Vanderbilt Cup Races

Victor Hemery’s 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race winning car was one of two Darracqs in a field of 19 machines. At 80 horsepower, the Darracqs had the lowest power of all the European cars entered in the race. Only three American entries had less power.
Hemery and his teammate Louis Wagner were entered in the only two cars in the race using wire spoke wheels and Dunlop tires. They were also among only four cars to utilize drive shafts to deliver power to the wheels. The rest used chain drive except the American Christie and the White steamer which used direct drive to the front wheels.
Known as a fierce competitor, Hemery was one of the most highly regarded drivers in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race. Only weeks before the race, he won the prestigious Belgian Circuit des Ardennes in the 80-hp Darracq.
The Darracq’s wheel base was 106 inches or nearly 9 feet. The wheels were 53 inches apart from one end of the axle to the other. The nose of the car was square and the machine sported a barrel-style gas tank behind the its seats.
The Darracqs had four cylinder engines with 6 inches of both stroke and bore. That meant the engine had a total displacement of 678.6 cubic inches. By comparison, the Locomobile, which had the largest engine in the race, checked in at 1,077.6 cubic inches.
The Darracqs had a four speed transmission with a reverse gear.  The smaller engine and wire spoke wheels accounted for both of the team cars being the lightest race entries with Hemery’s weighing 2,060 pounds.
After the leader Vincenzo Lancia’s Fiat collided three laps from the end of the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Hemery took the lead and won averaging 61.5 mph.

From Friday Mystery Foto #46 Solved: Victor Hemery in the #18 Darracq

Nice find Howard! With over 7,000 produced I’m sure there are more to be discovered.

From Another set of six Long Island Motor Parkway license plates has been discovered

When I was in Reno for a CCCA national board meeting and annual meeting I got a ride in the Phantom Corsair as the Harrah Museum had it driven to the location the annual meeting was being held. Amazing car in person.
Walt

From Film of the Week: The 1938 Flying Wombat- The Car That Thinks for You

Very nice

From Another set of six Long Island Motor Parkway license plates has been discovered

Dana Kyle Kroplick is a very talented artist! I enjoyed the Song of the Week, and then listened to several of her recordings and live videos on YouTube. Great songwriting and performances!

From Song of the Week: “Small Men” by Dana Kyle Kroplick

That voice!  A year before ‘The Wizard of Oz’, check out Billie Burke, pre-‘Glinda the Good Witch’ at the 1:46 mark!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpUHvXIXFQY&t=106s

From Film of the Week: The 1938 Flying Wombat- The Car That Thinks for You

How come it said 7 were found instead of 6?

Howard Kroplick: Good catch! Overall 13 Motor Parkway license plates have bee discovered from the Rothblum collection.

From Another set of six Long Island Motor Parkway license plates has been discovered

Awesome find Howard There are several other names on the list that should be highlighted I’ll work on it and get back to you JeRita

From Another set of six Long Island Motor Parkway license plates has been discovered

That would be Victor Hémery, probably in August, 1905 when he drove a Darracq to victory in Circuit des Ardennes at Bastogne, Belgium. That October, he won the Vanderbilt Cup at Long Island, New York, beating Felice Nazzaro, Louis Chevrolet, and Ferenc Szisz. On 30 December 1905 Hémery set a land speed record of 109.65 mph (176.46 km/h) in Arles, France, driving a Darracq.

From Friday Mystery Foto #46 Solved: Victor Hemery in the #18 Darracq

The Late Great Marty Himes.

From Update 10/11/25:Today: Saturday, October 11, 2025: The Himes Estate and Racing Museum Auction

Will you be bringing any car to Amelia Island in March 2026? I plan on attending for the first time and would love to see one of your cars take a first place in its class. Thank you for sharing your collection. God Bless

From Upcoming car shows, concours and exhibits for the Howard & Roz Kroplick Collection

Going from left to right we have: Back row; Judith Gray; Marion Fish; Daisy Post; Consuelo Vanderbilt; Mary Goelet; Lily Oelrichs; Josephine Brooks. Front row: Brian Goelet; Willie K.; Roger (somebody); Harold Vanderbilt; Cyril Haten; Robert Watson. The photo was taken in Newport, Rhode Island, probably somewhere along the Cliff Walk. Robert Watson was Willie K’s passenger during the record run at Ormond Beach in 1904.

