Vanderbilt Cup Races

Rather humorous that while reciting incorrect information and improperly saying the Motor Parkway’s name, they also question the accuracy of Vanderbiltcupraces.com at the end….But at least it was a nice shout out to the site, so people can come here and learn the accurate, factual history of the Long Island Motor Parkway.

From Virtual Walking Tour This Saturday: The Long Island Motor Parkway in Queens

I’m having trouble deciding if the man at the wheel is Joe Tracy or Louis Wagner. I’ll answer the questions and see what happens.

*ID driver, racer, location: As far as I know, Joe Tracy never raced in a FIAT. Louis Wagner drove FIATS. So this is Louis Wagner in a FIAT, believe the location is Savannah, GA. Louis won the American Grand Prize Race - 11/26/1908. His car was #14 FIAT. This #41 FIAT is a mystery to me.There was a #41 Chalmers Detroit, 1909 Massapequa Sweepstakes and a #41 FAL CAR, 1910 Wheatley Sweepstakes. Neither Auto matches the mystery.

*Link driver to the VCR’s: Joe Tracy participated in 5 races affiliated with the Vanderbilt Cup years 1904 thru 1906. He placed 3rd in the 1905 VCR & placed 1st in the 1906 American Elimination Race. His mechanician was always Al Poole. The passenger in the mystery isn’t Al Poole.

Louis Wagner placed 1st in the 1906 VCR. The passenger in the mystery could be Louis Vivet, mechanician for Louis Wagner.

*Other/Outside activities & accomplishments: Joe Tracy - 1902 patent for Automatic Igniter for Automobile Engines, 1910 - invented Reaction Dynanometers for testing engines, 1926 - invented a Fluid Dynanometer. Louis Wagner - entered the aviation industry ( Aeroplanes Hanriot et Cie ). He became a pilot.

*Long Island link:  Joe Tracy worked for the Southampton Automotive Museum ( Austin Clark ). Joe is RIP in the Brentwood Cemetery. Louis Wagners link to Long Island is the races as far as I know.

*Broadway Link: Joe Tracy, Louis Wagner & Louis Vivet are all linked to the 1906 musical - The Vanderbilt Cup.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Louis Wagner Driving a S74 FIAT at the 1911 American Grand Prize in Savannah

I never looked that close. In1966 all I wanted ro do was head for the door. I do remember the beautiful floors in the lobby.

From Mystery Foto #33 Solved: The World's Largest Map of Long Island Located at Mepham High School

That’s Louis Wagner driving a Fiat S74 during the 1911 American Grand Prix (11/30/1911) in Savannah , GA. He participated in the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races. Among his many racing accomplishments were winning the 1906 V. C. Race and the first American Grand Prize in 1908 and the first British Grand Prix in 1926 (along with partner Senechal).  He was also an early aviation pioneer flying a Hanriot bi-plane. Awarded an Aviator’s Certificate in 1910 by the Aero-Club De France in 1910, he was one of the “Flying Men At Bournemouth” in 1910. The only Long Island link I could find was that he stayed at the Hotel Glenwood in Glenwood Landing as a member of the Darracq team. The Broadway link could be that he and several other Vanderbilt Cup Racers had box seats for the 1906 stage show “The Vanderbilt Cup” starring Elsie Janis.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Louis Wagner Driving a S74 FIAT at the 1911 American Grand Prize in Savannah

Need info on Cuba shows - timing,where and year Thanks in advance
Walt

From Mystery Foto #9 Solved: A Bleriot Monoplane Racing a Vanderbilt Cup Racer in 1910/1911

Awesome shot Sam! Immense clean up/paint job realizing her size. That must be Merrick Av on the left edge. 

Below, locomotive 35 being trucked from the LIRR to Salisbury (Eisenhower) Park in May 1956, exact location not specified. Photo by Robert W. Gillespie

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1966 Aerial of "Salisbury Park" in East Meadow and the Motor Parkway ROW

HOWARD:  THANKS FOR YOUR TNH SERVICE.  THE OLD COURTHOUSE BRIDGE MARKER IS GREAT FOR NEW HYDE PARK.  ARTIE.

