Vanderbilt Cup Races

Remind me again about your lust for this car please!

From Update: The 1962 Holman Moody Challenger III has landed!

Agreed that photos H & L are the 1912 Packard model 18 Landaulet. This car had a previous life as a taxi cab and when Austin purchased it, before he repainted it , it was still marked/lettered as such. There probably are photos of it in that guise in the Henry Ford museum collection that has Austin’s library that he donated to them . He had a file folder on each car he ever owned. I “drove” that Packard one evening - well was behind the wheel steering anyway when Austin and I towed it from his museum west to the golf course about a mile away on the same north side of the road for an event to raise funds for ARF - the Animal Relief Fund that was a favorite charity of Charles and Tee Addams ( he the well known cartoonist) who were chair people of the event. ( Charles had a great collection of pre WWII era European sports cars) Austin towed it ( with a rope)  with his wife Waleta’s newish Toyota sedan and we stayed mainly in the shoulder of the road . We tried to get it to run just before we went to the fund raiser but it would not start. Behind us was the gal I worked with and also was an old car person. She was driving my 1941 Packard station wagon as a “sweep car”, since the 1912 Packard had no lights that worked and the 41 Packard had two tail lights that were about 4 inches in diameter and did. We also towed it back to the museum after the event was over at about 1 am the next morning- that was “fun ”  too. SO many stories about the ‘adventures ’  I shared with Austin. I believe that Packard model 18 landaulet is now in a collection in southern N.J.

From The 1954 Carnival of Cars parade down Fifth Avenue

This amazing photo most likely taken in the flat Hempstead Plains (Levittown today); photo is definitely looking East (Check out the shadow by the front wheel casting towards the north). Troublesome photo. Don’t know exact location in Levittown but that small guardrail structure on the right side of Motor Pkwy (on its southside) could be a culvert crossing mini-bridge? The vehicle with license plates places it at 1910 or after, when license plates were first distributed. The vehicle is approaching a curve heading towards the south. This could be the location of the Motor Pkwy just west of the future Levittown Grand Stand in Levittown (1908 - 1910), and curving south -  to then parallel with today’s Carnation Rd. The driver could be Louis Chevrolet behind the wheel. Great historic photo of early Long Island joined with early Motor Pkwy in post 1910 Levittown, Long Island. Looking forward to this week’s answers. I think I’m correct with my assumptions. Amazing open fields of early Long Island back then, just 110 +- years ago!

From Mystery Friday Foto #23: A.L. Riker road testing the Motor Parkway in a 1908 Locomobile 40

Thanks guys!  Glad you liked it.

From Kleiner's Korner: A U.S. Army Signal Corps (Mineola) Scrapbook

*Location & Orientation:  Hempstead Plains & viewing west on the LIMP. Very near the Grandstand area.

*Driver & Automobile:  Looks like Louis Chevrolet at the wheel. Guess the car is a type of Buick since Louis drove cars for that corporation prior to his establishment of Chevrolet.

*License Plate: pretty sure it’s considered a manufacturers type plate, rather than the plate being issued by NY at the time.

*Date: 1908, before October and any type races. No barriers or fencing is seen in this location yet.

From Mystery Friday Foto #23: A.L. Riker road testing the Motor Parkway in a 1908 Locomobile 40

Just for fun:

A.L. Riker Jr, an accomplished individual himself, loved keeping his father’s legacy alive. Here’s his personal Christmas card to Peter Helck showing him and his wife Eleanor in their unrestored, green 1917 Locomobile Gunboat in 1969.

From Mystery Friday Foto #23: A.L. Riker road testing the Motor Parkway in a 1908 Locomobile 40

Howard!! What a car, only if I could see it live and up close, it’s the best of the best, but they all are and another 1of1 too. Next is to get that garage and proudly display and show them off, don’t you think so? As you can see I’m trying to keep up with you,I try to read the mysteries, but don’t have the time to answer. I made the time for this. It was a big event for you and I had to share it with you.  Take care and be safe, Ted
____________________________________________
Thanks Ted! Great to hear from you! Howard

From Updated: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The one-of-a-kind 1962 Holman Moody Challenger III is headed to the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

I think I have identified the location. This is the ‘snake turn’ near Bloomingdale Rd looking southeast.  The photo below appears to be a match.
https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/garden_city_archives_the_snake_turn_of_the_1908_1910_courses_of_the_vanderb

From Mystery Friday Foto #23: A.L. Riker road testing the Motor Parkway in a 1908 Locomobile 40

-The location of the Mystery Foto and orientation of the photographer

Oh boy, A bit of a challenge here. Looking in the distance from the direction from which they came, they made a sharp right hand curve. It appears they are about to go into a left hand curve. In the plains area of the Parkway traveling East, there is no right turn, straightaway, and then left turn without seeing a bridge somewhere, (bridge to the photographer’s back?) so this is a bit confusing. Traveling West, and flipping the turns around also does not make sense either. The smaller roads on the left side also are a bit of a mystery as well. If not for the left they are about to go into, I would have said somewhere in the grandstands area looking West, (which it still may well be) but this photo is deceptively tricky as there is no place the Parkway has that combination of turns. Another busy weekend, but I’ll keep searching. The resolution isn’t the greatest, so the tree line (or possible Ladenburg windmill) in the distance isn’t helping much….

