Vanderbilt Cup Races

Awesome pictures. Thanks for sharing.

From Documenting A 1950 Melville Driveway-The Former Entrance to the Huntington Lodge

Hi Edith

Explored the Melville area yesterday and took snapshots you might be interested in seeing. Please let me know.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

From Updated: Sam & Dave’s “Excellent Motor Parkway Hike” VI: Broad Hollow Road

Santa Monica, street races were banned on Long Island by 1911. Too many casualties.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: Harry Grant Driving the #1 Isotta During the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race

What are the errors in the caption: “The starting line at the Vanderbilt Cup race on William K. Vanderbilt II’s Long Island Motor Parkway in 1914.”
Race did not occur on the Long Island Motor Parkway

Identify the correct location of the photo.  Santa Monica, CA - Ocean Avenue

Identify the race, race car, driver and date.  Isotta, Harry Grant (finished last due to brooken piston on mile 6), 1914 Santa Monica Vanderbilt Cup Race, February 26, 1914

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: Harry Grant Driving the #1 Isotta During the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Hi Maureen,
I’m so glad to see you’re investigating your roots.  I’m still at it too. Annie, Derek, and I organized a family reunion 2 years ago, with 96 people showing up!  That helped fill in many of the gaps in our family genealogy.
Hope you are well, happy, and thriving.
Grace and peace,
Peter

From Documenting A 1950 Melville Driveway-The Former Entrance to the Huntington Lodge

Howard,
Thanks for posting those great photos of the L.I. Museum.  I visited Austin Clark’s museum many times and loved those wonderful autos and accessories on display. Austin could be seen wearing his coveralls working on one of his cars and the visitors to the museum didn’t know who it was.  I always wondered where that curved dash Olds went.  Remember the Olds that was placed above the entrance to the museum? 
Thanks for the memories.
Rog

From Never Before Published Photos of the Long Island Automotive Museum

Mystery Foto#16 correction from my earlier post…I said the the Vanderbilt Cup Race was not held on Long island after 1910. What I meant was it was not held on the Motor Parkway after 1910.
The Cup Races retuned to the Island in 1936 and ‘37 but held now at Roosevelt Raceway. They had a Vanderbilt Cup Race again in 1960 at Roosevelt Raceway for Formula Junior cars.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: Harry Grant Driving the #1 Isotta During the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Thank you for sharing your photographs and memories. Priceless!

From Documenting A 1950 Melville Driveway-The Former Entrance to the Huntington Lodge

great pictures, going way back to about 1956,55/57??? i was there with my mothers fathers brother, his name was harry (ginsberg) gilbert. on some level or another, he was involved with the museum,and had a few cars there.  if anyone knows anything about my uncle harrys connection,i would be very happy to receive. there was also a connection with “chryslers chrysler”. Im going to send a foto to howard. i grew up in lake sucess area but had to leave n.y. in 1967 to move to phoenix. i walked in and out of old motor parkway many times, it was a natural splendor indeed.  thank you, arthur ginsberg fielder santa monica

From Never Before Published Photos of the Long Island Automotive Museum

Mystery Foto #16…. The error in the caption is that the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race was held in in Santa Monica Road Race course in California; NOT THE MOTOR PARKWAY ON LONG ISLAND. No Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island after 1910.
As mentioned above the race was the “1914 Vanderbilt Cup in Santa Monica”. The car was the Isotta as driven by Harry Grant and his mechanician was most likely Frank Lee.
The date of this event was February 26, 1914. The Isotta broke a piston on the first lap and finished last.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: Harry Grant Driving the #1 Isotta During the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I always think there are people much smarter than me,that can realize important events, or artifacts, or in this case a museum dedicated to the conservership, preservation of such an important time.. Baffling….

From Never Before Published Photos of the Long Island Automotive Museum

My father bought the 1940 Buick woodie at the auction.
It was just sitting there not auctioned and the bank sold it to him for 750.00.
In 1991 I acquired it and had it until 2003 when I sold it to museum in Sarasota Florida.

From The 1962 "Car Auction of the Century" at the Farnesworth Garage

How or why did the museum close. It seems that Mr Clark and the museum were and have been so important to the legacy of the automobile. Maybe you can help me understand .
_______________________________________________________

Howard Kroplick

Lack of revenue was the primary reason that it closed.

From Never Before Published Photos of the Long Island Automotive Museum

Just want to express my thanks for sharing your photos here means so much more than “verification of LIMP, etc.” These images display just how much fun you had growing up in this area.

From Documenting A 1950 Melville Driveway-The Former Entrance to the Huntington Lodge

The correct location for the photo is the Santa Monica road race course and the date was February 26, 1914,  with Ralph DePalma in the #12 Mercedes.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: Harry Grant Driving the #1 Isotta During the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Spectacular series! Hats off to Maureen for reviving these historic photos. 

That does indeed look like a post by the entrance; this bulkier one possibly made of wood.
And the beams on the side could also be remnants of the Broad Hollow bridge, removed around 1950.

Thanks to all involved for making this possible.   

From Documenting A 1950 Melville Driveway-The Former Entrance to the Huntington Lodge

Ron,
You are welcome.  It has been a thrill to travel down this road again in so many ways.  Thanks to Howard and all he has done to make this possible and the many that hold a kindred spirit to the LIMP.
Maureen

From Documenting A 1950 Melville Driveway-The Former Entrance to the Huntington Lodge

Hi Maureen:
  What a great surprise on our website today !! It brought back many memories of
our travels and we must have passed you so many times.  Blessings to you again for
your efforts to bring back history to many of us.
                Cordially,  Ron Ridolph

From Documenting A 1950 Melville Driveway-The Former Entrance to the Huntington Lodge

the picture of the museum was early the first year as the olds wasn’t over the door yet ant the flag pole isnt there either.i no this as i was the guy in charge of setting the flag.i was the first employee of the auto museum.me and austie drove the mercer in 1950 at the bridgehampton race.we clocked 87 mph.our picture is in the 1951 program of bridgehampton races

                    GENE MARTIN

From Never Before Published Photos of the Long Island Automotive Museum

I don’t think it’s the starting line and it’s definitely not on the Long Island Motor Parkway. I believe it’s Harry Grant driving the #1 Isotta during the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race in Santa Monica, CA on February 26, 1914. It could be a few feet past the starting line since I think the Isotta’s engine failed soon after the start.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: Harry Grant Driving the #1 Isotta During the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race