Vanderbilt Cup Races

This is the original Garden City Hotel on the north side of 7th Street in Garden City. There were one or more dinners there during the Vanderbilt Cup race to celebrate the event.
It was the gathering place for old cars every Easter many decades ago, and I remember going to annual antique shows there and even at a young age marveling at the “grandness” of the place.

From Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Garden City Hotel Being Demolished in 1973

Identify the building and its location
The demolition of the 3rd incarnation of the Garden City Hotel in Garden CIty

How was this building related to the Vanderbilt Cup Races?
The Garden City Hotel served as the headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Race Commission from 1904 to 1910.

What was the approximate date of the photo?
Jan. 15, 1973

From Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Garden City Hotel Being Demolished in 1973

This is the Garden City Hotel. Not sure when it was demolished. Maybe early 1980’s? Perhaps the site of Vanderbilt awards ceremony and or lodging for race teams.

From Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Garden City Hotel Being Demolished in 1973

Demolition of the Garden City Hotel in 1973. The Hotel hosted many of the racers and attendees.

From Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Garden City Hotel Being Demolished in 1973

This picture must be when the idiots in charge knocked down the original Garden City Hotel in Garden city. It was torn down in 1973 and replaced with garbage. The hotel was used as headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Races.

From Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Garden City Hotel Being Demolished in 1973

Hi Howard:

    Answer:  Garden City Hotel…..    Ron

From Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Garden City Hotel Being Demolished in 1973

Could also be a third occupant sitting behind the driver. I’ve yet to see anyone sitting behind Willie K while driving.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved Again: Ralph Beardsley's Simplex Practicing for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I loved this. Thank you Mr. DeStefani for the descriptive view of the interior. I know a child’s memory and views of early events can be precise and everlasting. Mine sure are. Those small balcony doorway/windows over the reading rooms are indeed strange. My best guess for their purposes was to keep the guest off the balconies for safety reasons (the low walls outside), and were probably used as crawl access points for maintenance crew outside. Those balconies could’ve been used for displaying large plants or trees high up, complImenting the famous inn. Looking forward for more insights from within!

From New Series: An Insider's Look into the Petit Trianon in Lake Ronkonkoma Part I.

As noted, despite it looking like the 1910 winner of the VDBC race early in the conversation we dropped all the way down to 15th place with the Simplex of Beardsley…....I’d rather it be factual, so all is well there…....a possible Hotchkiss in the center.

The focus of the photo by the photographer is a 1908-09-10 Mercedes.  My guess is either the person (or car) was significant or driving through with a significant amount of speed catching the photographer’s eye.  Was it Willie K?  We may never know, but the lad in the passenger seat with the huge mustache would be an easy validation if another photo is known of a driver or someone involved with the race had that mass of undernose thatch. 

Who knows what is still out there to be discovered.  Thank you all and enjoy your day.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved Again: Ralph Beardsley's Simplex Practicing for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Unless he shaved his mustache the day of the race, that almost looks like it could be WK Vanderbilt himself at the wheel- especially since that does appear to be a Mercedes.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved Again: Ralph Beardsley's Simplex Practicing for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Interesting photograph, which turns out to be more difficult than it looks like at a first glance. The year is 1910, the location is the Vanderbilt Cup race course in front of the grandstand. The numbers indicate the the pits. The structure on the left is the officials stand with clock. With respect to the cars: easiest seems to be the 1910 Mercedes on the left. The race car on the far right is the Simplex, driven by Beardsley and mechanician Coote with no.6 in the Vanderbilt Cup race. The 4 on the car is probably a number from an earlier race, possibly the race at Brighton Beach held early September, where Beardsley competed in the 1 hour race. At that time Beardsley had just joined the Simplex team as a professional driver. The car in the middle is unclear to me at the moment: is the radiator round or not? If its is round, an option is Hotchkiss. Details however are hardly visible (though the shapes of radiator and front axle do match more or less), but still I have some doubts about the roundness of the radiator. A better scan would be very helpfull!

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved Again: Ralph Beardsley's Simplex Practicing for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Identify the location and structures in the photo.
Vanderbilt Cup Race grandstand and officials/pressbox.  Levittown

Identify the race car in the photo.  Not sure about this - but maybe the Alco.
My reasoning - while not the actual number used in the 1910 race, the Alco used practice #4 on the date of the photo (documentation sent to Howard).
 
Bonus question: Identify the automobile on the road.
Could this be one of Willie K’s. autos?

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved Again: Ralph Beardsley's Simplex Practicing for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Identify the location and structures in the photo.
Looking East on the LIMP. Grandstands on the right- Pressbox on the left

Identify the race car in the photo.
Don’t know which car specifically, but guessing a 1908 Simplex.

Bonus question: Identify the automobile on the road.
Still looking for the answer to this one and the race car, but might not have the time.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved Again: Ralph Beardsley's Simplex Practicing for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I recently found a 1911 token in some items from an auction. Any idea on the value?
______________________________________

From Howard Kroplick

Hard to say without more information. Please send a jpeg to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

From Film "The Inaugural Indy 500 Race"

Hempstead plains looking east, preparations for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race as it’s LITTER-FREE! Grandstand on right, pressbox/official’s stand on left (adjacent dual scoreboards not visible). If 1910 is correct, the racer could be the retired #4 Supercharged Chadwick from 1908 VCR. Auto/driver possibly Joe Tracy checking the course.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved Again: Ralph Beardsley's Simplex Practicing for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Looks like the 1908 view of the Levittown grandstand looking east with the officials’ and press boxes on the left.  The number 4 Chadwick is seen on the right.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved Again: Ralph Beardsley's Simplex Practicing for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Really enjoyed Art’s ‘49 aerial of the RR cutting through town at the triangle. Old Long Island at its finest. Had to go back to check its existence. It’s been paved over and vanished from sight with remaining line in ruins. Take me home country road on a steam engine. Thanks Art.

From Mystery Foto #15 Revealed: Emanuel Cedrino & His Wife Preparing for the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Bill & Christine Snyder are absolutely wonderful people, and very active in the national Classic Car Club of America - Bill is a great enthusiast and owner of Stutz cars, and Christine has a wonderful custom bodied Packard convertible victoria that was just featured in the CCCA magazine. Both of them helped organize and run the CCCA annual meeting that took place in Savannah, Ga. last month.

From Video: 1964-1/2 Ford Mustang III "Shorty" Factory Prototype

These old flathead FORD fire trucks are interesting. They could be ordered with Police Interceptor engines that had 254 cid [used Mercury crank-shafts] or with the Lincoln EL-8 engine.  Some may have been re-fitted with Y-block engines if they were kept in service into the late 1950s.

From Saturday Search: A Jericho Ford Fire Truck (Updated: 2/15/2015)

This has an interesting history. It was built in Andy Hotton’s shop. He did proto-type work for Ford. In 1957 he built and managed the Battle-Bird Team cars. I saw them run when they were new. Andy lived next door to Les Henry, Ford Museum Curator - what a pair to draw to!

From Video: 1964-1/2 Ford Mustang III "Shorty" Factory Prototype