Vanderbilt Cup Races

I have yet to see the book in person - the author was in contact when he was working on it for information. What I do find very disturbing is the comment by Jay Leno on the cover “I think you will find this book a refreshing change from “the usual books"about coach builders and their car “.
I think that is a dire insult to all the books that paved he way for any of us to understand what coach builders had to face from horse drawn era up into the 1970s. “usual books” !!?? how many books on specific coach builders have been written in the past 65 years ?  Long island’s own Hugo Pfau of Centerport was a pioneer in writing a book on coach builders and used the journals specific to coach builders in the era as reference that are in the NY Public Library in Manhattan. I was friends with many of the authors of books on coach builders : Fred Roe, Lawrence Dalton ( of England who I met at the R-R Club library in that country to do research with) John A. Conde, all had books that focused primarily on coach building efforts and examples. Nothing “usual” about them, we are all so fortunate that they got into print.

From 1937 Chrysler's Chrysler included in Matthew Kilkenny's new book "Detroit Steel Artists"

It was a great show with outstanding weather , and enough breeze to keep the sun tolerable. The best part for me beyond the cars was to see so many friends in person after the long period of time when we all had to cope with inactivity because of the Covid pandemic. Nice to meet face to face and exchange some words. Some people I have known my whole life - Ken Spillman in his 1932 Franklin sedan from Ridge ( he grew up here in Floral Park about a 5 minute walk from me ).
Also to see “Howard the K” and his Mustangs of the Day!
I was absolutely delighted to meet in person the daughter of a friend Roy Jaffe who was a stylist/designer at G.M. in the very early 1950s and we both were long time members of a Classic Car Club ( pre 1948 cars) . I had never met her before despite visiting Roy at his home and going for rides in his cars, seeing the amazing art work he did and spending hours talking to him about it ( all done by hand not computers and using an air brush etc) . I hope she reads this - Meredith you are as wonderful and noble as your father , have his same demeanor , intelligence and sincere interest in cars.

From Highlights from the Old Westbury Gardens Car Show

My father, who was a member of SAE (he was an aeronautical engineer whose car hauling trailer design in the early 1950’s was revolutionary - the Troyler), eventually had a Master Toolmaker working for him.  This gentleman had 2 hobbies - local (Scranton PA area history, and building scale model steam engines.  They worked, were really working art, though he only ran them on compressed air.  Apparently born in 1895, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’d worked on steam cars or locomotives.  I knew him in the early to mid 1970’s - he was an amazing craftsman, whose favorite tool was a lathe.  I remember him, using his favorite lathe, taking valves meant for a tractor engine, and cutting them down into the exact dimensions needed for a RR Springfield P1 (aluminum head) engine.

From Greg O's Garage: Joe Tracy and the Society of Automotive Engineers

Thanks for the insight David!  And Brian, I’ll try to get the name of the legal team the horse used just in case! 

Here’s an interesting comparison the Maxwell company used to justify the use of the automobile over the horse.  Check out the gas and oils costs for the auto.  Wonder what the comparison would look like now.

From Kleiner's Korner: Preparing the Horse for the Automobile (Part 2)

Couldn’t even hear the engine of the Mustang lll next to the Challenger…even from sitting in the Mustang’s driver’s seat!

From Highlights from the Old Westbury Gardens Car Show

Well, in the early 1900’s a sighting of an automobile by a horse may have been as odd as seeing a spaceship landing.  So kudos to that horse for passing the desensitizing trials passing that motorcar.  (We’ll just have to trust the writer of that story that it succeeded as well as it did.)  As for me, I spent over 10 years as an NYPD mounted policeman in midtown manhattan, so I can sympathize with such circumstances.  Although a specially qualified mount is indeed key, it is amazing how some horses are able to adapt and even thrive in an urban and heavily trafficked environment.  Knowing the limits of yourself and your horse is important.  A safe tour for him was my top responsibility and an apple at the end of his shift was his reward that he never failed to earn.

From Kleiner's Korner: Preparing the Horse for the Automobile (Part 2)

Like how time and patience trials were done for Horses to become more at ease. And the Horse had the best legal team I ever heard of : )

From Kleiner's Korner: Preparing the Horse for the Automobile (Part 2)

Can I please grumble and gripe about something here on our blog for a moment? For years I was able to attend the Greenwich Concours at a fair price. For the first couple of years it was $5.00 for admission and they handed out box lunches to all attendees. The ticket price went up over the years but was still doable. Now the auction guys have taken over and it cost $75 to get in or $150 with my wife!!! No I didn’t go this time (went to Old Westbury gardens instead) The concours tickets around the country are outrageous. $75 at Greenwich, $150 at Amelia Island, $425 at Pebble Beach, but at Pebble if you don’t buy till August it is $525!!!!
I know some of this money goes to charity BUT really why are excluding your average income car guy or like me a fixed income retiree? Is this troubling anyone else?

From The Motor Parkway House in Central Park (Bethpage) Updated: June 25, 2014

I tried to find more info about the Motor Parkway House and Mathias Romscho. Below are articles - In 1941, he’s being awarded with a 25 year badge as a member & commissioner of the Bethpage Fire Department, the shorter of the 2 in the photo. He passed away in January 1949.

From The Motor Parkway House in Central Park (Bethpage) Updated: June 25, 2014

Additional detail pertaining to the Vanderbilt Cup Race movie shown at the Cincinnati Auto Show held January, 1907.  I’m assuming the movie was about the 1906 race since the article was from the January, 1907 edition of “The Spokesman and Harness World” magazine.

