Vanderbilt Cup Races

The drivetrain was a FWD system simular to the 1966 Olds Tornado but with a Pontiac 287 V8, not base on a Corair drivetrain system use in 1959.
Chuck Jordan was head designer of GMC design team.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

Thanks for the comments and further input.  Glad you found it interesting.

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

That is an odd curve to the left there.  The route is northbound Woodbury road to a left turn to go westbound onto Jericho turnpike.  But ordinarily you’d be able to continue straight to keep going north on Woodbury road but we don’t see that viable here.  It’s an embanked left with no way to go straight.  I think that just for this race they created the embankment and turnoff we see here in the picture.  Similar to the turnoff where racers came off the Motor Parkway to northbound route 107 in the 1909 and 19010 VCR’s.

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

As always, cool info Art. I either read this or told by others, it wasn’t uncommon for people to picnic within cemeteries ( when visiting a relatives grave ) in the past. Neat that the church building hasn’t changed much at all up till now.

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

That is quite a beautiful church inside and out. We rented it in 2002 for our wedding.

The priest was not included, he was a separate order.

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

Art. Thanks for the interesting story about the 1908 race and this location. Why was the race called off ? Regarding the picture titled “The race is on”, it appears that the race car is heading west coming out of a curve and a bit of a down slope grade. I suppose that over the past 115 years, Jericho Tpke. has gone through many re configurations because there is no curve there now. Or is that a left hand turn off Woodbury Road onto Jericho Tpke.?

From Kleiner's Korner: An Enterprising Church on the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

1- 1955 GMC L’Universelle Dream Truck
2- Designed by Chuck Jordan
3- Sadly after its show life she was dismantled by GM

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

That’s the 1955 GMC concept car “L’Universelle”. It was designed by Harley Earl with assists from Charles Jordan and Philip Monaghan. According to a Motortrend article from 9/1/2003 by Don Keefe, the car has disappeared without a trace.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

This is the 1955 GMC L’Universelle concept van. It wasdesigned by the GMC Division design team under direction of Charles Jordan, to go on display at the GM Motorarma
first at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, then other cites afterward.
Where is this van tody? unknown?
This was on my Facebook site just recently, I made comment of those thin WWs that was use on later cars.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

It looks a lot like the Corvair based concepts of the 50’s. I would guess it is General Motors.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

This was on my Facebook website recently, Check out my comment about the WWs.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

1955 GMC L’Universalle - predecessor to the Chevy Corvair vans

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

1955 GMC l’universelle Dream Truck.designed by
Harley Earl and Charles Jordon

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

The World Record for electric cars set by Camille Jenatzy on April 29, 1899 was 65.79 mph. That record was finally broken by steam powered car on April 13, 1903 driven by Leon Serpollet at 75.6 mph. The first American to set a world record was Henry Ford on January 13, 1904 at 91.37 mph.
The Riker Torpedo record was an American record, not a world record.

From Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

That’s a “tongue in cheek” menu for sure.

From Greg O's Garage; What's for Dinner? The 1901 Annual Long Island Automobile Club Dinner Menu

1955 GMC L’Universelle Motorama Concept Vehicle, debuted at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC, January, 1955 (if memory serves me correctly). Was designed by Chuck Jordan highlighting key styling designs of the soon to be released 1955 GMC Blue Chip Truck lineup (and the similar Chevy Task Force lineup). While efforts were taken to try to make this a production vehicle, it never materialized this way (the closest it came was in the production Covair 95 vans offered 1961-1965). The fate of the L’Universelle is a mystery after the Motorama show; it was never seen again and it’s been assumed destroyed (assumed junked at Warhoops salvage like many other GM concept vehicles).

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

1955 GMC L’Universelle.  Designed by Charles Jordan under the direction of Harley Earl.  This was a concept vehicle only and never made it to production.

From Mystery Friday Foto #29 Solved: A unique 'Mini' van- the 1955 GMC L'Universelle Dream Truck

Arriving late but I had suspected the Ellison Rd/LIRR bridge in Westbury looking N. I have no other info

From Mystery Friday Foto #28 Solved: The G-22 Chalmers-Detroit descending the Ellison Road Bridge in Westbury

I can’t peg this car to a specific Vanderbilt race for some reason.  To me it looks like a 1908 Mercedes.  A shot in the dark for the driver is Christian Lautenschlager doing a practice run for the Grand Prix race.  I might be a bit more lucky on the guess for the location.  The photographer is facing north on Ellison road in Westbury as the car is coming down from the railroad bridge.

From Mystery Friday Foto #28 Solved: The G-22 Chalmers-Detroit descending the Ellison Road Bridge in Westbury

Not at all confident with this guess but it could be the #20 Knox racer driven by William Bourque during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race on October 24, 1908. I think the photographer was facing north on Ellison Road just south of the LIRR bridge.

From Mystery Friday Foto #28 Solved: The G-22 Chalmers-Detroit descending the Ellison Road Bridge in Westbury