Vanderbilt Cup Races

The woody is a ‘36 Ford, distinguished by its grille and horn grilles.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Greg,... Chapter 2. In 1926 a L.R. Dugan came on board as the third officer, he didn’t last long, gone by 1927 and was replace by L.E. Smith in 1928. In 1929 W. Bush and E. Gronroos came on board, by this time the Parkway was opened to Nassau Blvd. At this point the Parkway Police Force consisted of 5 officers, 4 motorcycles and a Ford automobile police car. At the time the Parkway police force was larger than some Nassau County Village police departments. By 1932 it appears it was completely shut down.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Wanted to share a watercolor painting I did recently. This art is based on a 95 year old B & W photo my father working on a Model T Ford. And yes I know the old story about Model Ts being available only in black but that is only half true. Early Model Ts were available in various color but not in black. Then in their midlife they were sold only in black because the paint dried faster (maybe true). In the later years of the “T” once again they were available in colors.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Greg, Parkway Police Force….. On July 29,1924 Vanderbilt wrote the Parkway’s General Manager, A.J. Kienzle, instructing him to establish a Parkway Police Force ASAP. On Aug. 24, 1924 Thomas Zinze became the Parkway’s first Motorcycle officer. His work schedule was seven days a week with one day off every other week. ( He could not take off on weekends and holidays.) His hours were from 10 AM to 8 PM and was paid $140 per month. A short time later, Arvie Ericson, brother of the Ronkonkoma Lodgekeeper, became the second motorcycle cop on the Parkway.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

The ‘S’ turn about 1 mile east of the Brentwood entrance at Wheeler May have played a role in the Wells wreck.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Petting Parties is a completely new phrase to me….

From Kleiner's Korner: Petting Parties on the Motor Parkway

Vic- Yes, you’re absolutely correct. I hadn’t spotted that, thanks.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Oh so interesting and tragic….

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

The first unidentified wreck (McCamish coll.)  is another view of the July 6, 1931 wreck seen at top, Cadillac and Ofc. Zinze.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

“New York Times” article of May 30, 1924 describing Well’s 1924 attempt at Indy, which failed.  Interesting side note of the offer of parts made by fellow driver Early Dempsey who also could not race. 

And Wells’ not so stellar racing career as reported by racingreference.com.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Additional information concerning Fred Wells and his attempts to race at Indy.  From “The Indianapolis Times” of April, 1925.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

I believe that photos B and C depict the same car, with interesting rectangular designs under the doors. It also has the CT plate 1799 that my g’gfather Charles Somers Miller claims belonged to his cars from as early as 1915 (his journals are available online; he owned several Fords over the years). The inscription on the back of one of the photos gives the date of the picture as 1911 along with the event location.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Vanity car?  What was going on in the minds at H & M?

From Restoration Update -July 30,2021: 1962 Holman Moody Challenger III' s windshield and gas tanks

Mystery Foto #29… Just to clarify things car B and car C are the same car, possibly a Dodge Brothers touring car. That’s all I’ve got right now. Maybe more later

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Being able to see such a group of amazing cars at one time would be remarkable.  FYI, I think it’s the first I’ve seen of that Hawk - beautiful lines.  Fits in well with the other cars.

Ron

From Update: Highlights from the Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society meeting at Waterfront at Roslyn

Car A is a 1910 Maxwell model E touring;
Car B and C are probably the same car, which is a 1916 Overland model 83 touring.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

There were Petting Parties, but no dogs or cats ? I’m confused. LOL
I do believe the people were there to watch the Submarine Races.

From Kleiner's Korner: Petting Parties on the Motor Parkway

Talk about a private road, I recently was informed by a facebook commentator that an (or all) insurance company (ies) would not cover a motorist while driving the Motor Parkway in the event of an accident. The insurance company deemed the parkway as a raceway instead.

From Mystery Foto #27 Solved: Tommy Zinzi policing the Motor Parkway in front of the Meadow Brook Lodge

Mark, excellent reporting. Great to see Marty is recovering. Howard

From Update July 20 2021: A visit to see Marty Himes and the Himes Museum of Automobile Nostagia

I just went to to see Marty Himes this afternoon at his place in Bay Shore, THE OLD BOY DOING WELL! I’ been letting Marty’s daughter Nancy Himes Johnson who is in a relationship with a neighbor living my Co-op garden apt. complex to let him know about the horror story going about on about him, He explained Marty got into a seizure while driving and crash his van (into a tree) went to former Winthrop hospital in Mineola for a week, had three fractured ribs below his chest and he was home up and about doing some raking and wanting to see people come over. This late morning I called Marty ‘When can I come over to you to see you?’ He says whenever, so I went this early afternoon, he’s looking fine ,showed him printouts of this website and other things explaining what going on having a conversation, he insist showing me some of memorabilia inside and outside, I think he’s lonely?
Hey all, call him, stop by!

From Update July 20 2021: A visit to see Marty Himes and the Himes Museum of Automobile Nostagia