About
The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
All Content © 2026 VanderbiltCupRaces.com
Co-Founder and Writer: Howard Kroplick
Co-Founder: Dana Kroplick
Website by Eric Miller Design
Site maintained by Hop Studios
Recent Comments
Vanderbilt Day IV will be happening in the next week or two, exact date TBD but the mission is to start just west of Lakeville Road, behind the hospital, and then proceed through all of Nassau in detail and finish again at the Maxess Road bridge.
Does anyone have any ideas as to possible unknown exploration locations? Are there any thoughts? Howard shared a great idea last year, the Mineola/Albertson location just south of Sigsbee Ave and that turned out to be a great find with lots of LIMP pavement remaining.
Anyone????
From Updated: Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Hike” VI: Broad Hollow Road
This is a great, very easily accessible location that it seems like not many people know about. It’s quite confusing actually as the LIPA lines and path run south of RTE 110 and it appears as though that is the LIMP ROW but it’s not. I’m sure this confuses many people….I know Sam III was thrown off by this as his site seems to show that LIPA path as the ROW but it’s NOT. Wayne’s map is 100% correct with this location - initially it was confusing but it’s definitely right as the pavement and posts are all visible. Go and explore!
So Brian you think that post and gate are LILCO/LIPA related? Why would they cut off access to their own path?
From Updated: Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Hike” VI: Broad Hollow Road
Hi Dave/Sam. Always liked this area, especially behind the substation and then due east towards Maxess Rd. The roadway is decent looking for being almost a century old.The pipe gate looks similar to the type that LIPA or PSEG use for truck access into their ROWS, etc. But this one doesn’t look to be useful anymore lol. What is it about concrete posts? It’s always neat coming upon them.
From Updated: Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Hike” VI: Broad Hollow Road
Maureen, after you’ve rested up, take a look at my Atlantic Avenue tunnel material at <http://sbiii.com/bhra.html#AtlAvTun>. Boerum Hill in Brooklyn is very well known to all serious LI Rail Road buffs. Just in case you haven’t seen it already, take a look at <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boerum_Hill> as well. Thanks fro sharing. Sam, III
From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville
I still want to know (or remember) how Ridgefield got into this act. Also - “young French women” at Morris Park? Further, Brighton Beach is some 12 miles SW of Morris Park. Huh? Sam, III
From From the Simeone Museum: Celebrating the Renault Roadsters
What’s with the red rims? I thought you’d established that they were green. Sam, III
_________________________________________________________
Howard I
Sam III, the original green color was painted on the inside of the wheel. The rim of the wheel was red.
From Updated Tucker Topics: Have Tucker 1044 Will Travel
I am so pleased to see all the comments regarding the find of the Huntington Lodge. Much appreciation that so many of you enjoyed the pictures. I especially enjoyed seeing the aerial maps and the confirmation of the location of the lodge. Since my trip down memory lane and the motor parkway, I have begun to work on more of my Long Island family being early settlers to New Amsterdam by the name of Boerum. I remember family stories about the Duryea car people and upon my recent hunt Boerums did marry into the Duryea families. This circle is growing tighter and tighter.
Today I received a nice letter on old LLMP paper from a Ronald Ridolph expressing his delight about the Huntington Lodge. Called him tonight.
Someone in the comments mentioned if I knew anyone living near the Huntington Lodge and the only two kids I played with were a Teddy Barley and a Patty Krewatt. Both lived in the five or 6 small houses on 110 south of my location nearer to a road to the left off 110 to Pinelawn Cemetery.
Well, I have to rest. All this excitement!!
From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville
Some of the answers….
1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race by the Levittown grandstand and pits.
1903 #5 Mercedes (Germany), 90hp, this Mercedes was likely the one that broke the one-mile land speed record on the beach in 1904, owned by Willie K., finished 4th during last lap when the race was called. Driver was William Luttgen, Mechanician was Pfeiffer.
I see Willie K wearing the boots, watching the refuel.
This was the race where George Robertson, #16 Locomobile, 90hp, finished 1st with an average speed of 64.3mph, first American car to win the Vanderbilt Cup Race.
Robertson and Lytle, #6 Isotta, Italy, 60hp, 2nd place, were neck to neck for 90 miles. On the last lap, Robertson blew a tire and replaced it within two minutes. He managed to win the race in the remaining 18mi.
An unprecedented 250,000 spectators arrived for this race.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: William Lutgen's Mercedes at a Pit Stop During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
It looks like Santa Monica RR, A Stutz driven by Charles Merz 1912.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: William Lutgen's Mercedes at a Pit Stop During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
This photo was taken during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race on October 24, 1908 and shows Willie K’s Mercedes being refueled. The driver was William Luttgen and the mechanician named Pfeiffer (although I’ve also seen him referred to as Marx). The car’s reported claim to fame was that it was the same car that Willie K. drove while breaking the one mile land speed record at Ormond Beach in 1904. Additionally. it’s the same car that’s embossed on the actual Vanderbilt Cup. Referee Willie K. is standing behind the car. Next to him could be Fred Wagner, the starter. Close to the right front wheel could be race chairman Jefferson DeMont Thompson. For this race, the only two people allowed to service the car were the driver and mechanician. The generally accepted first use of pits to service race cars was on May 18, 1908 at Targa Florio, Circuito Grande Modonie, Sicily.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: William Lutgen's Mercedes at a Pit Stop During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
1908 vanderbilt cup. Driver William Luttgen; mechanician Marx
They were the only two allowed to service the car.
