Vanderbilt Cup Races

I am the owner of the 1920’s bus that was in the museum. It’s actually a 1912 Autocar chasis with a bus body made by W T Smith, in Cortland, NY. IF any one would like to share memories of this bus, please contact me. It was also used at Hershey in the early 1980’s.
Thanks.

Eric Gibson
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

From What was the Long Island Automotive Museum?

Hi Michael:

I am very impressed!

I will change the captions based on your comments.

Howard

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Picture #22 actually shows the first five and a half rows of the starting grid,
picture #16 shows cars #28 (Halley-Bugatti), #65 (De Palma/Miller) and #59 (Duesenberg/Miller),
picture #26 shows the first corner after the start with Brivio (#9) leading from Winn(#&),
picture #46 shows Fairfield (#46) leading from Tomei (#53) and Snowberger (#23),
picture #52 shows a programme cover with a mirror-reversed 1933 picture of #4 Snowberger/Studebaker (not entered in the Vanderbilt races) leading #5 Boyle Miller (#2 in both Vanderbilt races),
picture #57 shows an Alfa Romeo leading Winn (#7), and
picture #62 shows the entire grid minus row 1.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

#66 is actually Gus Zarka in the “right-hand exhaust” Ambler - Roy Lake drove #67 with a left-hand exhaust and slightly different frame, visible in the foreground of this picture. Both cars were built in 1935, each with one bank of a V8 Hispano-Suiza aircraft engine, hence the different exhaust layouts. In the background is #62, the Milt Marion/Miller.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

#32 is, in fact, the #4 “Burd Piston Ring Special” of Emil Andres - same sponsor, different teams!

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

#23 is the correct car, but the driver is Joe Thorne again on this occasion - probably taking a practice spin.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

#22 is not Ted Horn and the Hartz/Miller, but Joe Thorne in a 1931 Miller, the former 16-cylinder car now fitted with a 4-cylinder Sparks-Miller engine. This car ran as #38 in the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

#17 is, in fact, #12 again, the 6CM Maserati!

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

#12 is not a V8RI Maserati, but a 6CM - very different cars!

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

#2 is the correct car, but a 1937 picture - the colour has changed from white to silver, and the driver is Jimmy Snyder.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

The no. 28 Bugatti T51 owned by McClure Halley was driven by Dave Evans, not Dale Evans. This was a typo in Joel Finn’s American Roadracing book and repeated here.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Hi Dave:

Thanks for the comment.

I will give you a call next week.

Happy 2011!

Howard

From The Top Twenty 2010 Posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

hi Howard, very interesting commentaries on the alco black beast and the various locations and events….wishing you and your family a very happy new year and hope to continue seeing your emails .....maybe one day you could do a 3-4 page report on your travels with the ALCO black beast and space permitted we will print it in the ARPO (association of retired police officers)newsletter which is printed every month and sent to all 1200 members retired from the NCPD…thanks again,...Dave Fischer (516)922-4115

From The Top Twenty 2010 Posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

Thankyou once again for another great year, Howard. I’m looking forward to what you will sharing with us history tragics in 2011.

Happy New Year!

From Another Record Year for VanderbiltCupRaces.com and December 2010 Highlights

Hi Penny:

Here’s information on the 1909 #14 Fiat driven by Eddie Parker:

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/index.php/blog/article/sunday_september_5_2010_a_tour_of_the_1909_vanderbilt_cup_race_course_with_

Howard

From June 2010 Highlights on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

Happy Holidays Howard and to all LIMPers out there. One question about Nibbe’s stone. Is it located on Revere Av and Norcross Av in Bethpage? That was an amazing find! Everyone have a Happy and Safe New Year!!

From The Bethpage Challenge Part IV: A Few More Gems From Deadman's Curve

Gentlemen:
The Bugatti is chassis no. 4700, a standard T35A with owner Walter Gerner. The car raced with some frequency in the prewar ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America), but to my knowledge did not appear at the Vanderbilt Cup Race. It may have been there as a spectator (Gerner lived on Long Island), but it did not race.
Sandy Leith
Registrar and Historian,
American Bugatti Club

From 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race: Photos from the Nassau County Division of Museum Services

Just when I think I’ve been through your whole site, here are more rare photos of the parkway. Next best thing to a time machine!

From The Bridges of the Vanderbilt Cup Races (1908-1910)

I agree with Ken the Long Island motor sports community seems to be dumped on all the time and it seem to be okay by those that preserve land. They all seem to forget that Long Island has a rich history in motorsports or is it they don’t want to be reminded. Thanks for saving this small piece.

From Old Bethpage Restoration Motor Parkway Bridge to Receive a Cleaning

Hi Wallace:

Wallace, thanks for the memory. Clarence Mackay claimed he opposed the marriage of his daughter Ellin to Irving Berlin because it “would never last”.

He was wrong. Ellin and Irving Berlin were married for 62 years until her death in 1988:

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/30/obituaries/ellin-berlin-85-a-novelist-dies-the-songwriter-s-wife-of-62-years.html

Howard

From Six Degrees of Willie K: The Mackay Horse Statue and Saturday's Cocktail Party