Vanderbilt Cup Races

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From 2021 TROG (The Race of Gentlemen) captured by photographer Jason Barr

I have the 1930s Vanderbilt programs as well in my archives. GREAT stuff, and especially for listing the local car dealerships and their addresses/locations. It can give you a great number of locations to see if the building still survives in tact and is not totally altered from when it was new with the addition of aluminum siding,windows , neon signs etc.

From Greg O's Garage: 85th Anniversary of the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Another photo of DePalma in the #2 Mercedes as well as 2 Helck paintings.

From Mystery Foto #42 Solved: A 1915 autographed photo from Ralph DePalma to his "good friend" Peter Helck

Ralph DePalma with his first place winning #2 Mercedes at the 1915 Indy 500 on May 31st.

Ralpha DePalma drove Mercedes racers in four Vanderbilt Cup Races, winning in 1912 and 1914:

1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race (Savannah): Drove the #10 Mercedes. Finished 2nd.

1912 Vanderbilt Cup Race (Milwaukee):Drove the #22 Mercedes. Finished 1st.

1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race (Santa Monica): Drove the #12 Mercedes. Finished 1st.

1915 Vanderbilt Cup Race (San Francisco): Drove the #22 Mercedes. Finished 4th.

Below:
In the #2 Mercedes and taking the checkered flag at the 1915 Indy finish line.

From Mystery Foto #42 Solved: A 1915 autographed photo from Ralph DePalma to his "good friend" Peter Helck

Hello, I am the granddaughter of Gladys Van Ausdall. She, her husband George, and their son, George (my father, now deceased), used to lived on Grove St. and of course in what is now called Harbor Mist Restaurant. My 88-year-old mother recently discovered this website and showed it to me. I also collect antiques, and we wondered where grandma’s highboy had ended up. Louise, if you still own the dresser and would like to get in touch, please feel free to contact me here or provide other contact information. Thank you!

From Mystery Foto #59 Solved: The Van Ausdall's Hotel in Cold Spring Harbor, NY Circa 1914

Greg,
Forgot that Jayne’s Hill in S. Huntington is in Suffolk County.

From Greg O's Garage: A 1906 Nassau County Map

Mark-
A lot of people (myself included for a while) do think Bald Hill is the highest, but Jayne’s Hill in S.Huntington is highest. Other high spots in Nassau AND Suffolk are Beacon Hill in Port Washington and the hill that Oheka Castle is built upon. Interesting tidbit about Oheka is that it was man-made. Otto Kahn wanted the highest point on Long Island, so he built the Cold Spring Harbor LIRR station to have train loads of dirt, rocks and material to build the ‘mountain’ that Oheka is built on.

From Greg O's Garage: A 1906 Nassau County Map

Neat!

From Kleiner's Korner: Petting Parties on the Motor Parkway

Please Note re. Foto #41…. Just to keep us confused I show a clip from our own VCR blog from December 2010 using the same photo as above with Joe and Ada in the #12 Locomobile and is captioned as 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race. Not 1906 Cup Race.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy with reporter Ada Patterson

On a similar note, the automobile was used as a fast means as early as 1900 for a loving couple to make their escape to elope as this article indicates.  Fathers should better learn how to drive an automobile to stop such elopements. 

I’m assuming Echoville refers to Echo, which is today’s Port Jefferson Station.  Interesting that the Echo Arms Adult Home is today located in Port Jefferson Station keeping the name alive.  Article is from “The Motor World Nov., 1900.

From Kleiner's Korner: Petting Parties on the Motor Parkway

Seen this map on display once? at the Oyster Bay Historical Society in Oyster Bay. Ball Hill, Farmingville, highest point in Suffolk Co. at 300+ft. Just to let you know.

From Greg O's Garage: A 1906 Nassau County Map

To confuse things slightly further, Tracy’s #5 Loco in the 1905 American Eliminations and #7 car in the 1905 Cup Race were one and the same and never seen again after the 1905 races, correct?

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy with reporter Ada Patterson

Howard-
The 1906 Locos and the 1908 cars seem to be a little confusing.
More than a few times on the site it has been said that the #12 and the sister car were the modified #1 and #16 cars in the 1908 races (see 2009 entry below) but other times I’ve read the 1908 cars were completely new. For clarification, what is the exact timeline of the 4 Locos from 1906 and 1908?

What was the fate of the two cars from 1906? We know the 1908 cars to be Helck’s ‘Old 16’ at the Henry Ford and the #1 Florida Loco wrecked at the start/stop at the finish of the 1908 race. (was Florida’s car ever rebuilt?- I’ve read in the Helck archives that it’s fate is unknown)

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy with reporter Ada Patterson

Great idea

From Highlights from the amazing Dash Drags New Hyde Park

Mystery Foto#41… The race driver in the Foto is JoeTracy. The race car is a Locomobile 90HP which ran in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race and others.
The passenger was Ada Patterson, one of the SOB sister reporters known for investigative exposés that led to the reform of many public institutions.
The date of the Foto is October 14, 1905.
The likely location was the 1905 Locomobile Headquarters at the Maple Cottage in Lakeville (now Lake Success)

exposé

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy with reporter Ada Patterson

Do we have any details on the Packard photo that leads this story?  I’m guessing Series 2 or 3, dual cowl phaeton very nicely optioned, hood seems long enough for it to have the engine that would become known as the Super 8 (and may have been in this car).  Who, where?

I’m especially curious because 1. it reminds me of the Packard used in The Babe.  2. My Packard 243 Touring (then belonging to my dad) was also borrowed for the filming as a backup car, and the main body color and top were changed to match the car actually used.  The car in the photo, though, has a different color in the fenders.

Either way, both beautiful cars.

From Favorite Website: Walt Gosden's AACA Forum-Period images to relieve some of the stress

Wow! I love old maps.
Is there a way of purchasing this map? A wall size print would be great.
Love ya Howard K. et.al.
John Ulrich

From Greg O's Garage: A 1906 Nassau County Map

Passing of Ada Patterson.  Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 26, 1939.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy with reporter Ada Patterson

Joe Tracy
90 HP Locomobile: raced as #12 in the 1906 American Elimination trial and as #9 in the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup. Modified and raced as the winning #16 Locomobile in the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race.
Female journalist, Ada Patterson, one of the “sob sisters” who covered the “trial of the Century” in which murder charges were brought against Henry Kendall Thaw, accused of murdering Stanford White. 
Prior to the race - approx. Sept 15-21, 2006.
The Maple Cottage, Lakeville - headquarters of the Loco Team.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: Vanderbilt Cup Race driver Joe Tracy with reporter Ada Patterson

The Black Beast is a great piece of racing history.  I had the great pleasure of riding in the Black Beast years ago.  Very enjoyable, thank you Howard for the ride.  And it was on the Motor Pkwy!

From The Alco Black Beast racing on the Jersey Shore and highlights from TROG (The Race of Gentlemen)