Vanderbilt Cup Races

Howard: Howard: you hosted another great event-thanks so much

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Motor Parkway in Queens, looking north towards North Hempstead Turnpike (Horace Harding Blvd.)
73rd Street Bridge
1938
Temporary entrance to the Parkway built while Nassau Blvd. was being built and paved (thanks Al V.)

From Mystery Friday Foto #54 Solved: A Challenging Aerial in Fresh Meadows

Hello! Looking to stop by with my wife

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

We were all set to go and see that Registration is Closed !!! Your original invite didn’t show registration was Required. We were all set ready to go and meet up with another couple bringing a #34 of 54 cars built to show you. We were at your Open House when #1044 Debuted with the Tucker Brothers in 2017.
Please reply to my email please we know what to do, thank you . .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Thank you.

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Hi all:  I tried to RSVP via the AACA-GNYR site, but seems it didn’t go through. I would like to swing by and (just like last year), park in adjacent lot, and generally be unobtrusive and stay out of the way (except to look).  Hope that’s still ok?

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

We are looking north along the LIMP in Fresh Meadows between Union Turnpike and Nassau Boulevard, just slightly west of today’s Francis Lewis Blvd. In the center is the LIMP bridge over 73rd Avenue. What appears to be an entrance ramp was, in fact, a temporary entrance to the LIMP built around 1927 -1928 during constuction and widening of Nassau Blvd. (a few hunndred yards north) where the real entrance to the LIMP was located.  This temporary entrance looks fairly new so I’ll guess the date as 1928.

From Mystery Friday Foto #54 Solved: A Challenging Aerial in Fresh Meadows

I will be there with my dad and two brothers.

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Looking east where the LIMP crosses over Route 107 in the center of the picture.  The “exit” ramp on the left side of the LIMP was put there for the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races to shorten the course from the longer 1908 course.  Racers traveling east would now turn northbound onto Route 107 instead of continuing on towards “dead man’s curve” in Bethpage.  My only hesitation to be sure here is the absence of the Massapequa Lodge which should be on the north side of the LIMP just below the ersatz exit.  I don’t know why we can’t see that.  So I could be wrong altogether about the whole thing.

From Mystery Friday Foto #54 Solved: A Challenging Aerial in Fresh Meadows

One of my favorites, I believe this photo is a cropped version—the uncropped photo is really great. It’s the intersection of the north-south LIMP and the east-west Black Stump Road (aka 73rd Avenue) in Fresh Meadows. Overpass at 73rd Avenue is the only “Motor Parkway structure” in the photo. Looking north, just ahead is the Fresh Meadow Country Club, the North Hempstead Turnpike overpass and the Parkway terminus at Nassau (Horace Harding) Boulevard. The “entrance ramp” is kind of a mystery to me, but Sam Berliner once suspected it was left over from construction crews working on this last extension in 1926. The original photo had the year at 1938, but I suspect it might be earlier.

From Mystery Friday Foto #54 Solved: A Challenging Aerial in Fresh Meadows

Thanks Greg, I’ll look to see if there’s any newspapers that carried the Hatlo cartoon suggested by your grandfather.  You never know!  What was your grandfather’s name?

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 'Case Super Special Speedster'

Art,
That was how Jimmy Hatlo thanked the person who submitted the idea for the cartoon. Hatlo was especially popular in the 1940’s and 50’s. I only know this because my Grandfather submitted a story to Hatlo in the late 40’s about how he was a respected engineer at Sperry on Long Island, but at home his family didn’t even think he could hang a picture. My mother still has the framed original Hatlo artwork for the papers that Hatlo would also send back to the submitter as a souvenir of being printed in the newspaper.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 'Case Super Special Speedster'

David - some more including a 1950 aerial comparison, courtesy of the late Sam Berliner III.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

Hi David, it is true that the power lines follow the old RoW most of the time. Below are Rt 135 construction plans, including position of the Motor Pkwy, courtesy Art Kleiner.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

I thought along this particular stretch the old right of way of the former LIMP was under the power lines that run parallel to the 135 on the west side of the expressway. And when the power lines curve to the east over the expressway that’s where the LIMP would’ve curved to where Plainview rd used to be.  Is that not accurate?

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

I have to increase it to 4 people instead of 2

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

I have to increase it to 4 people instead of 2

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

I will attend the Open House Nov 2.
Total 3

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Online map

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

Bethpage Park, formerly Central Park, looking north from atop the Powell Ave bridge. The Motor Pkwy here is now occupied by the southbound lane of the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expwy, Rt 135. The Plainview Rd highway bridge can be seen in the distance just after Motor Pkwy’s right turn into the park. The 1908 Motor Pkwy Sweepstakes Race and the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race had cars roaring down this stretch.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

Very interesting life of the car’s owner, Russ Case.  Lots written about him, especially his music career.  I found a 1962 newspaper cartoon by American cartoonist Jimmy Hatlo depicting an auto race in which Hatlo thanks Russ Case.  I’m not sure of the connection except that in Hatlo’s cartoon series, “They’ll Do it Every Time”, thanks were often given to I’m presumably someone related to the cartoon.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 'Case Super Special Speedster'