owned the 16 acres sold to Long Island motor parkway. Was the land just used for farming prior to being a sand and gravel pit? Thanks!
From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #4 Albertson
FIAT, autos, Lingotto Italy, test track on roof, 13 fiats competed over the years, 04,05,06, 09. For a while they had a factory in upstate NY, on the Hudson (Credit Hemmings)
From Mystery Friday Foto #7 Solved: The former FIAT Lingotto Factory in Turin, Italy
Greg, The “flying field” at Idle Hour might be related to WW1. At the time the Govt. acquired several large properties on the Island and built temporary flying fields. Among them was the field built on the Belmont estate in North Babylon. Vanderbilt did offer Idle Hour to the Govt. for a convalescent hospital for returning soldiers. Perhaps that was the outcome for the flying field scenario.
From Greg O's Garage; W.K. Vanderbilt Sr's Idle Hour Estate and Outbuildings
Mystery Foto #7… The factory in the photo was built by FIAT, construction starting in 1916. And, of course, they built automobiles there from 1923 till 1982.
Today it is a modern complex with concert halls, theater, a convention center, shopping arcades and a hotel. This factory is located in Lingotto, a district of Turin, Italy. The unique feature of the factory is a test track on the roof of the building. In this building when it was a car factory the raw materials arrived on the ground floor of the five floor building and as the assembly process proceeded the vehicles moved up floor by floor and arrived at the top floor test track when completed.
As for its link to The Vanderbilt Cup Races let’s just say that many FIAT built race cars competed in the early Vanderbilt Cup races.
From Mystery Friday Foto #7 Solved: The former FIAT Lingotto Factory in Turin, Italy
That is the Fiat automobile factory in Turin Italy. Opened I believe in 1923. Note the roof of the plant is a speedway. Connection to the Vanderbilt Cup Races is that in 1923 it was the site of a Vanderbilt Cup Race, (sort of). It was organized by a mostly unknown relative, Guglielmo del Vandabilta. Don’t recall the winner of the race but the prize was a 32 inch tall sterling silver wine glass.
From Mystery Friday Foto #7 Solved: The former FIAT Lingotto Factory in Turin, Italy
It’s amazing how many airfields there were on Long Island. There was one south of Target in Sayville when I was young. The Aerodrome in Bayport has some history behind it.
From Greg O's Garage; A Flying 'Feild' at William K. Vanderbilt Sr's Idle Hour
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