Vanderbilt Cup Races

Yes, that is my car. I bought it in 2016. The car was restored in the early 1970s took and AACA 1st place award and then resided in two collections in heated storage and not used ! as it was to “perfect” - I do not like awards and think cars are best viewed when in motion. the 1931 Franklin I had for decades I drove nearly 50,000 miles ( day and night, sun and rain , but not snow)  The standard eight engine is a bit smaller then the super eight engine but the terms standard and super didn’t come into use for a few years; are mostly used by car collectors. Many of the body panels on the standard 8 and super 8 are the same, wheelbase was different as well, wheels,hardware, etc all the same.  There is an excellent upholsterer in Ridgefield, Ct. who could make you the side curtains I have seen his shop and his work and he is the one I would go to if I need any. Hope you have the irons to fit in the doors to accept the side curtains - quite a chore to get them on and off the car.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

Thanks.  Assuming that the last photo is of your 733 (my dad had a 733 coupe with rumble seat, the smaller 8), you’ve got a very nice car!  As to mine, have the side curtains (or what’s left of them) on a shelf.  Hope to have the spare cash to have them redone eventually.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

Note the 7 passenger Packard touring cars all had the oval loop style door handles on the outside. This was a hold over from the days of horse drawn carriages. Some town cars had the loop door handles as well. The readers here are getting a lesson on pre WWII era coach builders/body styles nomenclature.
Sorry to run on but my specialty as an author is about coach builders and car bodies.
I am in the middle of writing about the history of the Utica, N.Y. coach builder Willoughby and Co. for Crankshaft magazine issue #4. I have the Willoughby company photo albums in my archives.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

A phaeton is usually 5 passenger , some with an extra cowl across the back doors that is hinged to the rear of the front seat. A toru9ng car was the name for all open 4 door cars with side curtains until the phaeton name got popular about 1928, then the touring was pretty much regulated to the 7 passenger open body style. My Packard is a 733 7 passenger touring car.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

Thanks!

I don’t recall hearing ‘toy’ before.  But I’m used to touring cars and phaetons (I don’t know a definition, but in my experience phaeton’s tend to be more elaborate than touring cars, with some having a 2nd windshield for passengers).  FYI, my Packard 243 is a 7 passenger Touring car.

Anyone know when full size windshields became common?

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

I am under the impression the Meadow Brook (Golf) Club offered pro-bono memberships to officers at Mitchel.  Aside from being the right thing to do for our servicemen, there was no shortage of competition with other courses in the area, not the least of which were the Links at Salisbury, literally across the street on the other side of Merrick Ave. with four courses alone!  The prestige of having high ranking officers on their rolls would have been motivation enough.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Lee, Some bits of trivia that might help. The Meadow Brook Club was established circa 1880, well before the advent of the automobile. So, I’m guessing the members for the first 20 years or so came out to the Club mostly on the CRR which was already there.  Stewart Ave was built around 1905-1907, prior to that the earlier automobilists came out by Hempstead Tpke. and or Old Country Rd., no ? The big change at the club came in 1917 when they acquired the property on the east side on the club fronting on Merrick Ave. on which a new 18 hole golf course was built replacing the 9 hole course built in 1894. I got a hunch a lot of dirt,  buildings, etc. was moved around at that time So far, unable to find anything on when the entrance roadway from Merrick Ave. was built or anything on bridges.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

The word “toy” used to describe the body was a term used in that era for a particular type of coachwork. Same as phaeton was used for a touring car later. (especially in the 1920s/30s.) Capacity and level of the style of the door line had a lot to do with it. Toy tonneau had a lower door line level, held only 4 people comfortably - other open 4 door touring cars would seat 5 ( 3 people in rear seat two up front) or 7 people ( 2 extra seats provided that folded down and were located behind the front seat, most of the times attached to it) .  A long article could be written about the nomenclature of motor car body styling over the decades . Articles in the era were written to make the readers clear of what was what and some terms were a carry over from the horse drawn coachwork to describe similar car bodies that had seen their origin on a horseless carriage.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

Interesting 1903 timeline.  Presumably that bridge predates the extant trestle.  Do we know when the existing bridge/over/underpass was constructed?  I’ve never seen a cornerstone in any of the photos of it.  What became of the earlier bridge, only Alexander Stewart knows for sure.  And he’s not talking!

