Vanderbilt Cup Races

Amazing Sharp Arrow details here. Are there any facts regarding the 1910 Savannah race accident? Life-long efforts to produce this racing machine suddenly came to a halt.. I suspect inadequate road preparations or just poor weather conditions. Splendid documentation Ariejan Bos.

From Mystery Friday Foto #13 Solved: #J13 Maxwell and #G28 Sharp-Arrow competing in the 1908 Sweepstakes at the Bloomingdale Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Another correction, It’s now Chas. Rothmann’s Steakhouse.
I know the granddaughter of the portly bald gent in black as Paul Rothmann who owns the ‘56 Caddy. he trades in every year for a new Caddy from Mitchell Olds Cadillac. he and his three? brothers ran Rothmann’s them days.
The developer I had mention was just a new owner of the place and had the motel built and was a co-owner with Burt Bacharach using his name for the place.

From Greg O’s Garage: Rare photos from the collection of Henry Austin Clark, Jr. Part 2

Love that Pierce-Arrow,,,

From Greg O’s Garage: Rare photos from the collection of Henry Austin Clark, Jr. Part 2

Love the photos, nice clear images!

From Greg O's Garage: Rare photos from collection of Henry Austin Clark Jr. Part 1

Any chance the Mercedes Simplex driven by Harry Harkness a 60 hp automobile that won the first race up Mt. Washington could be in existence somewhere? Or any cars that were driven by Harry Harkness especially the one he raced Henry Ford in an exhibition? See LegendarySteinway.com

From Direct from Stuggart: The Two "Oldest Surviving" Mercedes Automobile

Tis was the shortcut going from aunt’s house on Foxcroth Rd to uncle’s house on Crandell Dr, Mineola.  Thanks for the memories.

From Greg O's Garage: Plans and aerials that document the removal of the Motor Parkway railroad bridges in Nassau County

Thanks Gary.

From Greg O's Garage: Plans and aerials that document the removal of the Motor Parkway railroad bridges in Nassau County

Art, Yes, your article was from Newsday, February 24, 1978, p.27.

From Greg O's Garage: Plans and aerials that document the removal of the Motor Parkway railroad bridges in Nassau County

I think that’s the number J13 Maxwell with Charles See driving alongside L. B. Lorimar driving a Maxwell. See finished 4th. in the jericho Sweepstakes while Lorimar finished 6th. in the Garden City Sweepstakes, two of the five concurrently run races that took place on October 10, 1908. The bridge could be the Bloomingdale Road “highway bridge” over the LIMP.

From Mystery Friday Foto #13 Solved: #J13 Maxwell and #G28 Sharp-Arrow competing in the 1908 Sweepstakes at the Bloomingdale Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Great for too many impaired drivers who are causing too many deaths and destruction!
The Tesla ‘semi’-autonomous driving gives false information to drivers that they can close their eyes or play with their cellphones while driving. NO! Is why too many Tesla’s are involved in accidents.

From I have seen the future: Take a ride in the Waymo

The photo shows two contestants in the Long Island Motor Parkway Sweepstakes, held on October 10, 1908. The Maxwell with J13 participated in the Jericho Sweepstakes and would complete only 3 out of 6 rounds ending up on 4th place. The other car is the Sharp Arrow with G28, which participated in the Garden City Sweepstakes for stock cars costing from $2.001,- to $3.000,-. This car in the hands of William G. Sharp would win by a large margin of just under 40 minutes. In the main category, the Motor Parkway Sweepstakes for cars costing over $4.000,- this car would have ended on 3rd place! Motor Age in their 15 October issue showed the Sharp Arrow as the ‘Dark Horse’ of the race. Almost 6 months later the Sharp Arrow was disqualified following a protest, because the car appeared to be a specially built racing car and not a stock car, demanding that at least 10 chassis of the competing car must have been previously built. In the meantime the Sharp Arrow had started production with the slogan: “Speed King of American Stock Cars”! The advert in the Cycle & Automobile Trade Journal of February 1909 clearly predated the granted protest. The Sharp Arrow as a make would only have a short life, as William Sharp together with his riding mechanic Albert Fuches would be killed on the final day of practice for the 1910 Savannah Grand Prize and the make went down with him.

