Kleiner’s Korner: The 1st Automobile on the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course
Which car had the honor of being first on the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race course?
Alco, Mercedes, Simplex, Lozier? Read on . . .
Art Kleiner
The Regal: Official Photographer's Car
The Regal Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan manufactured the automobile used by the official photographer of the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Nathan Lazarnick. (Atlanta Georgian and News Sept. 19, 1910)
The company existed from 1908 - 1918 and produced approx. 52,000 autos during that timeframe. (Atlanta Georgian and News Sept. 19, 1910)
The Regal factory in 1912. (Wikipedia)
Regal Brochure (1913)
The Spokeman and Harness World Nov., 1910
The Regal having just gone under the "Garden City Bridge." Which bridge do you think it is?
A dangerous curve! Any thoughts on which curve this might be?
Where would this be? Note the official watering station.
Regal Photos and Adertisements
Regal cars were entered into various races and endurance runs. But, never the Vanderbilt Cup Races or sweepstakes.
The 30 HP model, nicknamed the "Plugger" traveled across the country 5 times from New York to San Francisco and back during 1909 and 1910 amassing 22,000 miles. This is a photo taken in 1910. Love those suits and hats!
A 1910 Regal ad from "Motor Magazine".
This Regal sold for $165,000 at the 2017 Bonhams Auction (Philadelphia Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum).
The End of the Line
Material shortages due to the First World War slowed production and the Regal Motor Car Company ran out of operating funds. In February 1918, creditors elected to liquidate the company. (Wikipedia)
Comments
This feels like a Mystery Foto, Art : ) With the bridge photo, I think he’s likely driving just west of the Roosevelt Field Hwy Bridge. Pretty sure the terminus of the LIMP in 1910 was at Jericho Tpke. Know this section of the parkway wasn’t part of the 1910 course, but maybe he drove west a bit past the Meadowbrook Lodge instead heading north up Ellison Ave, perhaps for a bridge photo?
I agree with Brian, it’s the Roosevelt Field highway bridge, photo looking east. Note the 1918 photo below with similar railings. Also the 1940s photo view from on top of the bridge looking in the same east direction, with the landscape now heavily overgrown after 30+ years
Another mystery photo indeed!
More accurately it was the Sheep Pens Rd. bridge. Note that it wasn’t paved. It was used primarily to get sheep (and some cattle) to the grazing areas of the Plains and to the pens which were located in the vicinity of Merrick Ave. and Old Country Rd. A small portion of the road still exists. now known as Westbury Rd. with the eastern terminus at Oak St. and the westerly end in Hempstead Village.