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.
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Co-Founder and Writer: Howard Kroplick
Co-Founder: Dana Kroplick
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Recent Comments
The red Fiat S61shown on the envelope is the one that Wagner crashed in 1910 at the U.S. Grand Prix in Savannah. This fiat team of 3 cars was not allowed to race in the Vanderbilt Cup event because the displacement limit was 600 c.i. The Fiats were 616 c.i. They were later sleeved down to 589 c.i. for racing at Indianapolis. This particular car now resides in the Indianapolis Speedway Museum. One other team car is known to exist in the U.S.
Regards,
Randy Reed
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Howard Kroplick
Good job Randy!
From Helck Family Collection: Peter Helck's Illustrated Wagner Envelopes
Identify this racer including: manufacturer, nickname and engine size
-1922 Mercedes Racing Special. A World War I Benz aircraft engine of 19 liters displacement installed in an early Mercedes chain-drive chassis. The car was known as ‘Rabbit the First,’
In what year was this racer built and who was its first owner?
-constructed in 1922 in England for Lord Scarisbrick.
Which automobile was this racer often mistaken for?
-Pure guess and say the earlier Blitzen Benz.
Identify the driver and passenger in the Mystery Foto.
-Peter Helck in the passenger seat, and I’ll guess that could be his son Jerry driving.
When was this photo taken and who were the owners at that time.
Another guess and say Helck’s upstate home sometime in the 60’s. Peter Helck owned the car.
Who owns the racer today
-I’m only seeing David North/North collection being the possible current owner
From Update: Peter Helck's 1921 Benz-Mercedes "Rabbit-the-First" Now Owned by Jay Leno
No clue (again) but the passenger ‘pears to be Peter Helck and dollars to doughnuts it has a Liberty L-12 engine (which, in spite of the misleading model number, is a V12). Sam, III
From Update: Peter Helck's 1921 Benz-Mercedes "Rabbit-the-First" Now Owned by Jay Leno
The III couldn’t be more appropriate for the exhibit but, old tho’ I be, I have serious trouble considering it as an “Antique” car! Yes , I can still add but still - - - . Sam, III
From AACA Museum Announces the 1963 Mustang III Concept Show will be Featured in Upcoming 2018 Exhibit
Interesting about Perkins and so soon after the first flights of any kind.
From Aerial advertising kites flying near the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race grandstand
Art’s got it right! Hmmm; mayhap I misremember but when I visited Peter ca. 1960, I went directly to Boston Corners (with an “S”!), with no Millerton involved. Google Maps and Wikipedia leave off the “S” but the latter’s history keeps it. Anyone know what this is all about? Howard, do you have any Helck stationery or such? Sam, III
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Howard Kroplick
Sam III, I am sure I do and check it out this week.
Howard I
From Helck Family Collection: Peter Helck's Illustrated Wagner Envelopes
Amazing way to recieve a letter from a friend. Each sent individually with unique artwork on the cover, without the use of printers and photoshop to assist. Wow!
From Helck Family Collection: Peter Helck's Illustrated Wagner Envelopes
*ID Racer/Manufacturer/Nickname/Engine Size: Mercedes Benz Special C.H. Crowe Racer. Built by C.H. Crowe & Co. London, England. Nickname “Rabbit”. Powered by a Daimler Benz 18 liter straight 6 cylinder.
*Year Racer built & first Owner: 1921 Edward T. Scarisbrick
*Racer this one was often mistaken for: Hybrids built by Louis Zyborowski.
*ID Driver & Passenger in Foto: Jerry and Peter Helck ( Son and Father ).
*When was this photo taken and owner of this racer then: Year 1964 ( Jerry- 38 yrs old and Peter- 71 yrs old ). It was jointly owned by Charles Lytle and Peter Helck.
*Present Owner of this racer: Don’t know. The latest info/image of this car that I could find was during the 2001 Pebble Beach Car Show Concours d’Elegance. I submitted the link & image to the site here. It looks in fine shape.
From Update: Peter Helck's 1921 Benz-Mercedes "Rabbit-the-First" Now Owned by Jay Leno
Thanks Howard. I’ll do a walkthrough there for my own curiousity soon.
