Vanderbilt Cup Races

That’s Jim Rathman and Carroll Shelby promoting the “Cornelius Vanderbilt Cup / 1960” race which took place on June 19, 1960 in the parking lot and service roads for the Roosevelt Raceway harness track in Westbury, NY. Rathman is best known for his victory in the Indianapolis 500 about 2 weeks prior to the photo. Shelby was the victorious co-driver (along with Roy Salvadori) in the 1959 24-hours of Le Mans endurance race. The 1960 Vanderbilt Cup was won by Henry Carter from Litchfield, CT. The manufacturer of the cup was probably either Tiffany or Cartier so I’ll guess Cartier.

From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

From Jan H.
A lot of our bodies could use some re-building.  Cheers!

From New Series Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #1:Bell & Post Motors of Farmingdale

From Robert R:
Terrific idea on LI auto makers, Howard.
I don’t live too far from Springfield, MA, which legitimately can claim to be the birthplace of the American auto industry.  The Duryea brothers started there, and then of course, there were the legendary Springfield Rolls Royces.

From New Series Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #1:Bell & Post Motors of Farmingdale

Great history Gary, thank you.

From New Series Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #1:Bell & Post Motors of Farmingdale

On the left is Jim Rathmann winner of 1960 Indianapolis 500.
On the right is Carroll Shelby winner of the 1959 LeMans 24 hour race in an Aston Martin co driven by Roy Salvadori

easy one Howard lol

From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Look who wrote the SDNY opinion, which was before he became the most famous Second Circuit judge and, eventually, the Supreme Court’s “tenth” justice. Learned Hand.

From New Series Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #1:Bell & Post Motors of Farmingdale

Very interesting reading.  I went to high school in Farmingdale for a couple of years in the early fifties and I see that the then brand new Weldon E. Howitt H.S. that I attended was just a short distance from the Post house.

From New Series Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #1:Bell & Post Motors of Farmingdale

There was also the Cantrell station wagon body builder in Huntington.  W

From New Series Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #1:Bell & Post Motors of Farmingdale

All of those concept cars were inspirational for Detroit design work, they were a taste of the future. Some of them are still in existance including Buick xp300 (at the Flint MI Sloan Museum), Batmobile (slightly.remodeled Lincoln Futura) and the Orange Lincoln Indianapolis. The olds golden rocket shows signs of a future Corvette roof, a 1960 Caddy tail and a 1963 Riveria like nose. The turbine firebird III was the envy of every kid of the day. Unfortunately only the name held strong when those kids became Hell on Wheels teens myself included….I once had a 69 Firebird convertible and I still have a 1977 ferrari style window C-3 Corvette. The following year the roof was modified to look similar to the golden rocket. Concept cars are fantastic marketing tools that inspired the sales of thousands if not millions of cars

From Concept Cars That Never Made It Part I

Hi Howard, as always, everything from photos to story, very interesting….......I looked at the concept cars, too bad a couple of them never made it to production…..you wonder if they did, would they have sold many of them…...take care, always enjoy your articles….

From Concept Cars That Never Made It Part I

-Identify the two drivers and their greatest victories

Jim Rathmann, left, winner of the 1960 Indy 500.
On the right is the instantly recognizable, late, great, amazing Caroll Shelby and if you don’t know who he is or what he’s done, you might need to have your auto enthusiast membership card revoked!!

-Identify the correct name of the race that they were promoting

1960 Cornelius Vanderbilt Cup Race

-What was the location and date of the race

Roosevelt Raceway on June 19, 1960

-Who manufactured the trophy?

Unclear to me who manufactured the actual trophy, but the donor of the trophy was Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, nephew of William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.

On an added note, I came across an awesome picture of the two in Old 16;

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/60/e3/b3/60e3b3464c5165654ca220a0c7c8b853.jpg

From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

The drivers are Jim Rathmann (1960 Indy winner) and Carroll Shelby (1959 winner at LeMans).  They were promoting the Cornelius Vanderbilt Cup Race.  The race was held once, on June 19, 1960, over a course set up in the parking lots and access roads of Roosevelt Raceway.  I cannot find the manufacturer of the trophy.  My guess is Cartier.  Thanks for the challenge, Howard.

