Vanderbilt Cup Races

Hi Mark:

Thank goodness Harry Grant was wearing the “Alco” sweater so that he could be identified.

In the 1911 Indy 500 Race, the Alco was assigned #19 but was the 17th car to start. There was not #13 car and #14 did not start the race.

Enjoy,

Howard

From The Alco at the 1911 Indy 500 Race

Great post, Howard! The shot of Harry in the ALCO sweater is priceless! Did he really run 19 in the race, or 17. I thought he started 17th, which would have determined his number…

Regardless, great post, great photos. You have a treasure in that wonderful, rolling piece of history.

From The Alco at the 1911 Indy 500 Race

Yowza Howard,

  I trust you’ll be “sympathetic”  to the restoration of this piece of history.

  Looking forward to seeing it at some time in the future.

  Nice to know that it was “saved”.

    Good Health to You and Yours, Bob Lovell

From Update: The Alco Black Beast Racing History

Awesome!

From The Restored Alco-6 Racer Returning to Long Island!

Howard, Congratulations on your purchase of the “Black Beast”!  You beat me out..I was taking donations towards the purchase. Just kidding. Its great to know that it will be in a museum. Looks like I need to do a road trip and check it out. A very happy 2009 to you and yours! Jan Lee

From Update: The Alco Black Beast Racing History

Congrats! Well deserved!

From The Henry Ford Museum Cites VanderbiltCupRaces.com

Hi Mitch,

You are correct. The two bridges appear less than 50 feet apart at Winchester Boulevard. The “two” Motor Parkways diverge farther apart as they approach Creedmor State Hospital.

Next week, I will post several 19020s and 1930s aerials of this section.

Enjoy,

Howard

From The Four-Lane Motor Parkway and an Aerial View of Queens in 1924

Richard:

It is a pleasure!

Howard

From The Dangerous Role of the Mechanician

my dad had a book about harry grant and the vanderbuilt cup race givin to him by his grandmother olive c lee, frank lee’s wife. i visited my dad one summer and came across the book, since it was his book and not mine, i decided to take pictures (cover to cover)of the book and try to locate one for myself and to pass on to my girls and my grand kids. my fathers house, which was frank and olives home, burnt down a few years back taking alot of the great photos of that era with it. could you point me in the right direction to find that book?

From Driver Profile: Harry Grant -Winner of the 1909 & 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races

thanks for keeping my great grampas name alive.. Frank Henry Lee~“mechanic”

From The Dangerous Role of the Mechanician

Hi Andrew:

Glad I could help! It was fun researching the photo’s history.

Enjoy,

Howard

From The Buick Team at the 1909 Lowell Races

Hi Howard,

The article says that the new road was diverted 1,800 feet north of the old road. Yet the picture of the overpasses shows them next to each other. I guess the 1,800-foot distance was not at the point of Winchester Blvd. Is there any way to know exactly where the old and the new roads lay?

Regards,

Mitch Kaften

From The Four-Lane Motor Parkway and an Aerial View of Queens in 1924

Howard thank you so much for the info and more on this mystery photo that’s been floating around the family for many years. It also proves that there may be a racer/gearhead gene as I have raced both motorcycles and cars for 20+ years, at the very least it’s another excuse to give the wife 😊 Happy New Year!

From The Buick Team at the 1909 Lowell Races

Hi Mike:

Thanks for the positive comment and suggestion.

Several of the images were given to me with the requirement that they could only be placed on the website with a watermark. When possible in future posts, I will try to obtain the rights to use images without watermarks.

Enjoy,

Howard

From The Four-Lane Motor Parkway and an Aerial View of Queens in 1924

I first met ‘Austin’ at one of the many car shows he was a fixture at around the Island.

One memorable one was typical of him. My wife and I were sitting in our Austin 10 having lunch during the 81 Glidden tour. Austin walked by and we offered him a glass of wine. “No thanks” he replied, “I’m on booze”. Later I looked in the back of his Lincoln Touring and the entire back seat was taken up with the largest cooler I had ever seen ... and it was full of various brands of “booze” bottles, ice bucket and glasses. 

I only went to the museum once when it was open, but then after the museum closed to the public in what I remember was 75, to several of the Iron Ranges there after with Walt Gosden.

I can remember one day spent doing a “dig” in a three foot high mound of dirt that had been a pile of old parts out in the yard behind the main building. Found quite a few small fittings still usable. Another time I was upstairs looking through parts shelves when all the lights suddenly went out and I was in near total darkness.

Austin would kill the lights, no mater who was where in the building, then yell “lunch” and start out the door to fire up the 20’s bus. He used it to drive all who would fit in it to lunch at John Ducks via the cemmitary next door to pay his respects. I was told it was the grave of his friend, the actor Gary Copper. Don’t know for certain,as the grave was only marked by a big rock.

After lunch it was back to the museum to try and .... I say try ... to buy any parts found because like Sal above found out, Austin wasn’t always in the mood to sell things. I learned that when turned down, you had to then hide your finds and at the next Iron range “re-find” them, then ask again. It was not uncommon that it took three or more tries to get Austin to agree to sell .. and when he finally did it was usually very cheap.

Fun times !!!! 

This has been another flash back for me because Wally McCarthy above gave me my first ride in a gas/brass era car buncing across Warren Krafts lawns in the front seat of Wally’s Locomobile.

Hey Wally - still got the Loco ?

Paul Fitzpatrick
Formally of Amityville

From What was the Long Island Automotive Museum?

Hi Howard,

You have a great web site and I appreciate all of the work you have put into it for my enjoyment.  The photos on your web site are of great value, but are almost impossible to view with any clarity since you have place a large watermark and ‘X’ on each photo.  Many of the photos are public domain or look like they were obtained from governmental agencies.  If so, is there a need to make the photo’s unviewable for your readers?  All of the photos on the Eastman Kodak archives web site are available to all viewers without watermarks.  I do not think that anyone will be taking your photos and developing a web site using them.

Your thoughts?

Mike Leahy, Cincinnati, Ohio

p.s.  A few years ago, I attended a family event and stayed in a motel on a street that was once part of the track.  I could almost hear the cars go by if I closed my eyes.

From The Four-Lane Motor Parkway and an Aerial View of Queens in 1924

Bob:

You are exactly right!

Howard

From The Four-Lane Motor Parkway and an Aerial View of Queens in 1924

Howard
north of bridge 4 on arieal photo little neck parkway, would that be what today is the Queens County Farmhouse Museum?

From The Four-Lane Motor Parkway and an Aerial View of Queens in 1924

Brooks:

Thanks for the email. It made my day!!

Happy Holidays to you and all the Vanderbilt Cup Race families!

Howard

From Update: The Alco Black Beast Racing History

Howard,

Thanks for the continued support of the Vanderbilt Cup history. You have single handily connected the Marston’s with their Great Grandfather, Harry Grant.  Thank you for this gift.

Happy Holidays to you and yours

From Update: The Alco Black Beast Racing History