Vanderbilt Cup Races

No WONDER the name rang a bell!  “Aline ‘Pat’ Rhonie Hofheimer Brooks (August 16, 1909 – January 7, 1963) - - - is also known for her aviation history mural which is now located at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology.”  Vaughn was previously Casey Jones’ famed Academy of Aeronautics, still there in Elmhurst (Elmhoist?), across GCP from LGA.  See attached.  Sam, III

From Updated: The 1940 Membership of the Long Island Aviation Club

Art, Did not see the name of Aline Rhonie Brooks on either membership list. Read that she joined in 1930’s.  Club thought Aline was a male name. ( her husband, Peter, was also a flier.) Dropped Brooks after he died, early 1940,s. Fascinating woman, socialite, lived in Sands Point, took flying lessons as a teenager, married several times, went to Europe beginning of WW 11, help set up field hospitals in France, then flew war planes in England from factories to military bases, before coming back to the States to do the same here. Painted an aviation mural on an interior hanger wall at Roosevelt Field that measured 12’x100’. Said to have about 500 life size images of individuals connected to aviation. (studied under Mexican muralist Diego Rivera), Mural was removed before the hanger was taken down. Understand Cradle of Aviation now has it.

From Updated: The 1940 Membership of the Long Island Aviation Club

Are Holterbosch’s garage and cars still in place, or have the cars been moved or sold?  I’d love to see them and perhaps get one in my Newsday column if anyone can share a family contact.

My dad worked briefly for Holterbosch after he absorbed what had been Ballantine Beer’s largest distributorship in the early ‘60s.  I think I met him once as a kid, but I had no idea at the time of his interest in classic cars.
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Howard Kroplick

David, they were all sold at the 1962 auction and spread across the world.

From In Search of H. Dieter Holterbosch and his W.C. Bird's Duesenberg

Here’s a membership listing from 1930, from “The Aircraft Yearbook”, an industry publication.

From Updated: The 1940 Membership of the Long Island Aviation Club

1933 picture of member and at that time Governor of the Long Island Aviation Club, Thomas Eastman at the start of a “seaplane cruise” in Sands Point.  According to the Membership List above, in 1940 Eastman was on the Flying and Membership Committees.  (Aero Digest, Aug. 1933)

From Updated: The 1940 Membership of the Long Island Aviation Club

From Josh Ruff, Deputy Director/Director of Collections and Interpretation, The Long Island Museum

H. Dieter Holterbosch lived both in Cove Neck (at the end of his life, he died in 2016 at the age of 95) and in Belle Terre, which was how he knew the Melvilles. He did not own many carriages. The donations we received from him in the 1960s included 5 vehicles from Prince Adalbert’s family of Bavaria, including our Grand Duc, Chariot, Dress Coach, and two sleighs (one of which was deaccessioned and sold at Martin’s in 1978; I’m not sure where that one wound up). Holterbosch was an antique car collector, primarily, who owned beautiful vintage early Duesenbergs, etc. About 15 years ago, he had the architectural firm Bentel and Bentel design and build a structure for his private automobile collection in Cove Neck.

He also donated a beer wagon to the museum in the late 1960s but his company somehow “misplaced” it, thus it was never truly here for very long.

Holterbosch’s father had started the company that he ended up running, which distributed Lowenbrau beer. Holterbosch frequently traveled back and forth to Germany and ended up visiting the stables at Nymphenburg Palace in 1958 and purchasing these vehicles from the family. They are rare escapees of the fantastic Bavarian vehicle collection that is held by the Marstallmuseum in Munich. In 2014, I had the pleasure of meeting curators there and comparing notes. Truly a fantastic collection.

Joshua

From In Search of H. Dieter Holterbosch and his W.C. Bird's Duesenberg

Hi Mark,
The first Pebble Beach Concours photo was a “parade” of the three Walker-Grand Model J’s being shown that year.

From In Search of H. Dieter Holterbosch and his W.C. Bird's Duesenberg

There’s some confusion of which Duesenberg is what? The winning Duesenberg in front of the other two, was all black (with the later looking ‘34 headlight), was shown having a maroon body with the black fenders and headlight and having whitewalls in the Cove Neck garage? When was the photo taken, before or after the Pebble Beach win? At the start of your article there’s a blue Duesenberg posted that was at the third spot on the Pebble Beach runway. Howard, please sort this out.

