Vanderbilt Cup Races

Brian, wonderful link. Thanks! Howard

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: 1906 90 HP Locomobile with designer A.L. Riker, driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole on Riverside Drive, Manhattan

Informative website about A.L. Riker

http://www.kcstudio.com/riker.html

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: 1906 90 HP Locomobile with designer A.L. Riker, driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole on Riverside Drive, Manhattan

I believe the first picture posted by Greg O above, is a picture of the 1905 car Harold Thomas of Chicago, Illinois commissioned Locomobile to build. It is what prompted Riker to build the two 1906 cars. It had a 7x7 T head motor while the two 1906 cars had a F head motor. That may be Harold Thomas at the crank. There is a lot of confusion over the three cars.

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: 1906 90 HP Locomobile with designer A.L. Riker, driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole on Riverside Drive, Manhattan

Mystery Foto #21…The race car is 1905 Locomobile and it competed in 1905 Vanderbilt Cup, the 1905 Gordon Bennett race and 1906 American Elimination Trial (winner). The driver is Joe Tracy and the passenger could be Al Poole. A.L. Riker may be there too. Brand new car…so the location could be the Locomobile factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: 1906 90 HP Locomobile with designer A.L. Riker, driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole on Riverside Drive, Manhattan

Bravo guys????????????????????????

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

I believe this is the sister car to old 16. In 1906, Locomobile made two almost identical race cars,  numbered #1 and #16 for the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race. The number 1 car was painted white while the number 16 was painted grey. This picture was evidently taken in 1906. The driver may be Joe Florida. Most people know old 16 still exists and is in the hands of The Henry Ford Museum but the #1 car, the one pictured above, has been restored and is in a private collection. Both cars passed from racing history to Andrew Riker, chief engineer at Locomobile.  Peter Helck owned both cars.

This car is easily distinguishable from its sister car by the wheels and color, though black and white photos are tricky when it comes to color. Old 16 sports a much heavier wheel construction.

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: 1906 90 HP Locomobile with designer A.L. Riker, driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole on Riverside Drive, Manhattan

I saw you pass by on nothern Blvd. I thought you were headed for Macy’s until I read this blog 20 hours after the show! The randevue was at Daiseys place.

From Chrysler's Chrysler returning home to Kings Point today

The location looks like Manhattan somewhere, maybe Hell’s Kitchen. More research needed.

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: 1906 90 HP Locomobile with designer A.L. Riker, driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole on Riverside Drive, Manhattan

NICE WORK GUYS

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

The driver looks a little like Victor Hemery and maybe there’re on 5th. Avenue, NYC near Vanderbilt’s house but that’s all I’ve got. Didn’t have much time this weekend. Looking forward to the answers.

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: 1906 90 HP Locomobile with designer A.L. Riker, driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole on Riverside Drive, Manhattan

Thanks Lee!

From Greg O's Garage: Removable rims and their impact on early motoring and racing

Beautiful!

From Stahls Automotive Museum acquires a 1963 Chrysler Turbine car

Greg, the michelin photos above are from the French National library, Gallica.  Google it if you are not familiar.  Wonderful hi-res photos are available online for free.

From Greg O's Garage: Removable rims and their impact on early motoring and racing

Greg, the modern recreation wheel that I posted above is Christie’s final racing car of 1909.  It’s a current photo from the complete car recreation which is underway as we speak.  Christie’s wheel patent shows the bracket details. I think the problem with Christie’s wheel is that the spokes are a casting, so the 12 spokes are unlikely to come from the foundry exactly equally spaced about 360 degrees.  That requires machining each casting perfectly so all the rims and wheels are interchangeable. My email is leestohr at teleport.com if you wish to discuss further.  Your in depth research on this subject is excellent and fascinating to me, at least.

From Greg O's Garage: Removable rims and their impact on early motoring and racing

The Road behind the houses, parallel to Motor Pkwy is a paper street.  It used to be more identifiable (when I moved in 38 years ago).  Its the extension of Cherokee Street.

From The Motor Parkway Toll Collection Structures:#19 and #20 The Ronkonkoma Toll Gate & Ronkonkoma Lodge

And the bodies of water haven’t changed much till today, Art.

From The fate of Willie K's Deepdale mansion in Lake Success

The last Tracy photo is a different Locomobile as the radiator is not rounded at the top and more squared off like Old 16.

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: 1906 90 HP Locomobile with designer A.L. Riker, driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole on Riverside Drive, Manhattan

Couldn’t come up with anything with this photo in researching, so I’ll have to go with a guess with what’s in my empty noggin….

Looks to be the Locomobile Joe Tracy raced in the 1906 Elimination trials and Cup Race. The only 2 people I am sure about are A. (Andrew) L. (Lawrence) Riker vice-president of Locomobile, and Joe Tracy in the driver’s seat. Standing next to the Loco in googles, I’ll assume it to be Al Poole. The gentleman in the mechanician seat and the other towards the front of he vehicle I do not know. This is in 1906, and judging by other photos, this could be Riverside Drive in NYC.

While going through the Peter Helck archives, I found some other photos with connections to the mystery photo. Unsure if these are unpublished or not, but are originally from the Austin Clark collection.
The first, is another photo of Joe Tracy and A.L. Riker in the Loco, with an unidentified person in front of the vehicle. The second, Joe Tracy in the mystery photo Loco (or sister car) stripped of all the extras and ready to race. And third, Joe Tracy and Al Poole in the Loco also on Riverside Drive in NYC.

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: 1906 90 HP Locomobile with designer A.L. Riker, driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole on Riverside Drive, Manhattan

Hello, Please, does anyone know the color of the Renault that Raffalovich was driving at Brighton Beach 1909 24 hr race. Blue or red.

Thanks!

From Updated: Article "The Vanderbilt Renaults" by Marvin McFalls

The house is still standing as a private residence with 2021 taxes at $51,000. 
Here’s an article about three small lakes that were created at the direction of Willie K. From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 27, 1905.

From The fate of Willie K's Deepdale mansion in Lake Success