Vanderbilt Cup Races

On a related note this article from the “Technical World” magazine of Sept., 1913 discusses the issue of passing another vehicle on the right or left and where to put the drivers seat.  The desire to do things different than the English following the Revolution had a part to play with this as well.

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

I’ve always had the impression that the Bethpage State Parkway was one of the originally proposed roads in 1931, and was guaranteed to reach the Northern State Parkway at the time. The Massapequa Preserve is visible enough, though.

From Update #3-Behind the Scenes: The Long Island Parkway planning map in David's new play starring Ralph Fiennes as Robert Moses

Not only are the pedals on RHD cars the same as on LHD cars, but also the shift pattern for stick-shift cars is the same: Lower gears on the left, and higher gears on the right, by international agreement. Most cars outside of North America and Australia have manual transmissions, so in drive-on-the-left countries, an American would have two challenges: Driving on the left, and shifting with the left hand.

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

Bob-
Thanks for your email.
As far as right hand drive pedals, they are the same configuration as left had drive. ie; gas on right, brake in the middle and clutch to the left.
There was an aspect to this post about current car manufacturers making cars more ‘predominantly right-handed’ that I didn’t include, but might have to save that for part ll.

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

Thank you Howard for having Greg explain this to me.  What made me think about it is all the old race cars (like the Black Beast) with the steering wheel on the right.  So I wonder just when they changed the driver position in race cars.  I suppose one thing to consider is at some point the cars didn’t require a mechanician to pump fuel so the cars could be designed with a driver basically sitting in the center.
I also asked how the pedals are typically positioned in a right hand driven car versus our left side driven: is the gas still on the right?  I’m sure some readers and contributors to this newsletter are more travelled than I and have driven cars with the driver on the right…
So thanks again for delving into my question! —- Bob Allen

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

Myanmar (Burma) switched from driving on the left to driving on the right on Dec. 6,1970. As a former British colony, they drove on the left. The general who ran the country at the time, for reasons not quite understood, ordered the switch. Unlike in Sweden, where vehicles were made with LHD leading up to switch day, vehicles in Myanmar continue to be mostly RHD Japanese imports.

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

Howard,
I’ll be there on Wednesday, Nov. 2nd.  Thanks for all those great photos of the Motor Parkway on your website. 
All the best,
Rog

From Update: Special Guest for the Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society Meeting at the Bethpage Public Library on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 7 p.m.

That was interesting. I often wondered about the origin of right and left hand roads and cars.

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

Wish I could be there, Howard.  Have a great time.

From Update: Special Guest for the Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society Meeting at the Bethpage Public Library on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Mystery Foto #44…Photo location is Locomobile Factory in Bridgeport, CT. And the car is 1905 Locomobile with Joe Tracy in the driver’s seat.. Approximate date would be June, 1905. The Locomobile car was being prepped for the 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup race in France and later in the year the American Elimination Trial.

From Mystery Friday Foto #44 : Joe Tracy test driving the 1905 Locomobile racer at the Bridgeport factory

That looks like the Locomobile factory in Bridgeport, CT. I think that’s Joe Tracy driving the 1905 Locomobile racer in preparation for the 1905 Gordon Bennet Cup. Since the race was held on July 5, 1905 in France, the photo was probably taken some time in June of that year.

From Mystery Friday Foto #44 : Joe Tracy test driving the 1905 Locomobile racer at the Bridgeport factory

found original program 1908

From The Beautiful 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Poster

found original program

From The Beautiful 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Poster

The location of this picture may be the Chadwick engineering works in Pottstown PA.  The race car in the photo looks like the Chadwick “big six” driven by Willie Haupt.  The date of the photo is around the end of October 1908.  The vehicle is being tested for the Savannah Georgia Thanksgiving day race.

From Mystery Friday Foto #44 : Joe Tracy test driving the 1905 Locomobile racer at the Bridgeport factory

thank you for great pictures. very appreciative indeed. harry gilbert was my grandfathers brother, yes he had the limo parked for long time on the north shore. im so appreciative of you.  thx again art fielder   west l.a. 

From Savoy Automobile Museum invites Moms to visit Walther Chrysler's gift to his wife Della

Great to see P. Helks motor Pkwy drawing . I have been t quite a few motor Pkwy. R_runs with m car back to the sixty’s and old sixteen running in the re-runs.  Great going Howard.

From A 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race painting by Peter Helck sold at the RM Sotheby's October auction in Hershey, Pennsylvania

Good luck at the show Howard! This is a great venue. Someday I’ll get there to see it.
The Chrysler would do well even without it’s iconic history.

From Chrysler's Chrysler to be featured at the Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival

Congratulations! “Your” map made it into the NY Times review of the play that was published on 10/27!

From Update #3-Behind the Scenes: The Long Island Parkway planning map in David's new play starring Ralph Fiennes as Robert Moses

Two notes: I have a 1950 letter from the owners of Alley Pond Stable, addressed to my uncle who boarded his horse there for $1.58 per day, that the stable property had been “condemned” and he would have to board his horse elsewhere. The address of Alley Pond Stables was East Hampton Blvd and 56th Rd, which is today a short
Dead End street that abuts that section of Alley Pond Park. My uncle would move his horse to Lakeville Stables on the north side of Horace Harding in Lake Success. I should say my uncle was the son of a cop and had grown up on 221st St near Crocheron Park in the 1930s and 40s, caddying at the local courses, working numerous jobs, such as soda jerking on Bell Blvd and eventually became a horse show jumper, and later judge and steward of shows, rising to the management of the National Horse Show, all of which during a span as NYC public school Industrial Arts teacher.

The other note is that my wife’s grandfather owned what was once three garden apartment buildings on the north side of Horace Harding Blvd between 201st and what was 204th Street—now two buildings, the the one having been in the middle of the proposed service road of the new Clearview Expressway. That building was sold and razed and two odd-sized house lots replaced it when the Clearview was built.

From Greg O's Garage: Robert Moses and the battle to acquire land for Cunningham Park

From Jeanne Booth:

I want to thank you and everyone involved with the identification of the vehicles.  Al Velocci called and we had a nice conversation regarding the ladies in the National.  The information provided is priceless for describing photographs for the archives.  Again, thank you!

Regards,
Jeanne Booth

From Mystery Friday Foto #43 Solved: Three automobiles in the Hicksville Public Library Archives