Vanderbilt Cup Races

Cathy, thanks for the info!

Howard

From The Garden City Hotel in 1913

Great information. Lawrence Butler of Smithtown,
son of Cornelia and Prescott Hall Butler, and nephew of Stanford White (who was married to Cornelia’s sister Bessie) was the Butler in the architectural firm of Butler, Ford and Oliver. I will put this article of yours in our Long Island Room files at Smithtown.
Thanks, Cathy Ball

From The Garden City Hotel in 1913

I watched the ‘65 Bridge race and it brought it all back to me. I was there as a spectator for the last time and spoke with Jim Hall that day. He totally psyched me such that I went out and bought a race car, went to driver’s school at the Bridge and a year and a half later I was out on the track with him and all the big boys in the Daytona 24 hour. I ended up racing for 15 or 20 years and loved every minute of it. The Bridge was a gas. For a couple of years I was a director of NY Reg SCCA and am still a member. This is my 45th consecutive year. I never was a great driver, but I was pretty good. I won a lot of regionals, a few nationals and got some trophies and checks in Trans Ams and Continentals, but I always had a good time. I was lucky to have done it when it was almost affordable, though my ex-wife sure didn’t think so.

I love your films.

Thanks for the memories.

From Video "The 1965 Vanderbilt Cup Race at the Bridgehampton Race Circuit"

J Walter Christie was indeed a visionary mechanical genius.  Although not blessed with long term financial success, his inventive mind and fabricational skills contributed substantially to numerous developments which have changed the course of history.
As a diehard automobile buff, I am particularly impressed with his pioneering efforts with front wheel drive.
I was told a Christie fire rig is on display in New Jersey, possibly Hoboken. 
Do you have any information concerning survivors-either automotive or fire apparatus?
Regards,
Bill Christie

From Driver Profile: John Walter Christie: Front-Wheel Drive Pioneer

I very much enjoyed your story,he never gave up and apparently had givin great thought about the situation at hand He reflected a take charge and step up to the plate attitude, and the biggest of all “.“A man’s word is his bond.”  Seals a deal like no other. Thanks for sharing.

From A Family Remembers a Vanderbilt Cup Race Driver- William Luttgen

howard, the car looks great ,especially since all other photos i’ve ever seen were in black and white,if you ever need a mechanic to sit in the other side i’d me more than happy to oblige, but note, im not a mechanic but if nothing else i could fill the empty seat in place of my great grand father,lol. lets face it,i just wanna sit in the car that my ggf sat in ,in the first indianapolis 500. and possibly get a picture.

From In Search of Alcos: #1 Alco-6 Black Beast Racer Archives

Hi Howard,  I thought it strange that one of the ALCO touring cars pictured had a NJ Manufacturer’s license plate in that it was a Rhode Island company. I sent you a photo of a NJ manufacturer’s plate in my collection.  Actually an interesting color! Walter

From Article "The ALCO Story: Distinctive, Durable, Doomed"

Very interesting.  Would it not be possible for you to get access for educational purposes just to see it today?

From From the Ridolph Collection: The Motor Parkway Bridge in the Melville Sand Pits

Thanks so much for an amazing story!

From A Family Remembers a Vanderbilt Cup Race Driver- William Luttgen

Stephen:

I have one reference that lists the birth date as March 21, 1874.

Howard

From Driver Profile: Hubert Le Blon

Does anyone know Hubert LeBlon’s birthdate - all references give 1872 but no day/month.

From Driver Profile: Hubert Le Blon

I loved the cartoons, but I can’t help but think that the 1908 image in the “1906, 1907, 1908” panel resembles the posture of a current Formula 1 driver.

