Vanderbilt Cup Races

Thanks Frank its good to know, im looking for some bicycle adventures and that area is so nice. The first time i was there was in November at a funeral at St. Marys Cemetery….little did i know of the history surrounding it. Last week i went to the Springfield Avenue Bridge (where the 2 ladies in the old mystery photo stood against the abuttment). Going up the ramp led to some beautiful terrain, and i can’t wait to explore it more.
  One other question i have is that there is an old picture on the VCR website… near the terminus of an old car flying by a signpost with many different arrows pointing to everywhere, and it looks like in the very foreground of the picture there is a gravestone or a road marker. Is that corner still there today ? Mike

From Mystery Foto #18 Solved: The Western Terminus of the Motor Parkway in Fresh Meadows on July 23, 1939

Mike, the greenway bike path was extended and now mostly connects all the area parks (Alley, Cunningham, Kissena, Flushing Meadow….). But to stay closest to the LIMP, it starts off the RoW at the bottom of the LIE pedestrian overpass (also part of the greenway path) hidden behind the school at LIE and Peck Ave, then winds around through Holy Cow Playground back towards Peck Ave (where the N Hemp Tpke bridge used to be located). There you’ll find the existing LIMP RoW next to the sidewalk. Brace yourself for a hilly, heavy downshifting adventure. Willie K made some of them pretty steep and choppy! Follow the path and have fun!

From Mystery Foto #18 Solved: The Western Terminus of the Motor Parkway in Fresh Meadows on July 23, 1939

From Greg D. Merksamer:
HI, HOWARD!  Mystery Friday Foto #19 is most-familiar to me as the Ford Mustang II concept given its world debut at the October, 1963 U.S. Grand Prix in upstate Watkins Glen, NY.  It was Ford’s more practical four-seat follow-up to the fully-open two-seat Mustang I shown at the same race one year prior in 1962.  The Mustang II was also treated to an encore showing at the 1964 International Auto Show in the New York Coliseum (the above photo was taken by future Pierce Arrow Society Publications Director Bernard J. Weis) to herald the production Mustang’s unveiling at the New York World’s Fair the Monday after the show closed. - See You At Greenwich!  GREGG D. MERKSAMER, Historian of the NY Intl. Auto Show

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing

Hi Frank I did it in picture and fax viewer and saw boats on the lake, too bad the photo didn’t capture the Trilon and Perisphere, i guess that would have been more to the right after the picture ends.
    I was in Fresh Meadows again on Saturday and saw the Hollis Hills Terrace Bridge and the Springfield Avenue Bridges. I want to take my bike for a ride there, but where does the bike path actually begin since there is no more Western Terminus ?  Is it 73rd Avenue or somewhere in Cunningham Park ?? Mike

From Mystery Foto #18 Solved: The Western Terminus of the Motor Parkway in Fresh Meadows on July 23, 1939

http://bigdogperformanceparts.com/blogs/blog/tagged/history
(Scroll down to ‘The Strange Journey That Led To The Original Ford Mustang’)

http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Design/Halderman_interview.htm

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing

The original Mustang II, a concept car? derived from one of the early prototype design of the production Mustang, not the Pinto-powered Mustang II they were pushing on the odd-even gas lines of the ‘70s. It was first displayed on October 1963 in Detroit, designed by Mr. Gail Halderman under Joe Oros at Ford Motor Company. Hal Sperlich was also responsible for its design under the Gene Bordinat team at Ford. Eventually was used in Arizona by the Ford Division in the original Mustang commercials, had its roof chopped off as a convertible, and never returned as promised to Mr. Halderman, its primary designer. Was intended to be a ‘personal car’ with smaller rear seats (all new ideas of the time).

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing

First of all thank you all so much for the kind comments. It really was a fun day and one of those great father/son days I’m sure we will both remember.

My personal favorite stretch of Parkway starts at the Old Courthouse Road bridge (a great location—interesting to think that this bridge was built prior to the Bethpage Restoration bridge which was so much closer to the Parkway ground breaking) running east, over Shelter Rock Road (over a fence) and then continuing eastward to IU Willets Rd through the bamboo near Herricks HS. It’s a great section of original road that has a very private feel to it, fairly undisturbed with lots of posts, green and quiet. There are many great sections, and several I would recommend to “rookies” before this run, but I felt almost thrown back in time for this portion of the journey. Sammy’s favorite location will be disclosed upon its arrival on Howard’s future postings of our adventure! Stay tuned!

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Adventure”II: Lake Success & Manhasset Hills

Nice investigation work guys! Wish I could persuade my teenage girls to do the same on the MTB’s but I think I may have ridden too many miles with them already. lol. It’s great cruising along the right of way while imagining cars 100 years ago used to speed through here on the early roadway. Maybe the roadway will return in the not-so-far future. Now that would be really neat. Looking forward to more of your updates on how the old roadway is keeping up after all this time! Thanks so much.

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Adventure”II: Lake Success & Manhasset Hills

No clue; possibly the first Mustang convertible?  The headlight treatment reminds me of those gross, bloated, big Thunderbirds.  My; no telling what oddities one finds when one strays off the LIMP RoW (not counting Shelbys, Chryslers, or cross arms with insulators - way to go, Sammy!).  :·)  Sam, III

P. S. - Dave - be sure to take Sammy to that mysterious old electronics shack near the OBVR bridge <http://sbiii.com/limpenas.html#mystery>.