From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive-The Helck Family Memoirs #2: Joe Tracy and the Cotter Pin in 1906
That Franklin logo was used by the Franklin car company that built cars in Syracuse, NY between 1902 and 1934. The two men of Air COoled Motors in Liverpool, NY who built the Franklin engine for Tucker met while working at Franklin Carl Doman and Ed Marks were both engineers, Ed Marks was the chief engineer. Both nice men , Carl Doman passed away soon after I met him but Ed Marks became my friend when I started to attend the Franklin Club annual meet in the late 1960s. I have correspondence with Ed Marks from that time, and each year the Franklin club had a former employees reunion that they bought all the former employees lunch at. I helped run that for many years and the questions were interesting from the audience that was there to hear the men reminisce .
From Tucker 1044 Conservation Report II: Highlights from the Memorable Open House
All I can say is “awesome!” I wish I could have been there. The photos are incredible. This is truly an historic event. Thanks for sharing the experience.
Rog
From Tucker 1044 Conservation Report II: Highlights from the Memorable Open House
What treasures! Thanks for sharing, Howard.
From Helck Family Collection: Peter Helck's Illustrated Wagner Envelopes
Hi Howard. Nice to see this car featured in this lighthearted quiz. I can, hopefully, contribute the following as it is a car with close associations with other British aero-engined cars.
Not sure about a nickname, but the chassis was a Mercedes fitted with a Benz aero-engine of 19 litres.
It was constructed in 1922 for Lord Scarisbrick (who I think ad some links with Birkenhead in the North-West of England)
The car is often mistaken for its contemporary Chitty-Bang-Bang 1
The passenger is (I think) Peter Helck). Not sure about the driver (William C Crawford perhaps of aviation museum fame??)
Photo taken early 1960s??
Not sure of current ownership!
Great to read of the successful Tucker open day.
Ian
From Update: Peter Helck's 1921 Benz-Mercedes "Rabbit-the-First" Now Owned by Jay Leno
I would’ve never occurred to me that Joe Tracy is resting in peace within The Brentwood Cemetery, NY. I grew up in Brentwood. Would The Helck family know if Brentwood was eventually Joe Tracy’s hometown after emigrating to the USA?
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Howard Kroplick
Tracy did not live in Brentwood. His friend had a plot at the Brentwood Cemetery.
From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive-The Helck Family Memoirs #2: Joe Tracy and the Cotter Pin in 1906
Mystery Foto #5…This auto is a 1922 Mercedes Racing Special with a 19 liter motor!!! The nickname is “Rabbit the First”. It was built for Lord Scarisbrick making him the first owner. I would guess that the auto that this is often mistaken for is one of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang series of specials… those also built on a Mercedes frame. Driver shown here is Peter Helck and passenger could be Jerry Helck. Can’t determine a date for the photo but it was owned by Peter Helck at that point. Today the racer is in the David North collection.
From Update: Peter Helck's 1921 Benz-Mercedes "Rabbit-the-First" Now Owned by Jay Leno
Lots of posts out there.
Check out my website of the area.
http://www.freewebs.com/limparkway/cunninghampark.htm
I haven’t been back there in the woods in a while so planning my next tour there in the not too distant future (before the brush reappears)!
From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950
Yes as per previous posts we sent with pics and videos the original LIMP is still very much there in the woods following Franks red line with many posts as well leading up to the clearview.
From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950
Thanks Frank, you’re very thorough.
From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950
Sorry for the confusion. The 1951 red path shows the present day pedestrian overpass but with a shorter walk path back to reconnect with the Motor Pkwy (green). The present day walk path (yellow) is longer in length, needing to slip under the newly built Clearview Expressway, and to reconnect back to the Motor Pkwy. This walk path diversion happened sometime in late 1960.
From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950
Frank F.‘s yellow lines threw me for a sec. and I checked Google Maps - WOW! I never noticed before but you can still make out traces of the southern end of the N-S run just E of 179th and then the E-W run between FLB and the Clearview! Anon. or any other sleuth care to do some surreptitious digging there? (Not that I would EVER encourage illegal activity. Of course, the same still holds true for the NW cloverleaf at Lakeville and NSP.) Sam, III
From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950
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