Vanderbilt Cup Races

Since nobody asked…. regarding the POW camp at Mitchel Field,  Opened May 17, 1945. It was located on the old Camp Mills site with access from Oak St. at Westbury Rd. Held a total of 335 POW. That summer 45 POWs were selected to pick potatoes at local farms. Paid 80 cents per hour, money went to the Federal Govt. In March of 1946, in two separate batches,  they were all removed to other sites before being shipped back to Europe. They thought they were going back to Germany, nope, they were turned over to the Russians.  The barracks they occupied were offered to local officials for temporary housing for returning veterans but they had to be moved of the Airfield. Not accepted because they were barely suitable, not up to codes, flimsy construction , etc. Any one with aerials of the area, that time frame ?

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Orientation South /East

Motor Parkway bottom of foto from left diagonally to the right crossing over the LIRR between Mineola( west ) to Carle Place( east) crossing over Old Country Road into the Mott section of Garden City
Continuing along OCR east crossing over the Meadowbrook Pkwy ,3 Hangers from Roosevelt field.
Further along on the south side going east is Roosevelt Raceway two oval tracks . Vanderbilt race were held here.
In the middle of foto is Roosevelt Field Mall maybe mid 50’s?
The top of the foto is Mitchel Field
To left in the distance is Salisbury Park. That’s all I got☺️

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: A 1956 aerial of the new opened Roosevelt Field and almost completed Meadowbrook Parkway

We see Roosevelt Field, late 1950s, from NW looking SE.  LIMP bridge over LIRR in Mineola visible in lower right corner.

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: A 1956 aerial of the new opened Roosevelt Field and almost completed Meadowbrook Parkway

Another fact to further narrow the above location is that the concrete extensions were poured in west of Meadowbrook Lodge to the Nassau & Queens border.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

Hi Walt,
came across these pictures from The Aircraft Year Book for 1930 in case you haven’t seen them before:
https://tinyurl.com/y6q42hsh
Cheers,
Mike

From Then & Now: The Long Island Aviation Country Club on the Motor Parkway

Part 2:  Correction, I marked as ROAD at the upper left, not HERE.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

For what it’s worth, I marked the image above deemed ‘view looking west’. We can all agree that a LIMP Bridge did exist here. But I just noticed a curved road to the upper left where I marked HERE. Think I see a car on the right of the curved road. This road could intersect with the road easily seen.

I agree with Al about the last image. LIMP is in good condition. Zoomed in, I can see a wood pkwy lamp post that existed along the Northern State & Sunken Meadow.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

Re. The photo of the Buick on an unknown location of the Motor Parkway…. I say east of the Bethpage Lodge because of the lack of concrete extensions. The road in the background appears to a limited access highway which leads me to say the photo was taken from the Motor Parkway west of Commack Rd. in the vicinity of the Northern State Parkway exit on the Motor Parkway. (Or ...vicinity of the Northern State/Sagtikos/Sunken Meadow interchange.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

I agree with Bill Bellmer that the photo saying…. looking west at Clinton Rd./ bridge embankment is not correct. Its tempting to say Clinton Rd. because of the lack of a barrier at that point. The piece of the concrete extension puts the photo west of the Bethpage Lodge. How about the possibility that the photo was taken from the west side of Lakeville Rd ?  That would account for the Parkway ROW on the east side of Lakeville Rd. being at street level, and, .... could that be the Great Neck Lodge in the distance on the right side-center ?

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

Regarding the Mystery Foto #1, The video of the race has me wondering… Why at the start of the race do we see sports cars in the front of the pack? If I had attended the event I would probably know the answer but I was in Germany at the time. Were there sports cars on the track at the same time as the Formula Juniors having their own race, or ????. Did the sports cars have their own separate race? See attached image.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Gene Ingram:

The driver is Jim (or Dick) Rathmann and the passenger is Carrol Shelby in your Mystery friday photo #1 in old 16.

Gene Ingram
New Castle, In.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Since this robbery was solved with details later confessed, I wonder if toll collection tickets later included entry for number of occupancy in vehicles. I don’t recall seeing this in any Motor Parkway toll ticket.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway and the Bellmore Bank Robbery

Ariejan,
Ken Purdy’s article titled “Classics of the Road” to which you refer was published in 1955 but I’m afraid I can’t tell you in which magazine.

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 2 - The Race that Brought Willie K. "Racing" to America"

I see what your saying Bill about the view looking west of Clinton Rd. Even though homes may have not been built yet just across Clinton Rd, the scenery looks more like the Melville area. A transmission tower should also be in view if this is Garden City, I see none. Images may have been miss marked, looking forward to the rest.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

Carroll Shelby once signed Howard Kroplick’s glove box in his 1966 Shelby Mustang. I recognize the driver but his name eludes me. Will be back with the answer or be eternally humiliated in the Automobile Walk of Shame.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Happy New Year to Howard,Al and everyone else!

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Can’t answer most of these questions,but person on right is Carroll Shelby.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

A little ‘then and now’

From Update From the Pickering Collection: Images of the Vanderbilt Cup Races and Long Island

Again a nice set of photos. Though the racing cars are a bit tiny, one small caption error comes to light: Lancia with Fiat nr. 4 is competing in the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup race, not the one of 1905. By a twist of fate (?) Lancia received the same number in both races, but in 1905 the number was painted dark on a light background, and in 1906 light on a dark background.
The car in the Armistice Parade on the second photo could well be a small Mack truck. I’m not a real truck specialist, so please correct me if I’m wrong!

From Update From the Pickering Collection: Images of the Vanderbilt Cup Races and Long Island

Howard,
Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos. I grew up a few blocks from there on Avalon Road. We used to ride our bikes up, and down fast, on the Clinton Road bridge embankment, never knowing what it was, on our way to and back from Stewart School. Nice memories.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City