From Kleiner's Korner: How The Entertainment Business Brought The Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Races to the Public (Part 1)

The auto is the Mercedes 300 SLR entered in the 1955 Le Mans race driven by Sterling Moss and Juan Fangio. (DNF)                                                  The hauler is the Mercedes Renntransporter nicknamed “The Blue Wonder”  It was scrapped in the late 1960’s, understand it was recently rebuilt;  It was said to have a top speed in excess of 100 MPH.  It’s primary purpose was to get back and forth to the race circuits very quickly. While it appears to be a tractor trailer combo, it is not. An unusual feature of the hauler is how far out the cab extends from the front wheels.

From Mystery Friday Foto #23 Solved: A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR W196S on top of the Mercedes-Benz "Blue Wonder" hauler

Barney Oldfield’s private shipping car in which he transported his automobiles and promoted Firestone tires.  The arrow points to Oldfield and his wife. 
From “The Spokesman and Harness World” of July, 1910.

From Mystery Foto #28 Solved: Barney Oldfield in the 1909 Christie Racer which established the 102.6 mph Indy lap record in 1916

That’s a 1955 Mercedes Benz 300-SLR. I believe it was originally built to compete in Formula-1 racing. It is significant today because a 1956 SLR Coupe recently sold for $142 million dollars, making it the most expensive car in the world. The hauler is a 1955 Mercedes Benz Renntransporter built by Mercedes to transport its racers from venue to venue as quickly as possible. It was nicknamed “The Blue Wonder” and was considered the fastest racing car hauler in the world. After Mercedes withdrew from racing, it was ultimately sent to the crusher in 1967. An exact replica was built in 2001 by Mercedes and now resides in the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

From Mystery Friday Foto #23 Solved: A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR W196S on top of the Mercedes-Benz "Blue Wonder" hauler

LeMans 55 crash

Leno probably

even clones are ridiculous prices

From Mystery Friday Foto #23 Solved: A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR W196S on top of the Mercedes-Benz "Blue Wonder" hauler

P.S.
The hauler is in the M-B museum, although used for traveling exhibits, along with the other Uhlenhaut Coupe..

From Mystery Friday Foto #23 Solved: A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR W196S on top of the Mercedes-Benz "Blue Wonder" hauler

The 1955 M-B 300 SLR roadster was built to compete for the 1955 World Sports Car Championship. One of the roadsters was involved in the tragic LeMans disaster in 1955. Daimler-Benz made two road-legal 300 SLR coupés, known today as Uhlenhaut Coupés, named for Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the head of M-B racing, and used by him as personal transport. One of the two surviving Uhlenhaut Coupes recently sold for $142,000,000!
The hauler is the 1954-55 M-B Renntransporter, known as Das blaue Wunder. It could make it’s way down the Autobahn, fully loaded, at 130+ mph, powered by what was, essentially, the same motor as that of the 300 SLR it carried.

From Mystery Friday Foto #23 Solved: A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR W196S on top of the Mercedes-Benz "Blue Wonder" hauler

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300-SLR (Sport Light Racing) racer.  Built to race in the 1955 World Sportscar Championship. 

The coupe version of the 300-SLR was sold on May 5 at a public auction in Germany for $142 million breaking the record of vehicles sold at public auction. 

The hauler is the Mercedes Renntransporter, nicknamed the “Silver Arrow Rapid Deployment Team” and prompted as “The Fastest Racing Car Hauler in the World”.  Acted as transporter and mobile workshop during racing events. 

History: (from “Automotive Evolution.com”)
Built in 1954 as Germany was coming out of its recession after WWII.  Aside from racing events, at the end of 1955 it was part of a tour around America to be featured in a number of car shows.

“Thanks to its gathered fame, the original intention was for it to be placed in the old Mercedes-Benz Museum while carrying a 300 SLR, but because the combined weight of the two cars would have exceeded the load-bearing capacity of the building’s floor, the idea was dropped.

After a small stint of doing special jobs which helped the road-testing of prototype cars, the world’s fastest racing car transporter was finally scrapped in December 1967. Since there weren’t any plans available for the vehicle’s construction, its legend remained forgotten until 1993, when Mercedes-Benz Classics decided to rebuild it based on all the classic photos and old information that could be gathered. Expert builders spent almost 6000 hours of work and after seven long years the Renntransporter was finally rebuilt from scratch.

Today:  The rebuilt hauler is in the Mercedes-Benz Museum, hauling a 300 SLR for eternity.

From Mystery Friday Foto #23 Solved: A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR W196S on top of the Mercedes-Benz "Blue Wonder" hauler

Yes Frank, I guess the driver could have been thrown in the water as shown in the article.  But still wondering about which car it is - Mercedes or a De Dietrich.

From Kleiner's Korner: Three Accidents Involving Motor Parkway Celebrities

1954/55 Mercedes hauler is Blue. Used to haul the #00 SLR team cars. After the 1955 LeMans wreck Mercedes gave this pair to the Ford Museum. Some years later when the Mercedes Factory Museum got going they asked for the truck back, I saw it a number of times at the Sports Car Review show in the Ford Museum

From Mystery Friday Foto #23 Solved: A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR W196S on top of the Mercedes-Benz "Blue Wonder" hauler

Art, NEAR Lake Success. That’s water in the background

From Kleiner's Korner: Three Accidents Involving Motor Parkway Celebrities