Vanderbilt Cup Races

Well, it sure LOOKED like a pic of Stillman which I now can’t locate but I did turn up this amazing Western Movie & TV Photos image of Buck Jones at Indy!  Sam, III

From Update Mystery Foto #35 Solved: Jim Florida in the #9 Locomobile at the 1908 Founders Week Cup Race

Amazing to me how there don’t seem to be any good OLD aerials of the terminus area WEST of 198th or thereabouts.  I’d like to see the area of HHB around 194th to 198th, with its border of heavy trees and the margin on the south side, say around 1926-28.  Anyone?  Sam, III

From Then & Now- The Western Terminus to the 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

A nice aerial from the site here.

From Then & Now- The Western Terminus to the 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

Although I always check your site on a daily basis, I normally do not compete in the weekly quizzes as they are either outside my scope of interest or too easy. This time I tried, but it appeared not possible for me to find a solution. As I suspected the car to be a Vanderbilt participant, I tried to match the steering wheel to the cars, but failed. Now I know the name of the driver I understand why. As we see James Florida, and the car must be a Locomobile, it cannot be the Vanderbilt racer because of the different steering wheel configuration. Looking a bit further it is now clear for me that we see James Florida during the Fairmount Park races in Philadelphia, 26th September 1908, where he (and also George Robertson) drove a different type of Locomobile racer, the type I 4-40, which was in fact a standard production model and which fits with the steering wheel configuration. Florida would finish on 5th place, Robertson was the winner.

From Update Mystery Foto #35 Solved: Jim Florida in the #9 Locomobile at the 1908 Founders Week Cup Race

Here’s a screenshot of Frank’s online map zoomed to the western terminus. The red line is the Central RR ROW.

From Then & Now- The Western Terminus to the 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

Going on quick guesses this weekend; Joe/Jim Florida in the #1Locomobile, 1908 races.

From Update Mystery Foto #35 Solved: Jim Florida in the #9 Locomobile at the 1908 Founders Week Cup Race

Based on the sweater, I’m guessing a Locomobile but after that I’ve come up empty. Looking forward the answer.

From Update Mystery Foto #35 Solved: Jim Florida in the #9 Locomobile at the 1908 Founders Week Cup Race

Bruce, pin pointing the very exact location of the western terminus of the Motor Parkway at the LIE. is a little tricky The City had acquired a 160 feet wide swath of land for what was originally Nassau Blvd. later renamed H.H. Blvd. At the time the Parkway reached Nassau Blvd., only the center part of that roadway was developed, (roughly 40 feet wide ), so some guess work is involved. but… after studying many maps, surveys, photos and drawings, I put it closest to today’s 195th St. and I’m willing to go out on a limb and put it at the east bound middle lane of the L.I.E One needs to look at the L.I. E. construction drawings of the area to get a clearer picture.

From Then & Now- The Western Terminus to the 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

That’s Harry Stillman in Olds #20 in the 1910 VCR.  Can’t readily find his mech. - odd.  Kudos - fugeddaboudit!  Sam, III

From Update Mystery Foto #35 Solved: Jim Florida in the #9 Locomobile at the 1908 Founders Week Cup Race

What a blast; thanks muchly, Art!  The list of names is fab., but what struck me most was NOT automotive; it was Messrs. P(rosper). Clust and (Col.) C(harles). J(oseph). Dieges!  Bet they furnished the cuff links and scarf pins (and maybe the bronze statue); Dieges & Clust was the firm that made all my grade and high school and college (and association) rings and pins!  They were famed for medals and plaques.  Wonder if they also made car emblems and badges.  Sam, III

From Kleiner's Korner: Fred Wagner Hosting a 1915 Party

Bruce, I’m one of those (if the only one) who claims it was further west, say around 193 (see <http://sbiii.com/limp-qns.html#westterm>.  Al V. said it was at 195th.  I maintain the entry was between the row of trees and the HHB pavement.  My site has many old photos of the area but they’re scattered (or lost); the 73rd St. bridge in 1955 and 2001 is on <http://sbiii.com/limp-qn2.html> and the area and bridge especially in 2002 on <http://sbiii.com/limp-qn1.html> and in 2008 on <http://sbiii.com/limp-qn3.html>.  Wherever the entry was, it was definitely westward along the south margin of Horace Harding Boulevard, NOT south of it, although the toll gate itself and the kiosk WERE located some 300’-400’ to the southeast; this may account for some of the confusion.  The 05 May 2018 blog post shows the entry ca. 1938.  CHALLENGE - LIers - has anyone checked in detail on the ground around Peck Ave. just southeast of the merge with HHB?  Google Maps shows all sorts of interesting traces (possibly just sidewalks - see attached).  Sam, III

From Then & Now- The Western Terminus to the 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

Exactly where was the actual entrance on today’s streets?  I envisioned it somewhere near the L.I.E. at 199th, but I recall someone had said it was in the Garden Apartments west of 199th Street. That seems to differ from Al’s map.  Thank you

From Then & Now- The Western Terminus to the 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

Tuckers were available in six colors Black # 100, Waltz Blue # 200, Andante Green # 300, Beige # 400, Pearl Gray # 500 and Maroon #600.
There were only Eight Green Tuckers painted at the factory.
Tucker # 1044 Looks amazing in it’s original Color, Andante Green.
If I was to go to a Tucker Dealership today, I would order one in Andante green with a Green cloth interior.

From Video of the Week:The Original Andante Green Color of Tucker 1044 Discovered

Art, Did you notice that no officials of the Vanderbilt Cup Races were in attendance at his parties ?  Hmm.  Also, Wagner never purchased any Motor Parkway stock.

From Kleiner's Korner: Fred Wagner Hosting a 1915 Party

Dick, it (finally) occurred to me that aviation pioneer George C. Dade, founder of the Cradle of Aviation Museum [<http://sbiii.com/aviation.html#dade>], about whom I’ve written in these posts, was married to Edith Motte Gorman (apparently of Connecticut).  If you wish, contact me at sbiii at sbiii dot com.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #34 Solved: The N6 Cadillac Getting Ready to Start in the 1908 Nassau Sweepstakes

In 1915 if you weighed more than 200 pounds you were considered “fat”? I guess obesity really is a serious problem in modern America!

From Kleiner's Korner: Fred Wagner Hosting a 1915 Party

Yes, it is a coincidence. I didn’t know that till I saw the obit.

From Mystery Foto #34 Solved: The N6 Cadillac Getting Ready to Start in the 1908 Nassau Sweepstakes

Thank you for letting us know, Roger. I bet a good part of his overall knowledge of history is due to being with the Nassau County PD for almost half of century. Is it just a coincidence that his wife’s maiden is Gorman?

From Mystery Foto #34 Solved: The N6 Cadillac Getting Ready to Start in the 1908 Nassau Sweepstakes

FYI… Long time subscriber to this blog and champion Mystery Foto solver Tim Ivers passed away back in March. Tim was a friend when we grew up in Uniondale back in the 40’s and 50’s. I saw him very occasionally when we had a Hempstead High School reunion. He moved to Florida at some point and I lost track of him for a long time, relocating him on the Vanderbilt Cup blog of all places!!! He sure was good at solving these Mystery Fotos. R.I.P.Tim.

From Mystery Foto #34 Solved: The N6 Cadillac Getting Ready to Start in the 1908 Nassau Sweepstakes

Art, Good find,  love those sketches of the motor parkway construction, more please.

From Kleiner's Korner Part I: Illustrating the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race and the Motor Parkway