Kleiner’s Korner: Part 2 - California Wants the 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race
While New Jersey made its case to host the 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race automobile enthusiasts on the west coast also let race officials know of their interest. Los Angeles and San Francisco proposed holding the race in their cities and began the process of gaining government approval and deciding on a course.
Art Kleiner
If New Jersey Doesn't Get the Race
The American Automobile Association announces there will be a race even if NJ votes against it - California is noted as most enthusiastic! (The Evening Star and Newark Advertiser July 17, 1907)
Race official Arthur Pardington supports a race in California according to a CA automobile manufacturer official. (The San Francisco Call August 30, 1907)
"By all means let California have the race". (Perth Amboy Evening News July 19, 1907)
A Proposal from Los Angeles
Los Angeles wants the race and sends a wire to A.C. Hardington(?) (The San Francisco Call July 14, 1907)
A.R. Pardinton received the wire after all. A forty-two mile route is envisioned with many miles of open stretches - in Los Angeles, really? (The New York Times July 11, 1907)
San Francisco Moves Ahead
The effort in San Francisco was led by local automobilist, Peerless dealer and race car driver Max L. Rosenfeld. (The San Francisco Call, July 28, 1907)
Rosenfeld drove a 40 HP Peerless in the 1906 Del Monte Endurance Test and won at least one event. (Western Field August, 1908)
A champagne celebration led by Rosenfeld ensued . . .
along with the setting of additional future events. Rosenfeld had to leave the celebration in order to make his way to the Vanderbilt Cup Race. This probably led to his interest in having San Francisco host the 1907 race.
If the race was not run in San Francisco, the dealers organization would sponsor a race for a gold cup as an inducement to manufacturers to participate. And if the National Guard would volunteer to maintain order, rather than the state militia, this would be fine. (The San Francisco Call July 28, 1907)
The Proposed Route
Near Oakand, the course would cover 52 to 54 miles.
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This is an approximation of the route - running on the east side of SF Bay the race would pass through many towns and villages.
San Leandro was one such town. (Out West July, 1907)
No Vanderbilt Cup Race in California
As in the case of New Jersey, racing on the west coast had its obstacles: Willie K's belief that foreign manufacturers would not send cars that far to race and that the use of state militias to control the crowds could not be guaranteed. And while California didn't get the 1907 race, it did get the race in 1914 and 1916. (The Evening Star and Newark Advertiser July 27, 1907)
And while a town in California took the name Vanderbilt, it had no connection to the Cup Races. Its name was chosen to hopefully have the mining town be as successful as the family whose name it took. But after just 4 years, this would not be the case.
Other cities throughout the US also made proposals to host the 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race and will be discussed in the next part of this series. Any guesses as to which cities these might be?
Comments
Art- came across this from Automobile Topics in late 1905. It appears even France was possibly in the running for a Vanderbilt Cup Race a couple of years earlier.