Vanderbilt Cup Races

It is very creative and informative thanks for sharing this idea keep in touch in future updates

From Saturday Search: A Jericho Ford Fire Truck (Updated: 2/15/2015)

Ariejan Bos, Is it possible to identify to whom a circa 1930 Rolls Royce with plate # 2930-RO9 and a Lincoln, same era, with plate # 948-X-B were issued to ?. Believe they are French plates. Appreciate any help, thank you.

From Kleiner's Korner: A Light-Hearted View of the Automobile

Interesting challenge! The floating car is Bernin on his Renault. The image was taken from a photo during the 1905 Ormond Beach races (check the automotive collection of the Detroit Public Library!). The flying car is most probably a 1905 Fiat, though I couldn’t find the source of the image. The stunt car is a Pope-Harford and fairly new at the moment of the photo. I hope it was insured (although for the stunt engine power was not necessary of course ...). Coco’s car is a bit of a guess, but most likely a circa 1902 Panhard & Levassor. The Lacre was a well-known British make of commercial cars and thus literally a horse replacement. The three bears are taking their refreshments in a circa 1910 Apperson.
Finally the most challenging photo was the last one, which appears to show Bob Burman in his Buick during the 1909 Cobe Cup race. Photos of him are scarce, but Louis Chevrolet won the race on a similar Buick and these photos are abundant. The other car is a Winton of about the same age.

From Kleiner's Korner: A Light-Hearted View of the Automobile

This photo was taken in the 300 block of north 45th street in Milwaukee. When I was in high school in the late 70’s I had a friend that lived a block south of this location and I used to walk by this car all of the time. I had no clue what it was but thought it was the coolest car I had ever seen. I didn’t find out what it was until years later. The gentleman who owned it had a collection of odd vehicles on his property and was described by neighbors as a bit of a recluse. I don’t remember exactly when the car disappeared but the house was torn down years ago.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: Tucker 1043 -The Most Expensive Tucker '48 Ever Purchased at Auction

Nice find Greg, thanks again for sharing Vanderbilt history. The airfield on the plan is 900ft x 250ft, constrained within Vanderbilt Blvd and W Shore Rd. I recently landed from SFO-JFK that made it clearer how airports have advanced through the years. The JFK runway was 5000ft

From Greg O's Garage; A Flying 'Feild' at William K. Vanderbilt Sr's Idle Hour

Ran out of research time this weekend so I’m going with some guesses. Could this be Foxhall Keene, who was not only an accomplished race car driver, but was also a champion polo player and proficient in equestrian riding, football, shooting, and tennis. And also a millionaire stock broker. Still guessing: the car could be Keene’s Mercedes racer with which he participated in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup but did not finish due to a broken axle.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: William Wallace Jr. and the #19 FIAT

- There were several gentleman drivers in that era but this one is likely William Wallace.
- William Wallace was the only Vanderbilt Race commissioner to drive in the races.
- Fiat
- 18th place (last) in the1904 Vanderbilt Cup race.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: William Wallace Jr. and the #19 FIAT

Great Picture, Tucker # 1044 looking good in 1993

From Rare 1993 image of Tucker 1044 with owner Skip Groh

Long Island has 2 great aircraft museums, Cradle of Aviation and American Air Power (and for anyone who doesn’t know, the latter, at Republic Airport, has a number of planes that still fly), but no automotive museum.  I wish we did, perhaps on Museum Row - this one closed 12 years before I moved to Long Island.

From Greg O's Garage: An "S" from the Long Island Automotive Museum Sign

It would be fun to see the owner bring the painting on the Antique Roadshow!

From Update: The Hunt for the "Godfather" Train Painting is Over

I’m thinking that this “gentleman driver” might be William Wallace.  Just surmising that maybe he was called that, and what made him unique was that he was the only Vanderbilt commissioner board member that also drove in a race.  The car looks like it could be the 90 hp Fiat.  The exhaust headers coming out of the side seem to substantiate this.  This car finished last (18th) in the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: William Wallace Jr. and the #19 FIAT

Gary, thanks! That’s the “hazard” of not proof-reading! H.A. Kroplick

From The centerpiece of Alva Belmont Vanderbilt's Beacon Towers in Sands Point was this Joan of Arc Statue

One slight correction, her husband was Oliver HAZARD Perry Belmont (1858-1908).

From The centerpiece of Alva Belmont Vanderbilt's Beacon Towers in Sands Point was this Joan of Arc Statue

I was there in the mid 60s with my parents.
I still remember that glass entryway. The gift shop and the Amazing cars. I remember it being a bit dark inside this building. My dad bought a blue bugatti type 35 MOY matchbox car for me. We were treated to a ride on the Stutz firetruck on some dirt roads behind the museum.and I had a blast with the hand crank siren.there were some double decker buses kind of abandoned that I checked out in the back as well.
Years later in the Mid 80s I found it abandoned but still an ancient Gulf tanker truck from the teens parked outside rusting away….some great memories there - thanks for the article!

From Greg O's Garage: An "S" from the Long Island Automotive Museum Sign

Looks like there are two towers registered with the FCC here both with a registration address of 127 Burrs Lane.  Registrants/owners are Crown-Castle USA, Pinnacle Towers, LLC and Holmes Farms, LLC.  The first two are subsidiaries of one another.  Towers are listed as 99.1 feet and 100.3 feet.  For more info: https://www.city-data.com/towers/cell-Dix-Hills-New-York.html#mapFCC_Antenna_towers

From Greg O's Garage: Newly discovered Motor Parkway remnants in Wheatley Heights

Brian,

Tower height is only critical for FM (and pre-digital TV).  Notice the tower has a concrete foundation, typical to support a tall, heavy tower.  It’s possible this stick is higher than the original AM one was.

From Greg O's Garage: Newly discovered Motor Parkway remnants in Wheatley Heights

I’m wrong, this is a lattice tower. But not a particular wide one, guess it doesn’t need to be.

From Greg O's Garage: Newly discovered Motor Parkway remnants in Wheatley Heights

Here’s the nearest screenshots I could capture of this now Cell Tower. This is a steel pole, perhaps the original tower was a lattice type.

From Greg O's Garage: Newly discovered Motor Parkway remnants in Wheatley Heights

November 27th, 1911.  The Vanderbilt Cup Race in Savannah GA.  The car is a Lozier driven by Ralph Mulford (“The Gumdrop Kid”)j.  The mechanician is Billy Chandler.  They won the race averaging 73.4 mph.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: Mulford and Chandler winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I can’t answer the questions but I can point out that this photo is a great example of the leaning or rolling shutter distortion that occurs with focal plane shutters. Since different sections of the photo are exposed at slightly different times, a fast moving object like our race car seems to lean. In this photo it is most pronounced in the front tires. They are closest to the camera and moving through the focal plane very quickly. Anyone interested in this phenomenon should look it up on Wikipedia. The explanation is a bit too technical for this short space.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: Mulford and Chandler winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race