Vanderbilt Cup Races

Having personally been able to review the Helck material in Howard’s possession, I can attest to the variety and detail provided in the collection.  Maggie’s donation of the flags are a very welcome addition.  There is so much material to review reflecting on Peter’s professional and personal life it would take years to properly document what is there. Howard, Greg, Graham and I have hopefully (and will continue to) do just that.  Thank you Maggie for your donation, I hope you enjoyed reviewing your grandfather’s legacy.

From Greg O's Garage: Maggie Helck discovers two 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race flags

Wow those flags are something, can’t wait for the checkered flag to show up.

From Greg O's Garage: Maggie Helck discovers two 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race flags

I had read that the federal opposition was from the Was Department which was concerned that the bridge could/would interfere with passage of warships that in the future might exceed the bridge’s clearances.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 1939 Planned Brooklyn-Battery Bridge

The photographer is looking north up Wheatley Road in Old Westbury. The driver is Felice Nazzaro in his #8 Fiat. He is having a practice run before the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race turning from Wheatley Road onto Old Westbury Road.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury

Greg, Your right of course,  regarding the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and FDR was made aware of the fact. Plus, he was told that even a direct hit on Moses bridge would not bring it down. Only the destruction of the bridge’s cables would cause that.  The constant pressure from his wife ended by FDR. saying the “military” were against the building the bridge. Moses knew about her role and it was said he was furious and lashed out and called her all kinds on names, not publicly of course. It wasn’t until after she died he made some negative comments about her.

From Greg O's Garage: The 1930 Motor Parkway license plate/season ticket holders Part 3

Very nice!

From Greg O's Garage: Maggie Helck discovers two 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race flags

Wow, quite possibly James Remsen in 1906! The heavier dowel on the red flag matches the photo precisely. Maggie Helck’s contribution to the Helck Family Archives has secured these historic items after surviving 117 years. Simply amazing!

From Greg O's Garage: Maggie Helck discovers two 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race flags

Fantastic find and provenance!

From Greg O's Garage: Maggie Helck discovers two 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race flags

I think we might be looking at an artist’s rendering of the #8 Fiat driven by Felice Nazzaro. We are looking north up Glen Cove Road in Old Westbury as Nazzaro enters the hairpin turn onto Old Westbury Road. Since there are no spectators, this is probably a test run for the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race sometime around the first week of October, 1906.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury

From Greg O.

Al, so very true, but it was an extremely weak argument since the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges were already there with the same potential problem.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 1939 Planned Brooklyn-Battery Bridge

Steve, The primary reason for FDR’s opposition for the bridge was that in the event of a war the bridge would be a target for destruction and essentially landlocking the the Brooklyn Navy Yard. By the way, it was his wife that first suggested that he oppose the building the bridge.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 1939 Planned Brooklyn-Battery Bridge

One wonders whether the biggest problem with the proposal was that it wasn’t made by Robert Moses.  Right behind that, he might have had less control, and control / power were very important to him.

The NSP as built is, IMHO, an awful road - but then again, the SSP is even worse!

From Kleiner's Korner: The Velocci Papers Part 2 - The 1929 Proposal to Retrofit the Motor Parkway

Howard, you’ve educated us on Tuckers in a way no one else had.  Beautiful, amazing cars - including yours, of course.  Happy New Year!

From Conceptcarz.com Profile: 1948 Tucker 48 1044

Hello Frank,
From what I’ve read, I believe the exit ramp tower was proposed to be physically on Governors Island unlike the mystery photo depiction. That’s probably why the Army got involved and FDR nixed the idea.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 1939 Planned Brooklyn-Battery Bridge

1906.  Wheatly Rd turn west onto Old Westbury Rd. 
Photo facing North East. 
Absolutely love this picture.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury

This is Felice Nazzaro driving the #8 Fiat during a practice run before the 1906 Vanderbilt cup race.  The photographer/artist is facing north as the racer is headed southbound on Wheatley rd making a right at the “hairpin turn” to go northwest onto Old Westbury rd.  The photo was take sometime shortly before the October 6th 1906 VCR.  I do not know when the artist’s rendition of it was created.  The fact that this was a right turn really narrowed the search down for me.  A November 18th, 2017 vanderbiltcupraces.com entry shows corroborating information about this “hairpin turn”.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury

Steve - great photo of the proposed circular exit ramp tower. I wonder if Moses was planning a short bridge or tunnel to access the island from the tower?

Just missed at the top right corner of the mystery photo is the Trylon and Perisphere at the 1939 NY World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows Corona Park,

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 1939 Planned Brooklyn-Battery Bridge

Very neat car!  And kind of crazy history! 

Are there yet more prototypes still out there?

From Video of the Week: Barn Find Hunter: The early Mustang that was owned by Henry Ford II

Thats a 1939 simplistic rendering of the Brooklyn Battery Bridge that Robert Moses wanted to build. It was well on it’s way to be built. It took the President of the United States to stop it’s construction. Unknown to most backers of the bridge, If built it meant the destruction of Castle Clinton and Battery Park.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 1939 Planned Brooklyn-Battery Bridge

This was the Robert Moses’ planned suspension bridge from Bklyn to the Battery that, fortunately, wasn’t built. Instead, the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was built, which opened in 1950; it accounts for the name Triboro Bridge and TUNNEL authority.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 1939 Planned Brooklyn-Battery Bridge