Official looking on: William K Vanderbilt
This race marked the first use of pits in the USA, and it took place at
the Hempstead Plains grandstand.
The car, a Mercedes, was owned by William K. Vanderbilt Jr.
This car broke the one mile land speed record in 1904.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: William Lutgen's Mercedes at a Pit Stop During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Howard,
That was a terrific and well deserved article on your beautiful Mustang III.
Nice going.
Rog
From Hemmings Cover Article: Mustang III The Concept Car That Helped Ignite the Pony-Car Revolution
Looks like Tracy & Poole are refusing during the elimination race for the 1905 VCR. while their pit-crew just watch. Was that a requirement? If so, maybe that’s part of the reason that Locomobile appears to have used a larger tank the following year.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: William Lutgen's Mercedes at a Pit Stop During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
strange that the back side view looks similar to the 240Z datson that debuted in 1971-2.
From Hemmings Cover Article: Mustang III The Concept Car That Helped Ignite the Pony-Car Revolution
1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
No. 5 Mercedes
Driver - William Luttgen
Mechanician - I believe it was Pfeiffer, but the same picture on this site says that it was Marx. Unless I have it backwards, Pfeiffer was the mechanician on the #5 Mercedes in 1908, and Marx was the mechanician on the #7 Mercedes in 1906. Neither man is listed in the “Drivers” section of this website.
William K. Vanderbilt Jr. was the owner of the No. 5 Mercedes, “reportedly same Mercedes that broke the one-mile land speed record in 1904”.
William K. Vanderbilt Jr. was a referee, Col. Lowry (not sure of this position), announcer Pr__ty (cannot make out the spelling in my photo), and the starter Wagner.
Only the driver and the mechanician were allowed to service the car in the 1908 race.
There is lively debate on the use of the term “pits”. And of course Howard’s website has the most authoritative discussion on it that I have seen. If you read the excellent post on this blog dated Aug 11, 2010, you will see that the Targa Florio race on May 18, 1908 might have actually been the first.
Robert Luttgen
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: William Lutgen's Mercedes at a Pit Stop During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
James Melton pulled one of the Renaults out of Ridgefield, Ct. in 1943, I’ve always wondered what family had it at the time. I found two photos of the car in town in the 1920’s. Bob
From From the Simeone Museum: Celebrating the Renault Roadsters
-Identify the race, the race car, driver and mechanician.
1908 Cup Race- #5 Mercedes driven by William Luttgen. Mechanician: Pfeiffer Finished 4th.
-Who was the owner of this race car? What was the race car’s claim to fame?
Owned by William K.Vanderbilt, Jr.-Reportedly same Mercedes that broke the one-mile land speed record in 1904
-Identify at least three race officials seen in the Mystery Foto.
Willie K. possibly standing next to Frank Webb. Jefferson De Mont Thompson looking over the car maybe?
Who were the only people able to service the race car in this race?
The pit men in the pits.
In which international race were “pits” first used to service race cars?
If I recall correctly, the 1908 Cup race was the first use of pits.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: William Lutgen's Mercedes at a Pit Stop During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Mystery Foto #12…The photo shows the 90 hp Mercedes as driven by William Luttgen with Pfeiffer as mechanician in the 1908 Vanderbilt cup race. William K. Vanderbilt, Jr was the owner of this car. This Mercedes reportedly broke the one-mile Land Speed Record in 1904. William K Vanderbilt, A.R. Pardington and Jefferson DeMont Thompson were among the race officials appearing in this photo. At the pit stops in this race only driver and mechanician were allowed to work on the car… AND the “Pits” were first used to service the race cars at this very event, The 1908 Vanderbilt cup.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: William Lutgen's Mercedes at a Pit Stop During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
great find!!
Our long-ago friend, Bill VanAken of Canandaigua, NY signed up to be a Tucker dealer. his shop was Coach Street Garage here in Canandaigua.
He had a Tucker radio that was given to all who signed up, and I took it to my flea market space in Hershey for many years in the ‘70s. Lots of interest, but no takers.
From Updated VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: A Rare 1947 Tucker Franchise Plan Sales Tool
Identify the race, the race car, driver and mechanician.
1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Mercedes, William Luttgen, and mechanician Pfeiffer
Who was the owner of this race car? What was the race car’s claim to fame?
Willie K. owned this Mercedes which was said to have broken the one-mile land speed record in 1904.
Identify at least three race officials seen in the Mystery Foto.
How about Willie K., Jefferson De Mont and Fred Wagner.
Who were the only people able to service the race car in this race?
Only the driver and mechanician.
In which international race were “pits” first used to service race cars?
1908 GPd l’ARf. Some races also mentioned in previous posts where pits were first used in Europe were the 1907 Dieppe and the 1908 Targa Florio in Sicily.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: William Lutgen's Mercedes at a Pit Stop During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Page 561 of 1021 pages ‹ First < 559 560 561 562 563 > Last ›