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing

Hi Howard, missed you at the Newsday show, but your beautiful Chrysler’s Chrysler was there and the crowds loved it…...what a car….it just exemplified wealth and beauty…....what is the approximate worth of this vehicle today? Many were guessing…..........worried as it started to rain….......
__________________________________________

Hi Dave
Thanks for the feedback! I have no idea what the car is worth which is okay since it is not being sold!

From Newsday.com The 10 Can't-Miss Cars at Field of Wheels 2015

It is the Ford prototype known as the Mustang II. Built in 1963 under Henry Ford II’s direction. The Idea was to get some buyers back who were upset with the ending of the 2 place T-bird and to go after the import sports car market. This car was shown at the US Gran Prix in 1963. It was based on a Falcon platform with a 108” wheelbase. The mid 1964 production Mustang would be first shown at the New York World Fair. Had Edsel Ford lived longer I am sure there would have been a Ford sports car sooner. Benson and William Clay hosted the Sports Car Review at the museum when I was a kid in Michigan.

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing

From the numbers in front of it it was easy to find… Another exciting mustang protype!

You probably have this in documentation already, but just in case…

—http://www.mustangandfords.com/featured-vehicles/mump-1212-up-close-1963-mustang-2-prototype/mustang-2-specifics.html

—http://www.mustangandfords.com/news/1404-mustang-ii-prototype-pace-car-replica-star-at-vegas-exhibit/?cx_source=cxrecs&cx_navSource=related-bottom#cxrecs_s

—http://blog.thehenryford.org/2014/06/the-1963-mustang-ii-2/

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing

What a great adventure you two took. I would love to do that one day being very interested in the history of the parkway. Howard runs an excellent site that I enjoy reading and thank you for sharing your adventures with us.

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Adventure”II: Lake Success & Manhasset Hills

That’s the 1963 Mustang II Prototype or concept car. It was built by Dearborn Steel Tubing and introduced to the public on October 6, 1963 at the Watkins Glen Raceway, Watkins Glen, NY. The reason given for its construction was “to bridge the public’s perception of the Mustang I two-seater from 1962 and the production Mustang to come in April, 1964”. Some of its unique features include a removable hard-top; no front or rear bumbers; and the nose, with its grille-covered headlights, is integral with the two front fenders.

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing

Boy, do those photos bring back memories! I grew up not far from there. My friends and I did the exact same thing when I was 8 years old back in 1955. We started at Searingtown Road, headed west, and eventually made it to the end (or beginning?) in Fresh Meadows. It did, however, take us several weeks to work up the courage to go that far in increasingly longer segments. Oh to be a kid again.

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Adventure”II: Lake Success & Manhasset Hills

Hi Dave,Sam.Those are old cross arms/insulators that were removed from the utility poles along the row.

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Adventure”II: Lake Success & Manhasset Hills

Nice adventure. We used to ride our motor bikes on the section from behind Hericks high School west to NHP road late 60’s.

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Adventure”II: Lake Success & Manhasset Hills

Looks like a ‘63 Mustang II Prototype (Concept).
Had been kept in storage over the years, in Maine and Detroit.
Had a removable top.

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing

It would appear that the Mustang even has a Facebook page of its’ own;

https://www.facebook.com/pages/1963-Mustang-Prototype-II-Concept-Car/296315207063178

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing

Identify the automobile
-1963 Mustang II prototype displayed in front of Ford’s styling studio

Which company built this automobile after receiving the chassis?
-Dearborn Steel Tubing (DST)

When and where was it introduced?
October 6, 1963, Ford/Lee Iacocca unveiled the Mustang II at Watkins Glen Raceway in Watkins Glen, New York. After Watkins Glen, the Mustang II was placed on the auto show circuit until early 1964.

At its introduction, what was the explanation why this automobile was built?
-From the Henry Ford blog;
‘The Mustang II previewed the production Ford Mustang we all know and love, but the concept car was designed and built after the production Mustang project already was well underway! Why? It’s a case of managing public expectations.

Most Mustang histories start with the 1962 Mustang I, but devoted pony fans know that Mustang I was an entirely separate project from the production car. Ford built the “Mustang Experimental Sports Car” (its original name – the “I” was a retrospective addition) to spark interest in the company’s activities. Ford was going back into racing and looking for a quick way to create some buzz about the exciting things happening in Dearborn. The plan worked a bit too well. When Mustang I debuted at Watkins Glen in October 1962, and then hit the car show circuit, the public went crazy and sent countless letters to Ford begging the company to put the little two-seater into production.

At the same time Mustang I was being built, another team at Ford was working on the production Mustang that would debut in April 1964. Mustang I’s popularity created a problem: Everyone loved the two-seat race car, but would they feel the same about the four-seat version? The solution was to build a new four-seat prototype closely based on the production Mustang’s design.’

What were the unique features of this automobile?
-From the Henry Ford blog;
‘Ford designers removed the front and rear bumpers, altered the headlights and grille treatment, and fitted Mustang II with a removable roof. While the car looked different from the production Mustang, a few of the production car’s trademark styling cues were retained, including the C-shaped side sculpting and the tri-bar taillights. Mustang II also consciously borrowed from Mustang I, employing the 1962 car’s distinct white paint and blue racing stripes. Conceptually and physically, the four-seat Mustang II formed a bridge linking the 1962 Mustang I with the 1965 production car. Mustang II was a hit when it debuted at Watkins Glen in October 1963, and when the production version premiered six months later, there were few complaints about the four seats instead of two.’

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The 1962 Mustang II Prototype Built By Dearborn Steel Tubing