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Why ‘toy’?

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

This isn’t surprising. If you look at the prices of Classic and Muscle Cars at the Mecum and Barrett-Jackson auction lately they are insane! These plates are very rare and it appears that multiple buyers (probably including you Howard) wanted it. The value is just what someone is willing to pay.

From 1933 Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate sells for a record $4,434 on Ebay

Lee, The entire area on the east side of the Meadow Brook creek between Stewart Ave. and Hempstead Tpke. for the longest time was subject to “ponding” from the overflow of the creek. An article in the Feb. 7, 1870 issue of the B.D.E. states “on the west bank the ground is some 15 feet above the bed of the creek” Regarding your mention of a previous bridge….  an article in the Apr. 23, 1903 mentions “a bridge that spans the creek” Did the CRR build it ? What happened to it ?

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Lee, based on the “1906 Atlas” map you posted above, the Meadow Brook creek RoW north of the two ponds shown, is indicated by a boundary line reaching the east side of the Club, likely requiring a bridge there for the CRR to pass over (the original “West Trestle #1”). Seems that manipulation of the creek occurred at some point to improve land use. This is also true for other points in Nassau, Queens, and the New York World’s Fair of ‘39

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Don’t know, except to say there were sources of water in the area adjacent to the trestle.  Water tends to find the lowest point.  As I recall, they had to make a minor adjustment of the route of Meadow Brook Creek to accommodate construction of the Parkway in that area.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Lee, I don’t think the Parkway needed any fill from outside sources. Check Greg’s post of the McCamish family photos of April 18, 2020. The first photo is of the Lodge, the view is to the east. Note the grade level on the left ( north) side of the photo, it is much higher than the grade level of the ROW and the lodge. My gut tells me once the height of the bridge over Merrick Ave was determined, the Parkway wanted the Lodge at the same grade level as the bridge for several reasons. Can you imagine what the grade of the Parkway entrance from Merrick Ave. would have been if they didn’t lower the grade level of the lodge…. I’m guessing about 10 feet. I wonder how far back west and south the Parkway went lowering the grade.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

When I first stumbled upon the CRR trestle in 1971, I recall there being a fairly deep gully on the South side of it.  My suspicion is that this may not have been a natural occurrence and resulted from the build up of grading for the Parkway.  Last I saw the gully, it was full of leaves.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

The cute, little 3 year old Marion Spooner, Frank Spooner’s daughter.

From Vintage Motorsport: Candid Cameras- The story behind Nathan Lazarnick and F. Ed Spooner

Frank, The Meadow Brook Club didn’t have access from Stewart Ave. until they acquired property north of Stewart Ave. in late 1929/early 1930 and built the new polo fields. At the same time the Club acquired a strip of land from Stewart Ave. south ( part of which I think is today’s Endo Blvd.), to the CRR.  This tract was used primarily by the polo ponies to and from the stable area and the new fields. Knowing the grade level of the CRR at that point, I’m guessing the Club built an underpass at the time ???

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Gary & Lee, My comment about the underpass… it appears from the two top photos of the bridges it wasn’t necessary to excavate under the CRR to construct the road from Merrick Ave. to the interior of polo grounds. The area around the underpass on both sides of the CRR is at the same level as the road surface. Also, it appears as if the CRR was built on fill thru that area, so in reality… the CRR ended up in “bridging” the polo grounds roadway.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Possibly Henry Austin Clark Jr driving what resembles a 1904 Mercedes at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum??? Photo appears to be looking west.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970