Vanderbilt Cup Races

Great stuff guys! I’m interested!! Keep ‘er going

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Takes a Turn During the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Sorry for his family and friends. I have a cousin who’s battling the virus. Praying and hoping every day.
_____________________________________________________

Howard Kroplick

Brian, our prayers are with your cousin and family.

From Update on Gofundme campaign: Anthony J. Causi, beloved photographer,dies of COVID-19 at 48

Mystery Foto #15… The location of the photo is Roosevelt Raceway around 1937. The major roads seen in the photo are Old Country Road, L.I. Motor Parkway and Stewart Avenue. Braman Johnson or BramanButters was the aerial Survey company who shot these photos. Taken, as I say, around 1937 or 1938.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

You had a very nice car.  Mine is the last remaining of the cars my father collected, a Packard 243 Touring.  A somewhat oddball, because while it’s a 2nd series car, it was build during the transition to Series 3, and it has at least one Series 3 part - the single piece windshield.  Every pic I’ve seen of other 243’s shows a 2 piece.  But when this car was brand new, the owners took a photo of it next to the 1916 Packard Touring car it replaced, and that single piece windshield is clear.  I can’t remember what, but I think there was a 2nd difference.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Takes a Turn During the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Over Westbury, Long Island looking south at Roosevelt Raceway and Meadow Brook Hunt Club Polo Fields. Major roads from north to south, Ellison Ave, Carle Rd, Old Country Rd, Merrick Ave (Whaleneck Rd), Motor Parkway, Stewart Ave, and Long Island Rail Road. LIMP Merrick Ave bridge can be seen next to Meadow Brook Lodge, Roosevelt Field bridge next to its twin Meadow Brook Hunt Club bridge. Administration Bldg (newly built?) in the center for the 1937 races near gate #2 (officials only). Photo could be a Fairchild aerial but they usually come sharper. Both 1936 and 37 raceway layouts can be seen. Photo likely taken during preperation for the 1937 races. Fortunoff Mall, Cheesecake Factory, and Dave & Busters occupy this space today

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

Looks like the start finish line of Vanderbilt Cup, grand stands on either side of the club house. Possible location could be present day Levittown.  The roadway in front of the building & stands would be Motor Parkway.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

C’mon, R. Troy - most of us are “car people”.  Don’t keep us on tenterhooks.  We all know what Howard and Bruce have.  Just what have you in your garage (please)?  Sam, III (formerly a ‘31 Chrysler Imperial 8 owner)

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Takes a Turn During the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

have no idea… a surprise to me and i thought i know this kind of stuff

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

I only learned recently that Packards had been raced, so this is rather neat!  I grew up with Packards - it will always be my favorite (including the one in my garage).

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Takes a Turn During the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

1. Roosevelt Raceway
2. Looking South
3. Motor ParkwayOld Country Road, Merrick (Whaleneck) Ave., Stewart Ave., Cherry Lane, Ellison Ave. Carle Rd., Rd. connecting Ellison Ave. and Motor Parkway
4. Merrick Ave. Bridge & Lodge, Roosevelt Field Bridge
5. The building was first a hanger, followed by a restaurant/bar and the Raceway Administration Building
6. John Drennan (guess)
7. Mid-late 1930s (possibly 1937)

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

Grew up with Seabees (Repubic, that is) on LI’s South Shore and in the Adirondacks and Canada but had forgotten all about the S-L!  Thanks muchly.  That float-cum-gear is wild!  Looks like I’m a’gonna love this new deviation (flight?) from the LIMP/VCR.  Off to North Beach (Marine Air Terminal) after Port?  I’m “into” flying boats (along with so much else!).  Sam, III

From Flying Boat/Seaplane of the Week: Spencer-Larsen SL-12C Amphibian NX-20621

Well, it has to be the 1937 VCR because of the track configuration, running across the’37 course.  We’re over Westbury, looking south over Old Country Road with Whaleneck Riad-cum-Merrick Avenue along the left side and with the LIMP and Stewart Avenue across the top and Carle Road and West Owen Street “V"ing off at the lower right.  Merrick Avenue bridge, lodge, and access at upper left.  Temp. access to track to the right of lodge.  Grandstand and all facilities of ‘36-‘37 VCRs.  Large white building is last hangar on OCR left from eastern Roosevelt Field; later Fairchild, now Buy-Buy Baby, next to Meadowbrook Parkway cloverleaf.  Fairchild Aerial Survey?  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

