Vanderbilt Cup Races

According to an online article in the Port Time Record, the cars are two Porter-Knight racers parked in front of the Ardencraig Inn, on Port Jefferson’s Main Street .

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

This is really a treasure! The photos are very interesting, but the quality makes it difficult to identify all cars and events. It is however clear that the 1905 photo with James Breese and Walther Christie shows Breese at the wheel of his own Mercedes. What the 1905 event at Southampton was I still don’t know. The Mercedes however seems to be identical to the one with which Breese raced the 1904 Eagle Rock hill climb, but different from the one at Ormond Beach in 1905.

Of more interest to me is the page with the BLM racers, especially the photo on the right top of that page showing ‘Charlie’ and ‘Ray’ in Paris. The BLM they would produce indeed had an engine with French origin: the engine was bought from Mutel. Could they be test-driving a Mutel? Mutel cars are rare and thought to be produced only for the purpose of demonstration. Could this be such a car? A scan with a higher resolution would be much appreciated!

From Greg O's Garage; Photographs from the James L. Breese Photo Albums

Was there also, I a met a couple of entrants that I had remembered from the Port Washington Hillclimb the previous year? that was not allowed again for that year. Was told the residents of the Beacon Hill area at the top had complained. So, this event was the alternative.

From 2021 Video: The Alco Black Beast at Dash Drags New Hyde Park

The cars were Porter Knight racers.
Built in 1914-1915 for Indy 500
Town is Port Jefferson

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

They are 2 of the 3 Porter-Knights built for the 1915 Indy 500 race. (A.R. Pardington was the honorary referee for that race!) The cars failed to qualify for the race due to engine valve problems.
They were built by Finley R. Porter (with a Willys-Knight engine), who built his F.R.P. luxury car in the same Port Jefferson Station factory that had produced F.M. Richard’s Metropol. (Both cars were commercial failures.)
Many sources say Port Jeff, but as this Belcher Hyde map shows, the factory was in Port Jeff Station.
Any Boomer who grew up watching television might remember a totally fictitious 1928 “Porter” that talked, so this was a bit easier for some of us.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

With India making left-hand drive vehicles (currently for global exports; e.g. https://indianautosblog.com/made-in-india-skoda-kushaq-left-hand-drive-model-export-begins-p325329) yet still has anti-British sentiments similar to America in the past on various issues (https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/01/colonization-legacy-india-independence-movement/), it would be ideal if India transitions completely to driving on the right side of the road to match most countries directly (i.e. land-bordering countries such as China and Myanmar) and indirectly (e.g. Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Cambodia, EU (Denmark, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, etc.), Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, UAE, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, etc.) land-linked to India which includes India’s strategic partner and alliance countries. It would be a challenge due to the amount of infrastructure to modify but IMO, with well-structured plans, strategies, and support (foreign assistance, new policies (e.g. deregulating right-hand drive vehicles for mandating left-hand drive vehicles), road design (e.g. turning some two-way roads into one-way to improve traffic flow without expanding existing corridor, pedestrianizing some two-way roads to provide more safe areas for pedestrians, etc.), etc.), it can be done. If switching to right hand traffic is still not very feasible despite well-structured strategies and plans, then at the very least, I hope India emulates the US Virgin Islands where left-hand drive vehicles have no problem operating safely on the left-hand traffic roads by legalizing left-hand drive vehicles for domestic use and no longer mandate right-hand drive vehicles.

From Greg O's Garage: Why Do We in the U.S. Drive on the Right Side of the Road?

Great post. Do we know which route they took to Jacksonville being it was significantly more miles than a direct trip today?

From Greg O's Garage; Photographs from the James L. Breese Photo Albums

Those are two Porter-Knight racers which were built to participate in the 1915 Indy 500. They never made it to the starting line due to engine trouble. The photo was taken on Main Street in Port Jefferson. Finley Robertson Porter had a factory there and built a few cars with the FRP badge from 1914 to 1918. I believe the location of the factory was in upper Port Jefferson near the train station.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

Racers are 2 Knight-Porters built for the 1915 Indianapolis 500. 
Both cars neglected to start the race due to engine trouble. 
The cars were built at the F.R.P. (Finley Robertson Porter) auto plant in Port Jefferson, LI which in 1916 was taken over by the US Government to produce military equipment. 

After WW1 it was again used for auto manufacturing. 

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

These are 2 Porter Knight racers.  They were built for the 1915 Indianapolis 500.  Neither were able to start the race due to engine problems.  The Long Island village where they were built and where this photo was taken is Port Jefferson.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

I could pretend I’m a genius and rattle off the answers, but all I needed to do was Google Ardencraig Inn and this actually is the photo which pops up with an article telling much of the fascinating story! (Doesn’t talk about the specific race, and I don’t know the answer to that.)

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved: Two Porter-Knight racers preparing for the 1915 Indy 500 Race in Port Jefferson

Greg - Mineola, NY letterhead! Motor Parkway office building on NW corner of Old Country Rd and Mineola Blvd? This would be the first letter revealed from that office.

From Mystery Foto #35 Solved: Robert C. Watson, Jr. was Willie K's mechanician at the 1904 Ormond Daytona Tournament

Came across this Willie K letter with a Motor Parkway letterhead denoting R.C. Watson as Treasurer of the Motor Parkway.

From Mystery Foto #35 Solved: Robert C. Watson, Jr. was Willie K's mechanician at the 1904 Ormond Daytona Tournament

That was such a fun event! Wish they would run it again!

From 2021 Video: The Alco Black Beast at Dash Drags New Hyde Park

I remember that race. I was there with my borther and our dad.
My brother brought his mini Stutz speedster replica.

From 2021 Video: The Alco Black Beast at Dash Drags New Hyde Park

Billy. Re St. Georges lake….  known previously as Herrick Pond, at least back to 1873. Was much larger at one time with the western shore at today’s Old Searingtown Rd. and the northern end pretty much at the Shelter Rock Library parking field. The new Searingtown Rd. was built right thru the center of the lake ( in the early 1960’s I believe), dramatically reducing the size of that body of water Around 1890 starting referring to the lake as Herricks Pond.  What I would like to know how the Library got it’s name, Shelter Rock is located on Shelter Rock Rd.
fairly close to Northern Blvd.

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #4 Albertson

Earle T. Smith was married to Willie K’s daughter Consuelo from 1926 to 1935.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_E._T._Smith

We will try to track down the itinerary.

From "Over the Seven Seas": A Film Starring William K. Vanderbilt II

Mrs E.T. Smith was Mr and Mrs Vanderbilt’s daughter.

Does anyone have the full itinerary for this voyage?

From "Over the Seven Seas": A Film Starring William K. Vanderbilt II

Let’s be reasonable. If it was in the United States it would have potholes and radar traps.

From Mystery Friday Foto #7 Solved: The former FIAT Lingotto Factory in Turin, Italy

…and just to let you know, that my dear neighbor and friend Bob Lytle will be celebrating his 102 birthday in a few months. He is still driving after renewing his license at 100 years old…must be in the genes.

What a remarkable centurion!!!

Love you Bob❤️

From The Family of Vanderbilt Cup Racer Herb Lytle Has a Reunion at the 2019 Indy 500