From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I enjoyed that bit of automotive history.  Thanks for posting it.

Ken

From Walt Gosden Article:"Going 114 MPH on the Motor Parkway in a Model S Mercedes in 1928"

Great reading, lot of interesting info.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)

Never got a chance to do any more research on this. You guys did a great job on this, enjoyed the two film clips. Hope all. Is well with all this snow. I have to dig out of my house now. Stay warm and be safe.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)

Adding this piece of evidence to my date of 1930 - the Chesterfield billboard was used in 1930 and developed by the husband and wife team of Otis and Dorothy Shepard (that’s Dorothy’s portrait in the billboard).  The team also created the Wrigley’s Doublemint twins ad campaign in 1939.  Howard - see additional documentation being sent.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)

“Chesterfield cigarettes – After all….. it’s TASTE”. lol!
Little sign below Chesterfield – “Ricks Oil Change and 2 part Gas? (lube?)?”
“Lucas Paints at Joseph Fiala Inc.” – the rest is too blurry
“Motor Parkway à”
“Patchogue, Mr. Bath Petsble?, Ramon Novarro, Jack O Lantern?, Let’s Go Mets?, Jeanette …….?,  …..Vaudeville?
“USE MARX’S RHEUMATIC REMEDY for Rheumatic Lupus….?,  Skeleton N……?, OTTO MARX – Chemist, Lake Ronkonkoma à”
“Camels’ Cigarettes?”

The signs appear situated at a busy T intersection (solid yellow line in the center) en route towards Lake Ronkonkoma and Patchogue.
The only T intersection I was able to find that faced in the correction direction was in Lake Ronkonkoma at Central Islip Blvd and Rosevale Ave, facing East at the Lake (possibly behind those signs), one block NW of the LIMP. Wild guessing, it’s close to mid ‘30’s with asphalt pavement on the road. Is that the lake behind the Camels’ sign on the right? Veery Sneeaky!

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)

  What is the exact year that this photo was taken? 1930 - movie playing at the Patchogue theater (“Call of the Flesh) opened in Fall, 1930.

  What was the likely location of these roadside signs?
Since the advertisers were on the south shore, perhaps Sunrise Highway (Sunrise Trail).

  Where was the Motor Parkway sign pointing to?  North to Ronkonkoma Lodge or Petite Trianon.

  Provide details on any of the advertisers. Howard - see more in the material I send you in Kleiner’s Korner under separate cover. 
Lucas Paint/Joseph Fiala’s Paint Store located at 199 Railroad Avenue in Sayville. 
Otto Marx - Chemist/Pharmacist - Came to Lake Ronkonkoma in 1922 and served the area until 1956.  Located on Hawkins Avenue. 
Patchogue Theatre - sign advertises the movie “Call of the Flesh”, starring Ramon Novarro in his first talking movie, opened in 1930. 

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)

The photo was taken in 1930, probably in November because that’s when Ramon Novarro’s latest film “Call of the Flesh” (released on 8/16/30) was being shown at various theatres in Suffolk County including the Patchogue Theatre which had been built only five years earlier. Joseph Fiala had a paint store at 199 Railroad Avenue in Sayville at the time and also did home redecorating. Otto Marx ran a pharmacy on Hawkins Avenue in Ronkonkoma for many years. Chesterfield and Camels (partially hidden on right) were two of the “big three” cigarette brands (along with Lucky Strike). With regard to possible locations of the photo, the only road that makes sense is what was called at the time “the road to Ronkonkoma”. Today we know it as (going north from Sayville) Railroad Avenue, Lakeland Avenue, Ocean Avenue, and Rosevale Avenue where we find the beginning (or end) of the Long Island Motor Parkway. But exactly where on this road? At the intersection of Veterans Highway or Sunrise Highway? NO, neither had been built yet. I’m guessing the northwest corner of Lakeland Avenue and Church Street in Bohemia since Church Street was a well used road even then and was a main route from there to Patchogue. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see these billboards along Lakeland Avenue closer to the Sayville LIRR station.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)

I suppose everyone knows Chesterfield was a cigarette brand—targeted at women. The other signs are unknown to me.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)