From Friday Mystery Foto #45 Solved: A Group of Gilded Age Heirs and Heiresses at Newport, R.I. in 1893

Just a guess. Knowing how the Robber Barons owned the North Shore, and from the looks of the vegetation, I think they were sitting on THE Shelter Rock for which Shelter Rock Rd is named. I regularly passed by the massive boulder but never got out of my car to take a closer look.

From Friday Mystery Foto #45 Solved: A Group of Gilded Age Heirs and Heiresses at Newport, R.I. in 1893

I raced at the Bridge with LISCA in the late 50s when it was first opened and in the 70s with EMRA. Way back when I raced my ‘55 Porsche Speedster and in the 70s I was driving my Formula V King. One error in the text above… the track was 2.8 miles long, not the 3.1 miles mentioned. I loved racing out there and still do to this day. All that came with plenty of danger especially in he early days when the cars had very limited safety equipment.
To me me the Bridgehampton spells excitement even now.

From InstaGRAM report: Bridgehampton Race Circuit (1957-1999)

I loved the article but must correct the statement that the racing surface was still “smooth” in the 1990s. I ran my American Sedan Camaro in the 1996 SCCA National and, while it was great to be back at The Bridge, the surface was in terrible shape and gave the cars a real pounding. In the race I was dicing for third with another Camaro who went straight off the track at the second right-hander. After the race the driver told me it happened because the entire torque arm tore loose from the unibody.

From InstaGRAM report: Bridgehampton Race Circuit (1957-1999)

Outstanding article! Really captures the unique history of this track. I’m always amazed at the amount of sand that was on the track. It must have been a challenging drive!

From InstaGRAM report: Bridgehampton Race Circuit (1957-1999)

The events and the aura of Bridgehampton fueled my very early devotion to Motorsport and sports cars. My heros such as Dan Gurney and Walt Hangsen all raced there and the variety of racing shaped every edge of my motorhead focus.
Quite simply… well done Son.

From InstaGRAM report: Bridgehampton Race Circuit (1957-1999)

Hi Howard.
I see your site mentions 9/13 at Bridgehampton.
The Bridgehampton site says there is only a show on 9/14.
Do you know if therevv CB is something on Saturday 9/13.
Thanks
Tim

Howard Kroplick: The Bridge is held at The Bridge Golf Club, on the site of the former Bridgehampton Race Circuit. It is more a party rather than a car show. https://the-bridge-hampton.squarespace.com/the-event

From Upcoming car shows, concours and exhibits for the Howard & Roz Kroplick Collection

This can’t be the Biondi car.  When Dragones were selling that one in 2019, they stated that it had been sold new in Providence, RI, and was found in the ‘30s by George Waterman.  Waterman sold it to Les Taylor, who sold it to Louis Biondi in 1968.  It has engine number 1319.

There are differences between the two cars.  The Biondi car has the short radiator filler neck, and straight-bottom rear door with T handle, of the 1906 Model F.  The Rowley car has the tall radiator filler neck, and curved-bottom rear door with loop handle, of the 1907 Model L.

And according to the Grace Brigham serial number reference, engine number 2812 fits into the 1907 Model L range of 2201 - 3100.

The question remains tantalizingly unanswered - where is the 1907 Model L touring that Mrs. Rowley sold in 1958?  There are no surviving cars that I’m aware of that fit the bill.

From Can You Help Find This 1908 Pope-Hartford Touring Car?

Howard, sorry for my comment about your 2nd place class win, I do remember about your 2nd place class win for you Tucker and why, YOU WAZ ROBBED! Anyway, hope you got a trophie? you do have a ouple of wining ribbions, CONGRADULATON!

From The Duesenbergs of the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance