About
The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
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Co-Founder and Writer: Howard Kroplick
Co-Founder: Dana Kroplick
Website by Eric Miller Design
Site maintained by Hop Studios
Recent Comments
First dibs on the CIA plate!
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Howard Kroplick
At the February AACA National Convention, someone confirmed that the CIA plate was authentic and used to designate CIA parking.
From Updated: My Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate Collection (11/7/2025)
Very cool.
You gotta tell me….where did you get these plates? Who would have kept these things around after they were no longer needed and how did you get so many of them?
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Howard Kroplick
I have been purchased Motor Parkway license plate over the last 13 years. I purchased one collection of 9 plates, another of 2 plates and 6 individual plates
From Updated: My Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate Collection (11/7/2025)
Sam, I’ve been living in oyster bay since 1976, and somewhat across the street from me was the old Stillwell Dodge for a time until it stop selling Dodges and remained as dumpy gas pump and garage place then close at some point.
From Updated 2/21/18: Mystery Foto #7 Solved: The Roslyn Motors Lincoln Dealership in 1926
Just revisiting this topic. The Deepdale guest lodge is absent in the 1924 Fairchild Aerial but does appear in the 1926 aerial. Vanderbilt didn’t build his golf course (the Deepdale Club) until 1924 - thus it would appear that the guest lodge was built some time after the 1924 aerial was taken early in that year.
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Howard Kroplick
Mitch, makes sense!
From Willie K's Guest Lodge in Lake Success
P. S. - Bob Swanson - please elucidate about “Ridgefield”. NJ or CT? What am I missing here (or have forgotten)? Sam, III
From Highlights from the AACA Annual Meeting Presentation "A Tribute to Henry Austin Clark. Jr."
Dragging this wild thread out even further, Mitch, was Command at 350 Lexington Ave. (later Stilwell-com-Robert-cum-Oyster Bay Dodge)? Back to Roslyn, “Willie K’s 1928 Lincoln on display at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum may have been purchased from Roslyn Motors.”; SG, HA, or AV should be able to document that from the incredibly-detailed records at the V. Mus. (one can but hope). Sam, III
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Howard Kroplick I
Unfortunately, Stephanie Gress looked and the Vanderbilt Museum does not have any documentation on the dealership.
From Updated 2/21/18: Mystery Foto #7 Solved: The Roslyn Motors Lincoln Dealership in 1926
Sam III….Appreciate your re-collection about the “joyride” with Austie in the 5th Ave Coach ( an adventure you’ll never forget! ) When I was at the Half Hollow Hills library, they have copies of ” The Checkered Flag ” and ” Great Auto Races ” written by Peter Helck. Austie must have donated one of these books ( Inside cover is signed by him in 1973 ). A nice suprise to notice.
From Highlights from the AACA Annual Meeting Presentation "A Tribute to Henry Austin Clark. Jr."
Enjoyed the drive with Jay Leno in the Fiat !
From Update: Peter Helck's 1921 Benz-Mercedes "Rabbit-the-First" Now Owned by Jay Leno
The Lincoln dealer on south oyster bay road across from Grumman aircraft was command Lincoln mercury.They closed in the early 80’s.
From Updated 2/21/18: Mystery Foto #7 Solved: The Roslyn Motors Lincoln Dealership in 1926
*VCR inscribed on this Vanderbilia: 1904 race
*Location/Auto/Driver & Mechanician: Looks to be quite a curve towards the LIRR. This curve matches the right turn crossing the LIRR, then proceeding east on Jericho Tpke. in Queens. But the DeDietrich #2, driven by Fernand Gabriel & D. Miollans; broke down in Hicksville; probably in vicinity of the LIRR ( broken pump & frozen carburetor in lap 7. They finished in 8th place ). The inscription on the Vanderbilia states Hicksville. So my answer is Hicksville.
*Artist: Ernest Montaut, Born 11/7/1878 - Died 8/9/1909. His wife Marguerite was also an artist. Mr. Montaut was known to use a lithograph stone process for his artwork.
*Possible purpose for this Vanderbilia: This looks to be a metal novelty box. Metal is also used for lithography. The artwork is obviously “stenciled” on the top/lid of the box. Perhaps Marguerite had this novelty box made in memory of her late husband, who passed at such an early age.
*Manufacturer of this Vanderbilia and when: Don’t know who and when this was made. Sometime after 1909?
From Mystery Foto #8 Partially Solved:A Humidor Vanderbilia from the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
That Austie/LIAM duster brings back great memories but Austie’s trademark was his godawful checkered jacket which I memorialize, along with the LIAM Jeep truck, in
<http://sbiii.com/autopix/duesbrg2.jpg> at <http://sbiii.com/automot2.html#clasicar>. Sam, III
From Highlights from the AACA Annual Meeting Presentation "A Tribute to Henry Austin Clark. Jr."
The AACA Truck Seminar back in the 1970’s-80’s was always a highlight of the event. Austin pulled a few cars out of Ridgefield in the early years, the ALCO that is now in the Nethercutt Collection being one of them.
From Highlights from the AACA Annual Meeting Presentation "A Tribute to Henry Austin Clark. Jr."
I lived onlytwo miles from Austie but quite literally across the tracks. Even though we weren’t, he always treated me like an old friend. My favorite Austie adventure was when he took me for a wild ride in the open-top Fifth Avenue Coach with me in the top front right seat and he steered us too close to live power lines in downtown Southampton - terrifying. but the road was so heavily crowned that the greater danger was as the bus tipped madly over; he got us out of that fiasco safely and roared with laughter afterward. We tipped a few into the wee hours on occasion and, for all his Cuban tobacco wealth, he was always a genial all-around good guy. I still miss him. Sam, III
From Highlights from the AACA Annual Meeting Presentation "A Tribute to Henry Austin Clark. Jr."
A sister car to this one lived here in Ridgefield until it was found by James Melton in 1943. I think it is now in a collection in Utah. Bob
From Video: The Renault Vanderbilt Racer at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
1904 VCR. Gabriel. The Master Nitpicker strikes again! I can’t read most of the inscription (en français) but the loco is NOT an LIRR loco and the proper name of the LIRR is Long Island Rail Road (RR as two words). Seems reasonable to assume the art work was based on a Peter Helck original. Sam, III
From Mystery Foto #8 Partially Solved:A Humidor Vanderbilia from the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
The image is an artistic representation of Fernand Gabriel driving the #2 DeDietrich racer in the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race as he crosses the LIRR tracks in Hicksville, just ahead of the speeding locomotive. The artist was Ernest Montaut (1878-1909), who mainly created French posters. Although no lithograph expert, I think the item In question may have been the engraving from which succeeding prints were made by pouring some molten material (wax, paraffin, rubber, lead?), onto it, allowing it to harden and then using that new impression to “stamp” out new prints.
From Mystery Foto #8 Partially Solved:A Humidor Vanderbilia from the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
Sorry, I stand to be corrected! The BMW promotional short is called “beat the devil” not race with Lucifer! Another short from that series with “Madonna” is called “the hire”
From Mystery Foto #8 Partially Solved:A Humidor Vanderbilia from the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
Don’t know all the answers but this image could be depicting a close call during the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race in Hicksville, NY. If true, this location is where the RR tracks cross South Broadway/Rt. 107 today (Massapequa Road). The left curve in the road however contradicts my guess. It should be a right curve.
The first train/auto accident ever recorded in the U.S. occurred in Westbury, NY on Oct 1910, where the RR tracks cross Post Ave. French race car driver Henri Fournier and three passengers, collided with a train that ejected everyone out of the vehicle. All occupants survived the wreck.
Original image is not a Peter Helck illustration. The style is different
Possible 80hp De Dietrich with Fernand Gabriel behind the wheel, and mechanician D. Miollans
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/then_now_the_1904_vanderbilt_cup_race_course_through_hicksville
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/mystery_friday_foto_39_a_historic_accident_in_westbury
Looking forward to this week’s answers
From Mystery Foto #8 Partially Solved:A Humidor Vanderbilia from the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
I thought it was the building in Great Neck, too.
From Updated 2/21/18: Mystery Foto #7 Solved: The Roslyn Motors Lincoln Dealership in 1926
Which Vanderbilt Cup Race was depicted on the cover?
1904 VCR
Identify the location and the race car and driver?
Hicksville; #2 De Dietrich driven by Fernand Gabriel
Which artist was originally responsible for the artwork?
Looks like the name is E Montaat
What was the possible purpose of this Vanderbilia?
Who manufactured this Vanderbilia and when? (Currently unknown)
Unknown, but looking forward to the answers!
From Mystery Foto #8 Partially Solved:A Humidor Vanderbilia from the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
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