We are looking south over Westbury with Old Country Road, The LIMP, and Stewart Avenue the main east-west roads. On the left is Merrick Road. The LIMP and VCR structures visible are: Meadowbrook Lodge; bridge over Merrick Road; course layouts for both the 1936 & 1937 Vanderbilt Races; bridge over the LIMP from Stewart Avenue to Roosevelt Field. Not sure but I think I can see the other bridge over the LIMP to the polo fields and possibly a very faint outline of the temporary road connecting Ellison Road to the LIMP. The large white building was originally built as a hangar for the eastern section of Roosevelt Field and later re-purposed into the Administration Building & Bar for Roosevelt Raceway. Braman Butters Survey Team took the photo. The date is probably late 1937 or early 1938 since you can still see the courses for the 1936-37 races, yet there is no evidence of the midget race car track or early attempts at horse racing.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

Reference was made to an extant seaplane base there but it’s some 300 yards to the northwest in Sands Point, as shown at upper left on the attached Google Maps pic.  Also, it may be hard to realize just how gigantic the Boeing 314 Clipper really was; it used the wings and engines of the huge Boeing B-15 (NOT the “tiny” B-17) and I’ve attached an outline of the 314 with a Douglas Dolphin for comparison.  Sam, III

From Update: Beutenmuller Family Collection #1: Searching for the Port Washington Seaplane Terminals

Ah - the N. Y. Mus. of Sci. & Ind.!  I spent my every free moment there as a pre-teen, even getting locked in twice and leaving a sickbed to attend the final auction in Manhattan (the wall of gears and levers is up here at Boston’s Mus. of Sci.).  The top two factory photos sure look like that’s the Dodge Chicago WWII aero engine-cum-Tucker plant in the background, the seldom photographed side or back wall.  Sam, III

From The First New York Public Showing of Tucker '48 in August 1947

White building is a hanger, on Old Country rd. running east to west. The 9 rd’s running north to south and then from east to west are
Ellison,Manhattan,Albany,Evelyn,Rockaway,Gordon,Bert,Owen Ave’s and Carle rd.
The rd running east to west in the center of these 9 ave’s is Broadmore. On the right side corner of Ellison and Old C.Rd. is the WAGON WHEEL Restaurant.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

They also relied on a 1941 Oldsmobile that served as a sort of body buck for the prototype, Tucker Tin Goose.
As each part of the new Tucker body was finished the original part from the Olds was junked, so when they got through about the only parts that remained from the original body were the roof, which had been completely reshaped, and door handles, window mechanisms, locks and hardware - parts that were the same whether they came from another automobile or from the manufacturer’s bins.

From The First New York Public Showing of Tucker '48 in August 1947

The Tin Goose original pictures and newspaper stories are wonderful to look at and read. Great find and addition to your collection.
The Tin Goose is in the Swigart Museum in Huntingdon PA. I have it on my list of places to visit.

From The First New York Public Showing of Tucker '48 in August 1947

Photographer was facing south. Major roads running horizontal and from the bottom to the top are Old Country rd, Long Island Motor pkwy and Stewart ave. Running vertical on left side is Whaleneck ave (now Merrick Ave), and in the foreground are Ellison ave and Carle rd.
The Meadowbrook Lodge was a toll station for the LIMP. I circled the location in the attached photo. Unfortunately it would only be used for one more year before the LIMP went out of business. Other structure are the administration building in white and numerous grandstands surrounding the track.
The white building served as the administration building for the Vanderbilt Raceway and previously was an airplane hanger located in Roosevelt airfield #2.
The photographer I believe is John Drennan of Mineola.
Year of photo is 1937. Rationale is because many of the racers from the 1936 race did not like the flat and windy course so they changed it where there was less turns and longer straightaways which this course has. This course also had banked turns which the 1936 race did not have.  1938 and ‘39 had midget car racing but no midget car track in this photo.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

Aerial facing to the South. 

Automotive racetrack at the eastern end of Roosevelt Field after the curves were eliminated in 1937 and replaced by long straightaways for high speed runs by the grandstand for spectator delight.

Adjacent to the track is one of the auxiliary Polo fields. 

LIMP is seen running East-West above the racetrack.  Above that, Stewart Avenue running parallel to it.  Above that, LIRR Central line running parallel to both.

Houses along North Road, Ellington Avenue East, Ellington Avenue West, Bane Road and main entrance at Selfridge Avenue at Mitchel Field seen above all three. 

Merrick Ave, running top to bottom on the left.  Key shaped road leading to the Meadow Brook Lodge entrance to the LIMP is visible.  Meadow Brook Club Road leading to the golf course seen at top left.  Not easy to make out but the railroad bridge where it intersects with the MBC Road is there (and still is to this day!). 

Noticeably absent are the homes at Mitchel Gardens near Stewart Ave.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939