Vanderbilt Cup Races

The September 1900 Newport Race Rhode Island
First Vanderbilt Cup trophy
William Vanderbilt driving a Daimler was winner
There were 13 races, each 5 miles, and Vanderbilt won 3.
He drove a French Daimler Phoenix, 23 horsepower, to speed 100 mph.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Willie K's "Red Devil" at the 1901 Newport Automobile Races

Thank you Howard,
Excellent !

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Willie K's "Red Devil" at the 1901 Newport Automobile Races

This is the Rhode Island Automobile Club 10 mile race held at Aquidneck Park, horse track, Newport, R.I. August 30, 1901.  The car pictured is the custom built 35 hp Mercedes called the ‘Red Devil’ and the driver is William K. Vanderbilt. This car and driver won this race at an average speed of 33.7 or 33.9 mph depending on which article one reads.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Willie K's "Red Devil" at the 1901 Newport Automobile Races

Thanks to Art Kleiner, Paula S., and son Jeff, a view of the parkway in the opposite direction, taken about the same time as the 1951 article, but from the nearby Roosevelt Field bridge.

From Newsday, November 15, 1951: Motor Parkway Pioneered U.S. Auto Travel

Sam - that is neat! That was my next question but you answered it - which car was that rolled down the Motor Parkway with you in it? Wish I had the opportunity to do so too but was born too late. Sounds like it was a wild and unforgettable ride! The link below is the closest I can now get to it.
https://youtu.be/XnUZBGSvKWQ

From Buick Bugle: How are Chrysler and Buick Connected?

The current Deleware plate is dark and narrow with about the same proportion as your Lost Tucker Factory Plates

From Update: Automobilia Magazine Interview: The Search for Two Original Tucker License Plates

Interesting article about Creedmoor and the use of the Motor Parkway.

From Remnants of Long Island Motor Parkway Discovered in Queens

Oh, hey; this reminded me that my father’s (Sam, Jr.‘s) last job, before he became one of of NYC’s leading funeral directors (along with his father, Sam, Sr.), was as a construction supervisor on the Chrysler Building’s foundation.  That may have been for Godwin Construction.  He was a Chrysler owner almost his entire life.  He bought a big Nash (later part of AMC/Chrysler) 8 roadster ca. 1930 after the owner went out a window in the Crash, bought a giant Pierce Arrow roadster as a second car for Mom, who had to take her road test in it on the fierce W. 116th St. hill, drove Dodges to ‘41, tried a ‘49 Chevy as a second car, despised it, then tried a ‘50 2-speed Powerslide, dumped it almost instantly, and stayed with Chryslers ever after.  Dad had a brand new Hemi block split and wrote directly to Walter in his fury, even though I assured him WPC was dead by then.  Oh, I come by that fixation honestly!  It was the new ‘37 or ‘38 Dodge in which he drove me on the LIMP just as soon as he heard it would close down; he did things like that on the spur of the moment and I rode standing up in the back seat hanging on the the braided rug rope for dear life.  I even remember that we drove out on No. Blvd., through old Flushing.  Bet he ran Dead Man’s Curve at full tilt, too!  I love the connections and recollections the blogs drag out of me and the other LIMPers.  Thanks, Howard.  Sam, III

From Buick Bugle: How are Chrysler and Buick Connected?

-Identify the automobile race, its date, location and length.
August 30,1901, half-mile Aquidneck Park horse track near Newport, Rhode Island -5-mile heats and a final 10-Mile Race

-Identify the automobile, its manufacturer, HP and its driver
1901 35-HP Mercedes “Red Devil” owned and driven by Willie K.

-Who was the winner of the race?
From VCR; “The “Red Devil” won the 5-mile heats for “Gasolene Vehicles developing more than 12 Horse Power”. In the final 10-Mile Race, not surprisingly, the “Red Devil” out-powered the winners of the other classes and won the championship, averaging 39.0 miles per hour.”

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Willie K's "Red Devil" at the 1901 Newport Automobile Races

Mystery Friday Foto #30… This photo was taken at the 1901 Newport Automobile Race, held on August 30 at a horse track called Aquidneck Park. The car was a 35hp Mercedes owned by William K Vanderbilt, jr. He called it the “Red Devil”. He was the the driver of the Mercedes and won both races that day… winning the final race at an average speed of 39mph… faster than I would have imagined that long ago.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Willie K's "Red Devil" at the 1901 Newport Automobile Races

Frank Femenias’s LIMP map is marked at every 5 miles. Some ‘stops’ are at 5 mile points:  Wheatley Hills Golf Club, Half Way House Tea Room, Ronkonkoma Lodge.

