InstaGRAM Report: A Celebration of Marty Himes
Last Thursday, Gloria Blas, Marty Himes' daughter, and the Kroplick Team met up at Ford’s Garage at the Smith Haven Mall to celebrate the final phase of settling the estate of race car driver and Long Island icon Marty Himes.
The Himes Museum property been purchased by a new business. All racing memorabilia has been sold to various automotive enthusiasts across the country.
This post highlights the Ford’s Garage and commemorates the legacy of the Marty Himes.
By Gram Spina
Highlights from Ford’s Garage
We chose to have our celebratory dinner at Ford's Garage because of the well-themed 1920s Ford atmosphere and great food.
From left to right: Howard Kroplick, Gram Spina, Gloria Himes (Blas), Greg O, and Dave Baum.
A 1929 Ford Model A 5-window is featured promptly on a lift in the center of the bar. The horn works, and all four wheels slowly spin as if the Ford were coasting in first gear.
Model A 4-banger flathead engines decorate the booth corners throughout the restaurant. The napkins are shop rags, and the napkin holders are metal hose clamps.
The outside of the restaurant features two Model A Fords and vintage gas pumps.
The Ford Motor Company officially licenses the restaurant. This is the first (and so far only) Ford’s Garage in New York State, and it's right here on Long Island.
In Celebration of Marty Himes
Marty Himes was born on August 29, 1939, and died on October 23, 2023. He will forever be remembered for his dedication to preserving Long Island racing history by everyone who visited his beloved museum in the past.
The task of finding and documenting the cars, racing memorabilia, and all the other Long Island-related history was carefully processed and prepared for sale. It was handled by the Himes family, and close friends of Marty Himes. All of the memorabilia that Marty thought to save from being forgotten has now been sold to new caretakers.
The #52 Frankie Cal Midget racer was sold to Howard during the first online auction, and soon, this historic racer will be mechanically and cosmetically restored. This image captures the moment we pushed it out of the museum building, where it had been parked since the early 2000’s.
Thousands of memorabilia related to automotive history, racing history, and Long Island history were uncovered, documented, and then sold.
This is one of the multiple crates I pulled out to document from one of the garages, and it was found exactly as you see it, with a motorcycle plate reading “Marty” on top.
I am fortunate enough to have visited the museum and gotten a tour from Marty back in August of 2023. The Himes family informed me that I was one of the last people to visit the museum before Marty passed away, and it's with great honor that I helped keep Marty’s legacy alive.
While the museum is no longer around, the memorabilia that Marty saved is still being used the way Marty intended: to inspire and preserve automotive history.
Comments
Hines museum trail is on a farm on Mill rd in coram. Right by the roadside. Just sitting there.
Thank you Gram for updating us all on the Himes memorabilia! And thanks to Howard and team for helping Marty’s family get the collection into the hands of those that will use it the way he intended. Thanks to Marty’s family for ensuring the material didn’t end up in the big automobile graveyard. And finally, thanks to Marty for giving so many of us the chance to see automobile history from a first hand perspective! Can’t wait to see Howard zooming around Long Island in that Midget racer!
What a great way to celebrate the life and legacy of a true Long Island racing and history legend! I’m so glad I got to meet him and see his amazing collection.
This epic auction has been a big part of our Spina family life for these last few years. He was indeed a remarkable man and so key to preserving key aspects of the Long Island automotive history. If you look closely at the portrait pictured here by Gram you can see me in the background touring the collection just a few years ago. Such a cherished moment.
Marty was one of a kind. We were honored to know him. Rita created several photo albums of some of the many open houses we attended. I hope they stayed with the family. JeRita
Marty Himes was an American icon of motor racing history and a Long Island native. He passed in 2023 and it took several years to sell off all the memorabilia he collected in his lifetime.
This website honors Marty and offers a glimpse into what that man meant to the preservation of Long Island racing’s history.
We attended several of Marty’s annual ‘birthday/reunion’ events over the years, always held on his property where everyone could walk among an incredible collection of artifacts, signs, programs, flags, real race cars, toys, trophies, magazines, race suits and more. And Marty was always at the center of everything racing on LI, having driven for years on LI tracks like Freeport, Riverhead and Islip Speedway.
Thank you Howard Kroplick, for helping to keep Marty’s memory alive and we hope his family takes comfort in knowing so many do remember Marty and feel honored to have known him.