Vanderbilt Cup Races

I see Mobil Oil, Valvoline, and Michelin Tires advertised, products that are still sold today. This photo is none of the Vanderbilt Cup Races on Long Island (1904-1910), nor the Sweepstakes and American Elimination Trial races. I’m stumped. The photo doesn’t look like early Long Island terrain, but more like a race track. Probably early Indy 500 based on those early race machines. What excitement it must’ve been to test these early machines towards optimal performance, a practice that continues today with more modern racers.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

Mystery Foto # 30… The driver is Ralph Mulford with mechanician John Horan in the Lozier race car. The race is the Vanderbilt Cup for November 12, 1911 in Savannah, Georgia. Ralph won that race in the Lozier.
There was another race that weekend in which Ralph participated. That was the Grand Prize race.
F.Y.I., Ralph was known as the Gumdrop Kid because of his favorite snack.
Ralph did a lot of racing including the Indy 500, which he drove in ten times.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

#8 51hp Lozier driven by Ralph Mulford. Finished 1st. Completed the race, averaging 73.4 mph in Savannah, Georgia, November 27, 1911

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

Unfortunately these pictures reflect only a small portion of the many accidents that occurred on the Motor Parkway.  As autos became more than just a mode of transportation for the rich, the roads and local governments couldn’t keep up with the safety needs of the users.  While much has improved since then, including the use of technology, all you need to do is travel the highways of LI (and up and down the east coast as I’ve recently been doing) to see that excessive speed and recklessness (among other causes) still are rampant with the same result of way too many accidents.  My soap box for today.  Let’s all slow down a bit.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Al-
Those are my initial thoughts as well.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

A part of Long Island history I’d never heard of before!

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

A truly cringe worthy photo collection!  😊

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Thanks Greg, and for your work with the old photographs! It’s great that these deeply-buried photos of the old Motor Parkway are increasingly becoming available for everyone now to view, after more than a century hidden in the vaults. Much thanks to Bill Cruickshank, descendant of the Meadow Brook lodge, for the family photo collection contributions.

Photo below:
The McCamish family at the Meadow Brook lodge 1936/1937
Left to right:, Wallace, Pernelle, Otto and Doris.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Greg O.  The last photo, the one with the “exit only” sign, could that be a temporary exit off the Parkway used by west bound motorists during the 1936/1937 Vanderbilt Cup Races ?

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Greg O,  Regarding the photo with the caption on the back saying the “car over turns on Motor Parkway in Garden City”. That could be a little confusing today.  Note that there is no concrete extension of the roadway which was laid down west of Merrick Ave. in that area in 1931.  My take ? ....the photo was on taken just east of Merrick Ave.  and we are looking north east with the fairway of the 17th hole of Red Couse abutting the Parkway ROW.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Dear Robert, If you are interested in identification of these cars and if you want to share these photos on this website, it’s always a pleasure to be of help. Of course you’re also welcome to send them directly to my mail address (Howard will know this).

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Thanks for the help with identifying the old autos. G’ma’s albums have a few other such images of cars from about the same time (1910-20), if anyone is interested. All the pix are digitized.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Yes, I’m laughing at your comment, Al. I hope dad was just playing and posing for he camera. I hope he didn’t hit the poor old “T”.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Beautiful painting! Proves that it’s easy to fix a Model T, all you need is a hammer.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Frank- The original photo that Bill Cruickshank sent me has a slightly better resolution and a little easier to see Zinzi’s number 1 on the badge.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Arthur - Great rare details about your family on the parkway, and the police security details thereafter! Your information about the historic parkway is always appreciated.

It appears a single digit on the officer’s badge sitting on the bike. I can’t make out the number in the photo, could it be number 1, Zinzi’s badge? Would love to hear your comments.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Arthur-
The woman in the photo is Pernelle McCamish, wife of Otto McCamish. Her grandson, Bill Cruikshank sent the photo of his grandmother with your grandfather Tom Zinzi, to me from his family collection.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Im not sure of when the police force was dismantled but the officers started rotating shifts as guard duty and security at Eagles Nest around the clock after the Lindburg kidnapping and winters were spent in Florida at Fischers island. I came across letters my grandfather sent my grandmother while he was away. One year the whole family went and my mother and sister went to school in Miami compliments of Mr. Vanderbilt ( he didn’t want my grandfather to miss his family ). Nice boss
Also the photo above of the man and woman is not of my grandparents

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

I agree with Al the woody is a 1936 Ford. Because I have a 5 window coupe

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

In 1924 Tommy the cop was earning about $7.70 per hour today, and about $10.50 per hour in 1928. I believe he was allowed to live in the lodge rent-free with maintenance required including snow removal. With only two days off a month he seldom had any free time

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500