From In Search of H. Dieter Holterbosch and his W.C. Bird's Duesenberg

Too many chores to do and have no research time, so my guess on the building Is it’s the Maine Maid Inn in Jericho.

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: The P43 Racer Taking a Turn in the Hamlet of Jericho

The #P43 Simplex driven by Frank Lescault in the 1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes.

Still trying to ID the location and building.

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: The P43 Racer Taking a Turn in the Hamlet of Jericho

Merriweather Post Pavilion, midway between Baltimore & DC in the planned community of Columbia, Maryland (where Jackson Browne recorded, ‘Running On Empty’) was named after Marjorie Merriweather Post.  More here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merriweather_Post_Pavilion

From In Search of H. Dieter Holterbosch and his W.C. Bird's Duesenberg

Such amazing detail. I’m beyond impressed.

From Kleiner's Korner: A "True" 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race Illustration

I also noticed on a older map that ‘Underhills Store’ was a post office, too.

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: The P43 Racer Taking a Turn in the Hamlet of Jericho

Assuming it is in fact the P43 car, then it should be Frank Lescault driving a Simplex in the Motor Parkway sweepstakes on October 10, 1908. The rest is just a guess but the location could be Colyers Corner with Lescault having just turned right from Plainview Road onto Woodbury Road. If that’s true, then the photographer should be facing approximately southwest. Maybe the building is the Colyer Hotel?

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: The P43 Racer Taking a Turn in the Hamlet of Jericho

Bob, I gotta ask - did the Alfa have two engines in one car or a spare?  Steve, Wallis Clinton Bird died at 40 in a Catskill plane crash on 04 June 1940 (ref.: 01 and15 Jul 2014 and 24 Oct 2018 blogs); he’s buried in his own mausoleum in the Prospect Plot, Section 10, of the Hillside Cemetery, Cortlandt Manor, Westchester County.  These blog posts just keep getting better and better!  Sam, III

From In Search of H. Dieter Holterbosch and his W.C. Bird's Duesenberg

Actually Bird’s first name was Wallis.  He owned 2 Duesenbergs, one of which I regularly service and just finished an engine rebuild.  He could not have bought the Walker LeGrande in 1962 as I believe he died in 1940.  His wife kept the cars until her death as often times happened back then.  Contrary to that, my wife often says, Funeral at 10, Lunch at 12, Auction at 2.  Thanks for the great work with his website.
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Howard Kroplick,

Great to hear from you Steve. Hope all is well!

From In Search of H. Dieter Holterbosch and his W.C. Bird's Duesenberg

My grand pa was Leonce, we spoke when i was young abaout his love of automobile , he participate for the foundaion of the french automobile club.
I have his driving licence: N° 00002.
I have also a beautifull cup in silver offered by the AAA in recognzence for his sponsoring.
Can you tell me if my grand pa was in indianpolis project.
Thank you.
Paul Georges BLANCHET

From The First Automobile Race Held on Long Island (April 14, 1900) Updated: 7/3/15

The quote came from the Port Jefferson Record the local newspaper..
The village of Belle Terre was started in built in 1908 and was a gated community selling 5 ac lots and bigger . The Railroad sta and gate house built to match,and the road from the gate house to the railroad is Bell Terre Rd and I believe the road to the long Island sound is Cliff rd.
Some of J.P McGallister’s collection of cars were a 1916 Packard twin_6 ,some Franklins and German Staff Car ,Mercedes Benz and a Alfa Romeo with two engines I am 84 years old and remember them well and also Lived in Port Jefferson and the area for years

From In Search of H. Dieter Holterbosch and his W.C. Bird's Duesenberg

This is my great grandpa. I would love to know more about him. My grandmother is Jean Roberts of Nutley, NJ. She moved to Georgia and then back to Nutley when my dad, David, was a little boy. I’m just now starting to learn about this side of my family.

From Cousins of Drivers Montague and Mortimer Roberts Reunited With the Help of VanderbiltCupRaces.com

The photographer was viewing generally East in the Hamlet of Jericho. The building was the Underhill Store. This was during the Motor Parkway Sweepstakes- 10/10/1908. Frank Lescault & Mech in a Simplex heading west on Jericho Tpke. If the photographer turned the camera to the left, the Jericho Hotel would be in view.

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: The P43 Racer Taking a Turn in the Hamlet of Jericho