From Newsday, November 15, 1951: Motor Parkway Pioneered U.S. Auto Travel

I can swear that’s Willie K’s profile behind the wheel. If this photo was taken early in the morning, photographer is facing SW but where? More research is in order.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Willie K's "Red Devil" at the 1901 Newport Automobile Races

JeRita is correct! I constantly see horses within Motor Parkway construction photos along the LIMP; sometimes captured merely standing by, or participating in more arduous tasks that would be too strenuous for humans. The horses definitely played a role here, in the parkway’s completion. 

From Documenting the Location of the 1908 Ground-Breaking Ceremony for the Motor Parkway

The film was made by Graphic Films according to the end credit. This company was founded in 1941 by Les Novros, a former Disney staffer who worked on Snow White and on Fantasia. Graphic Films made several films for the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

I couldn’t help but notice. “Allegro” was also the name of a small car made in England by British Leyland in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. Today it is considered one of the worst cars ever made.

From Ford Styling Film:Two Automobiles That May Have Influenced the Design of the 1963 Mustang III

The video is filled with Alex Tremulis’ legacy at Ford. The Gyron and the Volanté flying car both came from Tremulis’ Advanced Styling Studio. He contributed to the styling for both the Allegro and the Mustang. The Cougar II was styled in large part by McKinley Thompson, one of Tremulis’ hires into Ford and the first African-American designer to work in the industry. Tremulis’ 3/8 scale X-1000 makes a cameo appearance as well as his headrests on the DePaolo model. Renderings by Dom Orlando, another one of Tremulis’ protégés also appear in the film. Even though Tremulis had moved on from Ford over a year earlier, his influence on the future of Ford styling was evident in the decades that followed. When this film was made, Tremulis and Vince Gardner, Mustang III designer, were crafting the streamlined body for the Gyronaut X-1, the future World’s Fastest Motorcycle.

From Ford Styling Film:Two Automobiles That May Have Influenced the Design of the 1963 Mustang III

While at Lime Rock Park to see in person the last factory effort of the Ford GT I would be able to see I noted a car in the parking lot.  Seeing only half of it I thought a “Shelbyized” Mustang of some sort?  Then I saw the rear and thought, that looks like Howard’s 63 1/2 two seat Mustang.  Of course, then it was Bond…...and a license to kill on the race track property.  But the styling cues were interesting, kinda kicking myself for not taking a pic of the real.

From Ford Styling Film:Two Automobiles That May Have Influenced the Design of the 1963 Mustang III

- carved out just like the same bypass around the barrier in the photo

From Newsday, November 15, 1951: Motor Parkway Pioneered U.S. Auto Travel

Dave - I believe with Brian the old photo most likely taken from on top of today’s Merchant Concourse bridge looking east, over the MSP, with the former Mitchell Gardens on the right side (south), home today to some industrial plant with a smoke stack.
I’ve noticed on some old aerials the possible, so-called dirt turn arounds, “shoulders” that occasionally appear. I’m not confident about every five miles or if they were designed by engineers. I believe they were carved out by motorist over time, likely scenic/favorite private spots to visit/rest along the roadside

From Newsday, November 15, 1951: Motor Parkway Pioneered U.S. Auto Travel

Austin had two of these trophies in his basement at his home in Glen Cove. Neither on display, just a place to put/keep them . He never mentioned where he got them to me, the other one did have a name and date engraved on it, last name of the person on the other one that was engraved was Rouse, date was 1909. It most likely mentioned the race but I do not recall that as it was over 40 years ago. That trophy went to a friend in Utica , NY with the same last name , but we don’t know if they were related. Eventually it wound up in Ct. someplace with a relative of my friend in Utica after he passed away.  It is silver plate not nickel plate.
THANK YOU to all who commented and to Howard for posting this. It is one of my favorite items just from the standpoint of being a great sculpture, the proportions etc. Another item in my collection that this trophy sits under is a non automotive item but interesting none the less - a framed towel out of the Graff Zeppelin with an image of the Zeppelin in the center. Came from a fellow who flew on the Zeppelin numerous times and just liked the towel so took it home after a trip! Walt

From Mystery Foto #29 Partially Solved: A Homan Motor Vehicle Trophy Owned by Henry Austin Clark, Jr.

Fascinating facts Al, thank you!

From Documenting the Location of the 1908 Ground-Breaking Ceremony for the Motor Parkway