Vanderbilt Cup Races

Joe Tracy

One of Peter Helck's closest friends was Joe Tracy, with Tracy even helping Helck to eventually acquire 'Old 16', the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup winning Locomobile race car.

Tracy was the first person to test the Long Island Motor Parkway at speed in a Locomobile racer just before the official opening. He did so for many test cars, and in this 1935 letter to A.J. Kienzle, he asked for surveys of the Parkway for further testing.

Joe's signature

Tracy's request was denied due to the Parkway not having one long, continuous survey of the road.

Al Poole

Another close, personal friend to Helck was Joe Tracy's racing mechanician, Al Poole.

So close and personal, that in the dozens upon dozens of letters to Helck, not one was ever signed with his last name.

Barney Oldfield

A gift to Peter for his help in retrieving some of his scrapbooks. A signed 8x10 with the note; "To my very good friend Peter Helck. You know me, Barney Oldfield"

This is one of the last known photos of Oldfield in May of 1946, just months before his passing of heart failure in October of that year.

Ralph DePalma

One of Oldfield's greatest competitors throughout his career was Ralph DePalma. A polar opposite person from the gruff Oldfield, DePalma was a much more refined gentleman in every respect including driving styles.

Helck showed equal respect for bother drivers as both Oldfield and DePalma both considered him a friend.

Bill Mitchell

Bill Mitchell, who along with Harley Earl, is considered one of the two greatest designers in the history on the American automobile. He headed up the General Motors design studio from 1958-1977. He and his team were responsible for the look of GM cars during the 1960s, an era that many consider to be their golden age in terms of styling.

An encounter with a shark, while skin diving in the Bahamas, inspired Mitchell's Corvette Shark show car, his Stingray racer seen here and the production 1963 Corvette Stingray, largely designed by Larry Shinoda, under Mitchell's direction.

But, as important and well-known Mitchell was in the automotive world, when it came to Peter Helck, he suddenly became a giddy school kid asking for an autograph from Helck.

Just like everyone else who Helck touched in life, Mitchell became a long-time friend.

Helck followed Mitchell's career to the end as evidenced by this clipping found with his photos. This being a November 1976 Old Cars article about an honorary Doctorate given to Mitchell one year before his retirement.

William K Vanderbilt Jr.

The last signature is Willie K's, found on a letter for some possible bridge plans.