Vanderbilt Cup Races

Guy L:

Thank you for sharing your 1909 Alco car today.  My 8 year old daughter and many other kids had a much nicer time because of it.

From Newsday: "Classic car coup: Rare autos on parade and on display in the park"

Earl, the Alco Black Beast Team will be there!

From Newsday: "Classic car coup: Rare autos on parade and on display in the park"

Hi, Howard,
Any possibility of a return engagement at Bridgehampton next Saturday Oct. 6?  There are still people here looking for a ride!  Thanks,  Earl Gandel

From Newsday: "Classic car coup: Rare autos on parade and on display in the park"

As a Levittown resident and founding member of the Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society, I hope I’ll see many of you viewing this blog at Wednesday’s Town Board meeting to register your displeasure with Josato’s desire to build.

From Levittown Tribune 1/16/2004: "The Motor Parkway and Questionable Real Estate Deals"

Howard - hope all is well.  I went by Dead Man’s Curve 1 a few weeks back and noticed that the home on Broadway and the one on Windhorst that butt up against the Parkway are both for sale.  Those are the properties with posts still intact and which I’ve documented on my website.  Hopefully any new owners will appreciate the significance of the posts and the historic value of their property.  I’ll keep a watch on the situation.

From Clean Up the Historic Deadman's Curve in Bethpage on Saturday, June 22, 2013

Hi Howard,
I was on Steward Ave by the Railroad to see the Alco Black Beast.
The leader of the pack. I got to Steward Ave. just in time.

From Newsday: "Classic car coup: Rare autos on parade and on display in the park"

WHEN ARE YOU COMEING TOWARDS MAINE, IWOULD LOVE TO SEE THE CAR MY GREAT GRANDFATHE WAS APPART OF IN HISTORY,

From The Alco Black Beast 2012 Event Schedule

Jack, the 1906 “Automobile” article provided additional documentation for your letter.

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/then_now_maple_cottage-_the_locomobile_headquarters_for_the_1905_and_1906_v

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series:#21 Willis Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge in Williston Park

When growing up in New Hyde Park in the 50’s we used to play & ride bikes on a long stretch of the old parkway, between NHP Rd. and Shelter Rock Rd., including an overpass. Don’t know if anything is left now.

From Clean Up the Historic Deadman's Curve in Bethpage on Saturday, June 22, 2013

Howard- Do you have other confirmation, other than mine, of Maple Cottage being the site of the Locomobile garage?

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series:#21 Willis Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge in Williston Park

Nearly certain my dear grandfather worked on the parkway in this area…he bought a small parcel of property a few hundred feet from the roadway, just off Central,  and eventually built a wonderful brick house there.

From Clean Up the Historic Deadman's Curve in Bethpage on Saturday, June 22, 2013

Great article about a terrific person!  Keep it up, Howard.

From The Island Now Article: "From vintage racing to town historian"

Hi Earl:

The Alco Black Beast will be returning to Bridgehampton. Looking forward to it!

From The Island Now Article: "From vintage racing to town historian"

Mark P:

Howard—You have an amazing race car and it is wonderful you share it so!

From The Alco Black Beast and the White Speedster Featured in History Channel's "Men Who Built America"

Nice story, Howard; keep up the good work.  Now you have something else in common with the presenter of the annual Rally and car exhibit in Bridgehampton, coming up October 6.  It’s the Bridgehampton Historical Society.  Hope you can make it out again this year.
Earl

From The Island Now Article: "From vintage racing to town historian"

Can see you’ve got the hammer down! Nothing like making dust and kicking the back out a bit!! No wonder they picked that scene for the trailer. Great stuff, can’t wait!

From The Alco Black Beast and the White Speedster Featured in History Channel's "Men Who Built America"

In the 1/2 second glimpse shown delighted to see you’re pulling ahead.  Also nifty leather helmet!

From The Alco Black Beast and the White Speedster Featured in History Channel's "Men Who Built America"

Howard I did not realize you were behind the Mackey horse also. What a beautiful piece of history. I wish the town of Islip had the foresight to keep a town historian. They had one for free and terminated his paid job DUH The horses and coaches that I am most interested in came before the auto but watching or participating in a coaching meet is still living history Bully for you JeRita Trapani

From The Island Now Article: "From vintage racing to town historian"

Was it really something that Parnelli did that caused the rod failure in the Marmon or just one of those things that can happen in a 100 year old engine when running? He seems to be getting the blame here. I have the 1914 Tahis Special with a 100 year old Wisconsin T Head racing engine in it. It surprises me that it seems to be difficult in this day and age to repair these old broken aluminum castings. There are numerous places on my engine on both the aluminum crankcase and transmission case with evidence of weld repair done with the oxygen/acetylene gas method of welding which was the only method available in the teens. The car has participated in Vintage Racing since 1988 and has held together quite well even though never being restored. The old craftsman must have had a lot of skill.

Regards,
Randy Reed

From Hemmings Daily: All Blowed Up: Putting the Marmon Wasp’s block back together

It is a wonder that the block can be repaired, although i would never expect the repair to stand anything close to full throttle operation, not that it is likely to happen.
The film from Bridgehampton is frightning to a current SCCA Steward. OK, that was the standard of the day, and still current in International rallies in Europe, it was just luck that there was not a major accident with spectators or with a competor hitting the “crash barriers”, aka straw bales.
many thanks for posting the films. They are something special to a racer, retired.

From Hemmings Daily: All Blowed Up: Putting the Marmon Wasp’s block back together