From Mystery Friday Foto #13 Solved: #J13 Maxwell and #G28 Sharp-Arrow competing in the 1908 Sweepstakes at the Bloomingdale Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Very nicely done

From Greg O's Garage: Plans and aerials that document the removal of the Motor Parkway railroad bridges in Nassau County

Interesting stuff, Greg.  Thanks for posting.  And thank you Pat for providing the documentation.  Here’s a Feb., 1978 about the Williston Park Bridge removal, possibly from Newsday.  Last paragraph - “The bridge has not apparent historical or practical value”.  I beg to differ!

From Greg O's Garage: Plans and aerials that document the removal of the Motor Parkway railroad bridges in Nassau County

Race results.

From Mystery Friday Foto #13 Solved: #J13 Maxwell and #G28 Sharp-Arrow competing in the 1908 Sweepstakes at the Bloomingdale Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Sept 10, 1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes. J-13 Maxwell driven by Charles See, finished 4th for the Jericho team. The other racer’s radiator resembles a Mercedes-Simplex (bottom photo below), so possibly the P-43 Simplex driven by Frank Lescault, finished 4th for Motor Parkway team. Radiator does not resemble the winning P-42 Isotta driven by Herbert Lytle (middle photo below).

Racers just passed under the Bloomingdale Road highway bridge (1908-1948) in today’s Levittown.

From Mystery Friday Foto #13 Solved: #J13 Maxwell and #G28 Sharp-Arrow competing in the 1908 Sweepstakes at the Bloomingdale Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Great post Greg. Special thanks to Ron Ridolph for the 1983 captures. Sad day in Motor Parkway history.

From Greg O's Garage: Plans and aerials that document the removal of the Motor Parkway railroad bridges in Nassau County

Ok, I believe that this is the 1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes held on October 10th.  The car on the left is a Maxwell driven by Charles See.  The vehicle finished 4th (only completed 3 laps) in the “Jericho” sweepstakes race of the day.  The “J” on the front of the car helped identify this race, car and driver here.  As for the other car on the right, this was a little more difficult for me to solve.  I’m going to say its the Sharp Arrow driven by H.W. Sharp as part of the “Garden City” sweepstakes race.  It finished first here in 1908 but was disqualified the following year.  So now my best guess on the bridge in the background is the Station #80 highway bridge (Bloomingdale rd bridge).  The photographer is pretty much facing west.  The curve immediately after the bridge, the scene of flat plains absent of trees seem to corroborate my guess.  Also, I believe in the background of the overpass just to the right of the gathered crowd we might be able to see the water pump tower that was situated to the northwest of the bloomingdale rd bridge.

From Mystery Friday Foto #13 Solved: #J13 Maxwell and #G28 Sharp-Arrow competing in the 1908 Sweepstakes at the Bloomingdale Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Bloomingdale road?

From Mystery Friday Foto #13 Solved: #J13 Maxwell and #G28 Sharp-Arrow competing in the 1908 Sweepstakes at the Bloomingdale Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Great recent shots Dave Russo! Yes it is an incredible stretch of Motor Parkway that still exists today. I’ve been there. It’s amazing that it’s still there untouched!
Fabulous photo collection from Ron Ridolph documenting the Motor Parkway’s status in 1983, including removal of the LIMP RR bridges and of the Eastern Terminus at the Petit Trianon. Amazing work by all!

From Mystery Friday Foto #12 Solved; The Oyster Bay LIRR Bridge Williston Park & East Williston Abutment

Tesla has autonomous driving nationwide but not in taxi form. Autonomous travel is the way towards the future and safest means of automobile travel today, but it’s not perfect (still some bugs that need sorting out.) Travel would be even safer if all cars were autonomous. Unnerving experience at first while sitting in one of these cars. This technology is just a stepping stone towards the future of auto travel that will eventually become obsolete.

From I have seen the future: Take a ride in the Waymo