From Life Magazine Automobile Cartoon Series #1: 1901 to 1908

Unfortunately the article in The Star is incomplete.  To further complicate things, I will point to an article entitled “Keene may not race” from the Sept. 25, 1906 NY Times.  It mentions the “Mercedes Import Company”, and identifies a Robert E. Fulton as the “Mercedes manager in this country”.  If I am correct, Foxhall Keene’s Mercedes, which was the subject of the article, was purchased that day by George McKesson Brown.  He employed my grandfather, William Luttgen to drive the #7 Mercedes in the 1906 race.
    While not involved directly with DMFG to our knowledge, William Luttgen did share some history with them.  As Howard has documented so well, William Luttgen had been a machinist, mechanic and driver for Daimler in Stuttgart.  He was employed as a mechanic by Foxhall Keene in the first Paris to Madrid race, and the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup Race in Ireland.  Keene then helped Luttgen find employment at a machine shop in NYC when he immigrated in 1903. 
    Luttgen’s experience with Mercedes brought the company much business and he asked the three owners of the machine shop if they would consider taking him in as a partner if he could get a Mercedes agency for them.  They agreed and in 1905 he traveled to Germany and secured importation rights to German made Mercedes.  Soon afterwards Charles Loft, of the Loft Candy Company, loaned Luttgen the money to buy out his three partners.
    Luttgen’s business was called “The Mercedes Repair Company.”  At some point I believe he held the exclusive right to import Mercedes to all the Americas north of the Panama Canal, which he held until April of 1923.
    To our knowledge, his only connection to the American made Mercedes has to do with Krupp nickel steel, and the Liberty aircraft engine of WWI.  You see, in order to save import taxes on finished parts, DMFG had imported rough Krupp nickel steel forgings, castings and ingots from Germany, which they then machined.  When the Long Island factory burned down, my grandfather learned that the Krupp nickel steel had been stored in the basement of the factory, which had in turn had been filled with water while fighting the fire.  He therefore purchased all the Krupp nickel steel for salvage, gambling correctly that the steel had been protected by water.
    The story then turns to WWI, when Ford and Packard had contracts to build the famous Liberty aircraft engine.  I believe a man named Lawrence had actually designed the engine, and he in turned had hired Luttgen to build the experimental engines.  Luttgen built a concrete test cell where the engines were run until they blew up, at which time the reason for the failure was analyzed.  Unfortunately, when Ford and Packard tried to produce the final engine design they had a problem with parts failing, including the rocker arms if I am correct.  They then turned to Luttgen to find out why his parts did not fail; the answer being that he used the Krupp nickel steel that he had salvaged from the American Mercedes plant.
    Despite what The Star article said about the Carnegie Steel company’s products at that time, we believe the only alloyed steel available during WWI of that quality was German Krupp nickel steel.  Thanks to the Long Island fire, Luttgen had the only supply of it in the United States.  As a result, both Ford and Packard subcontracted with the Mercedes Repair Company to make those critical parts for the Liberty engines. 

Robert Luttgen

From The American Mercedes Manufactured in Astoria Queens

It would be nice to see this bridge intact and operational someday as part of a 45 mi bike path back to the past. Count me in.

From A CALL TO ACTION: The Old Bethpage Village Restoration Motor Parkway Bridge

Great cartoons!
You are having fun and making a lot of people happy also.
Jack Binder

From Update: The Alco Black Beast Racing History

Hi Walter:

Thanks so much. I will repost on VanderbiltCupRaces.com this week.

Howard

From The American Mercedes Manufactured in Astoria Queens

From Chris G:

Count me in

From A CALL TO ACTION: The Old Bethpage Village Restoration Motor Parkway Bridge

Hello Howard,
I’ve been interested in the history of the LIMP since I accidentally discovered a portion of the road near I. U. Willets Rd. as a kid back in the 1950’s. I’ve seen many pieces of the road fall to the wrecker’s ball over the past half century. Please count me in with your “Call To Action” regarding the Bethpage bridge. Keep up the good work.
Steve Lucas
631-654-1712

From A CALL TO ACTION: The Old Bethpage Village Restoration Motor Parkway Bridge

Hi Howard,  I know the car and sent you 2 photos of the car when it was on L.I. It was owned by a local collector in New Hyde Park and later by a collector in Huntington. Regards,  Walter

From The American Mercedes Manufactured in Astoria Queens

Hi-
I HAVE A RACING TROPHY FROM A LOCOMOBILE RACE IN 1906 WON BY MAJOR BOWES- IT WAS PRESENTED FROM THE LOCOMOBILE CLUB OF DEL MONTE CALIFORNIA. IT SAYS IT WAS A 2 MILE RACE. IS THIS RELATED TO THE VANDERBILT RACES? HAVE YOU HEARD OF MAJOR EDWARD BOWES IN THE LOCOMOBILE CAR RACES?
THANKS FOR ANY INFORMATION.

CASSANDRA

From The Amazing and Continuing Saga of the 1906 Locomobile Twins- Part I