From Newsday: Ready for HIS STORY

Any monster THAT big just HAS to be a FIAT!  ‘Ceptin’ it doesn’t appear on the FIAT racer blog page.  Hmm?  Seems to be a 1908 FIAT SB4.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Louis Wagner Driving a S74 FIAT at the 1911 American Grand Prize in Savannah

Nuts!  Keep forgetting to point out that the Salisbury Plains RR station is crystal clear at upper right in the lower of the two aerials just above.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1966 Aerial of "Salisbury Park" in East Meadow and the Motor Parkway ROW

OMG; look what just turned up coincidentally; me helping clean-up/paint #35 (in chinos and a white polo, no less) at Salisbury in 1969 (NOT 1960 / picture from page 11, The Pennsylvania News, Summer 2010).  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1966 Aerial of "Salisbury Park" in East Meadow and the Motor Parkway ROW

Whadda monster!  Those mfg. pix are just fabulous!  Front axle machined from a forged billet - no wonder Riker was unpopular with the powers that be (were)!  Thanks (again - as always), Art!  Sam, III

From Kleiner's Korner: From the Helck Family Collection- In Search of the 1905 Locomobile Racer

I’ll stay out of this except to question the marked aerial at the top.  The horizontal (W-E) row of heavy shrubs just north of the Plainview maintenance building driveway-cum-parking-area marks a tall berm that was still there last I looked.  The lodge driveway would not have run up on the berm.  I can’t find my oldest pic of the berm but here’s one ca. 2002 looking NNW (pre-parking-area).  [See also 17
Sep 2014 Bridge Series #50.]  Sam, III

From Documenting the Location of the Bethpage Lodge

Foxhall Keene
Horse racing, polo player, football, shooting, golf, boxer
Best all around polo player in the US for 8 straight years
Entered in 1901 the Paris to Berlin race
Won gold medal for polo at the 1900 summer Olympics
Semifinalist in the 1883 US Tennis and quarterfinalist at the 1885 Tennis tournaments.
Drove in the 1905, 1908 VCRs, 1903 Gordon Bennett Race
Delmonicos in NYC named a dish after him - Chicken a la Keene
Cheered at by “Broadway Loafers”
Built a Long Island mansion named Rosemary Farm in Old Westbury

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Louis Wagner Driving a S74 FIAT at the 1911 American Grand Prize in Savannah

Brooklyn Life (Brooklyn, New York) · Sat, Feb 24, 1912 · Page 44
Owned a Stearns and 2 Simplex

From Six degrees of Separation: A Mystery Car, Motor Parkway, the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race & the Titanic

Two thoughts.  I don’t see a body of water to the left on the puzzle; I see a roadway.  As to the Meadow Brook itself and related watercourses, there were many in the area and they show on many old maps and aerials, not one of which comes readily to hand when I need them (sorry ‘bout that).  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1966 Aerial of "Salisbury Park" in East Meadow and the Motor Parkway ROW

If the noble Umberto has to guess, what hope is there for us ordinary mortals?  Art, thou font of ancient info., HELP (please)!  ACNY traffic bulletins or some such?  Sam, III

From The Mystery of the North Hills Country Club "Vanderbilt Pkwy" Road Sign

Frank, yes I see the culvert to the East of the trestle now that you mention it. 

I’ve never been clear on what exactly was located just to the North of the tracks.  A junkyard or some kind of debri field?  Looks like leftover concrete molds or wooden frames for something?  Or the ruins from a massive structure fire of some kind?

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1966 Aerial of "Salisbury Park" in East Meadow and the Motor Parkway ROW

Lee - You are correct! I forgot all about poor Sonny Corleone. But in your second photo, I notice a circular culvert under the tracks on the east side of the bridge. Definitely water issues in this area.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1966 Aerial of "Salisbury Park" in East Meadow and the Motor Parkway ROW

Great finds Art!
On a side note; Maybe we’ll eventually discover 1905 Locomobile parts fitted to a 1955 BelAir driving around Southern Havana as a taxi ...one day…

From Kleiner's Korner: From the Helck Family Collection- In Search of the 1905 Locomobile Racer

Frank, thanks for that superb map.  Really helps is identifying historic structures with what’s there now. 

As a child riding bikes along Perimeter Road, I recall a portion of the creek North of the Pond, though not very wide at all and literally just a few yards from the Parkway.  I’m thinking perhaps a culvert was all that was needed underneath Meadow Brook Club Road to pass over the narrow part of the Creek and gain access to Mitchel Field and environs. 

Interesting that the Meadow Brook Club Road extended as far as the taxiway for Runway 23, putting it within feet of the Godfather tollbooth scene, not far from the NCC baseball diamond left over from the Polo Grounds and virtually bisecting the location where the NCPD facility is currently under construction.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1966 Aerial of "Salisbury Park" in East Meadow and the Motor Parkway ROW