-The manufacturer, model and year of the automobile

1908 Locomobile 40

-The driver

Looks like A.L. Riker once again, and possibly wearing the same suit and tie he wore for the mystery photo 2 weeks ago!

-Significance of the license plate

I believe that to be a Connecticut Locomobile manufacturer plate. I happened to spot a modern photo of a Loco sporting a manufacturer plate as well…

-Approximate date of the Mystery Foto. Provide a rationale.

LIMP looks to be just about finished, construction hut still standing, so maybe Sept/Oct 1908

From Mystery Friday Foto #23: A.L. Riker road testing the Motor Parkway in a 1908 Locomobile 40

What a great post.  Thank you Art.

From Kleiner's Korner: A U.S. Army Signal Corps (Mineola) Scrapbook

Nice find, Art. The Old Country Rd Hwy Bridge was also captured in the scrapbook photo, top and center.

From Kleiner's Korner: A U.S. Army Signal Corps (Mineola) Scrapbook

Unfortunately, the Carnival of Cars was short lived, barely lasting 7 months, as it closed down on March 1, 1955.  Photos D & J are of Robert W. Dowling’s 1909 Nott steamer with a 1919 American LaFrance tractor, originally from St. Paul, Minn., and now owned by the East Hampton F.D.; Photos H & L are a 1912 Packard Landaulet; and I believe Photo K is a 1910 White Opera Coupe.  All were shown in Clark’s “Antique Cars” booklet.

From The 1954 Carnival of Cars parade down Fifth Avenue

Thanks for the photoshopped photo, it brings the idea to life!

From Update: Restoration of a section of the Motor Parkway in Garden City

Congratulations nice car

From Updated: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The one-of-a-kind 1962 Holman Moody Challenger III is headed to the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Al - Great details of old Long Island versus what’s available online today. These are hard or impossible facts to find today. Thank you much

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: Seven parked automobiles at Krug's Corner Hotel in Mineola circa 1911-1912

Frank, The name of the rodizio place is Churrasqueira Bairrada Restaurant. Ask for Manny Carvalhos, tell him Al Velocci sent you.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: Seven parked automobiles at Krug's Corner Hotel in Mineola circa 1911-1912

Frank, It wasn’t always Krug’s Corner. In 1888 Frank P. Krug opened this location as the East Williston Hotel. Catered to and very popular with bicycle enthusiasts. He changed the name to Krug’s Corner in 1905 when Mineola Village incorporated.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: Seven parked automobiles at Krug's Corner Hotel in Mineola circa 1911-1912

Steve is correct, pre-1910, NY State first issued license plates in 1910, front and rear of the auto.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: Seven parked automobiles at Krug's Corner Hotel in Mineola circa 1911-1912

Hard to believe the 110 year photo comparison to present day. Admiring the old Long Island country scene with its dusty and rutty roadways. I’d
bet this particular corner was louder than most, and sometimes even rowdy. This area was renamed from Queens to Nassau County just 12 years earlier in 1899. It is impossible to park in such a manner on Jericho Tpke today, the flashing tow trucks will soon be arriving.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: Seven parked automobiles at Krug's Corner Hotel in Mineola circa 1911-1912

I seriously doubt the car on the left being a Simplex, the reasons for my doubt following hereafter. I don’t know if by Simplex is meant the Smith & Mabley Simplex, or the American Simplex, which in 1910 changed its name to Amplex.
Neither of these makes however fit with the appearance of the car on the left:
The Smith & Mabley Simplex had a radiator shell with rounded lower corners, a segmented radiator core, a conspicuous, large triangular radiator emblem, strongly curved dumb irons and a deeper curve in the front axle. The front fenders were horizontal at the front, sloping after a sharp bend towards the running board.
The American Simplex had a radiator shell with flattened lower corners indeed, but had again a segmented radiator core, a rounded badge (if present), dumb irons clearly curved at the font, a front axle with a deep, long curve, and front fenders curving over the wheel and ending in a small horizontal tip.
The photo is unfortunately rather blurry, causing the uncertainty. Is the badge oval, or maybe a flattened rhombus, like the emblem on the Jackson from about 1911? Often a Jackson script was present on the radiator core, but not always. According to my observation the 1911 Jackson model 35 is the best candidate so far with most details matching, but the blurriness of the details make a definite conclusion for me impossible. It would help if a better, sharper scan would be available.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: Seven parked automobiles at Krug's Corner Hotel in Mineola circa 1911-1912