Vanderbilt Cup Races

Tobey R:

Congratulations on the purchase of the Tucker! We were all so happy to see it go to you where it will have a great home.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The Tucker 1044 at the RM Sotheby's Auction in Scottsdale

Great shots. I have numerous photos of the deep green Tucker from the Stahl Collection which I shot at the Ford Estate for my forthcoming book.  (Damsels In Design, from Schiffer Books features pioneering women designers from 1939-1959. ) Of course, the David Cammack collection at the AACA Museum is the best.

From Images of the Tucker 1044

Identify the location of the photo and the Long Island Motor Parkway bridge.
Hicksville- Massapequa Road and the Wantagh Avenue Bridge. 

Identify the date of the photo and the race Hint: The caption on the back of the photo reads: “the crowd running over to the accident of the 54”.
October 1, 1910 as part of the Massapequa Sweepstakes.  Car 54 was a Lancia driven by Willie Knipper with mechanician Guishard.  The car was wrecked in the 7th lap.  Lancia at the time was entered by the Hol-Tan company which for one year previously manufactured autos but later ended selling other makes, including the Lancia and Delaunay-Belleville. 

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A View of #54 Lancia Crashing at the Massapequa-Hicksville Road Turn in 1910

Howard,
Great photos of that Tucker.  Where will the Tucker be located?  Can we see it?
Rog
———————————————————————————————————
Howard Kroplick

Rog, until the fall, the Tucker will be in the Waterfront at Roslyn garage. I will be having a few “Tucker” days.

From Images of the Tucker 1044

Looking at the entrance to Austin Clark’s Automotive Museum, I can’t help but wonder what ever happened to that curved dash Oldsmobile that stood above the entrance.  Just wondering.
Rog
______________________________________________

Howard Kroplick:

Great question!

From Helck Family Collection: Old 16 at the Opening of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit in 1957

Hello Sam & Dave:
I was in that old looking house with the stone wall around it last summer when the owners held a moving / yard sale. It’s probably not all that old, maybe 1950’s or so. I have no answer for the posts, however. Keep up the good work. I love your adventures.

From Sam & Dave's Excellent "Lost" Motor Parkway Adventure IV: The Eastern Terminus of the Motor Parkway

I believe the photo shows spectators standing on the Massapequa-Hicksville Road bridge at the place where a temporary turn-off was built for the racers to leave the parkway and head north on today’s Route 107. This was the site of the Massapequa Lodge, which appears to be faintly visible on the right hand side of the un-cropped photo.  The date would be October 1, 1910 when the #54 Lancia (driver = William Knipper; mechanician = August Guishard) crashed into a telephone pole during the Massapequa Sweepstakes.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A View of #54 Lancia Crashing at the Massapequa-Hicksville Road Turn in 1910

Mystery Foto #4… The photo was taken at the Massapequa turn of the Motor Parkway in Plainedge. Photo shot from the Massapequa-Hicksville Motor Parkway bridge.
This was on October 1, 1910 during the Massapequa Sweepstakes. The car (#54) was a Lancia. The driver was William Knipper with mechanician August Disher. As a result of the crash driver Knipper sustained a broken leg but mechanician Disher was uninjured.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A View of #54 Lancia Crashing at the Massapequa-Hicksville Road Turn in 1910

I think this is the Eastern end LOL. Very cool article though. I remember “exploring that area in the 70s, remember that little house and the wall. Surprised there is that much left. Used to drive the parkway from Lake Ronkonkoma to the part where it ends at Fox Lane in Dix Hills.
__________________________________________________

Howard Kroplick

Steve, good catch!  It is the western terminus for people living in Riverhead 😊

From Sam & Dave's Excellent "Lost" Motor Parkway Adventure IV: The Eastern Terminus of the Motor Parkway

As always,you’ll never know what you’ll find and you guys do it every time and it’s amazing what you find after so many years that you can still identify it. Don’t know about that wall that wraps around,it could be original. What about that piece of porcelain they found in 2015? I wonder what else there’s to be found?

From Sam & Dave's Excellent "Lost" Motor Parkway Adventure IV: The Eastern Terminus of the Motor Parkway

From Robert R.

I remember it well.

Austie had some cars there, and Charlie Adams toured sedately in an open Brass Era with a mysteriously veiled lady at his side.

Seems like yesterday.

From Helck Family Collection: Old 16 at the Opening of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit in 1957

Great Job of digging for info on an incredibly low volume vehicle. About 40 years ago I had seen an ad for a Tucker radio in Hemmings for I believe $100. Who knew?

From YouTube of the Week: A Look at the 1948 Tucker '48

Looking southwest from the Hicksville Road bridge during the 1910 Massapequa
Sweepstakes.  Billy Knipper in the #54 Lancia overshot the turn near the Massapequa
Lodge and went over the embankment and crashed.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A View of #54 Lancia Crashing at the Massapequa-Hicksville Road Turn in 1910

Nice job-keep up the good work.  I wish my dad had been interested in the motor parkway when we moved to Long Island in 1952.

Ken Harris

From Sam & Dave's Excellent "Lost" Motor Parkway Adventure IV: The Eastern Terminus of the Motor Parkway

Howard, I recently photographed that car in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  It will be featured in my next book, due out in June.  Tom
_________________________________________
Howard Kroplick

Tom, Super! I really am looking forward to next wonderful book.

From Images of the Tucker 1044

I think the basic parts for the dash cluster are the same as the 1940 and 1941 Lincoln Zephyr with different graphics. The Steering wheel is 1942 Lincoln with a Tucker horn button. Also note the shift gate is very much like the 810 Cords.

From Images of the Tucker 1044

Congratulations Howard, A NEW cap and shirt, green? with the name TUCKER on it?

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The Tucker 1044 at the RM Sotheby's Auction in Scottsdale

Wow,Howard,what a terrific job you did on this,as always,you let history be known about anything of importance. I’m going to send you an e-mail of something that pertains to history that you might like and enjoy looking at and knowing about it. Hope you enjoy it. I’ll send it today or tomorrow.

From YouTube of the Week: A Look at the 1948 Tucker '48

Many years ago, (‘spring ‘84) my good friend Art Brummer and I were camped next to the dumping station at Spring Carlisle.  As we were unpacking, a guy next to us was bragging about this extremely rare Tucker radio he had found and was expecting to get some major $ for it.  Art very calmly explained to the gentleman that it was mainly a decoration for someone’s shelf.  He was very dejected!!!

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The Tucker 1044 at the RM Sotheby's Auction in Scottsdale

From Ron Sieber:
I remembered seeing that stunt in a Roger Moore-as-Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun. I was living in St Thomas at the time, and that was an interesting location in which to watch such a movie, to say the least.

The car was an AMC Hornet. I subsequently read up on this stunt in Jalopnik and found all the relevant facts which you already have seen, so I won’t pretend that I know all of the details. I related what I thought were the most important.

I agree with you that this was a most awesome stunt. Too bad it wasn’t part of the stunt sequences in a more serious film such as Bullitt. For that reason, I think that the maneuver is very under-appreciated as it was real and not CGI.

Best to you,

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved: The Greatest Car Stunt in Film History in the "Man With the Golden Gun"