Vanderbilt Cup Races

Identify the location where these photos were taken. Provide a rationale.
Hempstead Plains, what is now Levittown

On what type of structure was the top photo taken? Hint: It was not a bridge.
Banked turn, possibly a culvert.

Identify the three automobiles in the photos.
All 3 are Packards

What pioneering characteristics of the Motor Parkway are shown in the photos?
Width of the roadway and the ability to pass other vehicles and also displays banked road surface on turns.

What is the approximate date of photos? Provide a rationale.
The inspection team tested the roadway just before opening in October 1908

My 1st guess would be Sept 1908, about a month before the first race, traveling east on the straightaway in Levittown toward the grandstand. The structure is a drain culvert for passing water under the roadway (maybe the same culvert as the one in the 2 photos that the 2 boys were playing near in the 1950s photo from a previous mystery photo. Looks like the road to the left could be Division Avenue which did not quite make it up to the roadway at the time. I Can’t name the cars, sorry about that.  My 2nd guess was going to be Deadman’s Curve #2 at section 23 traveling east into Bethpage Park, but there are no water towers on the bend so i’m going to stick with my 1st guess. Good one, very little reference points to work from.

These are three Packards 30 H.P., one runabout and two touring cars driving on the LIMP somewhere on Hempstead Plains. The structure is a culvert, probably the one east of (the future location of) the grandstand. Another photo exists, where one of these Packards (the one with the passenger in the white coat) is passing the Newbridge Road Bridge under construction. As this bridge was finished at August 20th, 1908, these photos must have been made shortly before this date. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to find out the identity of the passengers and what they were doing.

Another great mystery photo. Check out all this open space. I believe all of the photos are in the same general area and facing in the same direction, thanks to the shadows. This is about Jul/Aug 1908 during the rush to complete this section of Motor Parkway, just before the Oct 10, 1908 Sweepstakes and two weeks later, Oct 24 Vanderbilt Cup Race. I believe there are two possible locations: Dead Man’s Curve 1 eastward approach in Bethpage (Central Park) before it turns left towards the north, or the Levittown curve southeastward approach between the Jerusalem Avenue highway bridge and the Bloomingdale Road highway bridge that is not yet built. My best guess is the latter. Besides the flat terrain and culverts under the roadway to address Hempstead Plains flooding, the banked curve in the photo with the 3 vehicles is not as pronounced as the curve at Dead Man’s. Also, there is a storm basin today in this immediate area. The barely visible railroad tracks in the background come in on a diagonal and are not parallel with this roadway stretch, as it is at Dead Man’s Curve. The winding roadway on the left could be Farmedge Rd in Levittown (still there today). The bird’s eye view photo was taken from atop the water tower, where same photographer was captured on the water tower in a separate photo. Some of the latest pioneering techniques used on the roadway are (some not apparent in the photos): under roadway flood control, traffic intersection elimination, pedestrian/equestrian/bicyclist elimination, and high speed banked curves with guardrail protection.  I’m leaving the autos to the experts. Great stuff as always, looking forward to this week’s answers. Howard, I’m sending attachments.
Driver Joe Tracy also tested the new roadway before the races.
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/images/blog/B0196600.jpg

I guess just simply saying the location Levittown in the Hempstead Plains was a ‘phone-it-in’ answer!  This was a fun one that is quite deceptive.

I think this is the second turn heading East after the grandstand.  I believe the Packards are heading in the West on the LIMP. I could be wrong, because the Bloomingdale Rd bridge should be there unless it was built after these photos.

Identify the location where these photos were taken. Provide a rationale and be specific (ie. between which current roads). Update: See below 1926 Motor Parkway aerials.
Hempstead Plains/Levittown - south of Bloomingdale Road between Wantagh & Jerusalem Avenues.

On what type of structure was the top photo taken? Hint: It was not a bridge.
Water tower

Identify the three automobiles in the photos.
Packards
 
What pioneering characteristics of the Motor Parkway are shown in the photos?
The width of the roadway for passing capabilities, banking of the road surface in curved sections

What is the approximate date of photos? Provide a rationale.  1908 - prior to the opening of the Motor Parkway.  no rails, no bridge?

I think the biggest kudos also need to go to Frank and Art for reading comprehension on this one!
It appears I misread the question looking for the location of the PHOTOGRAPHER and NOT the Packards sitting on the turn in the top cover photo! Funny too because in my mind I did notice that’s the location where the other photos were taken from!

Again, fun photo this week! And to have all the supporting photos for the reveal, very nice! For some reason I especially like the perspective of that 1936 aerial.

Didn’t have the time this weekend,am in the process of maybe makiing another move to The Villages in Florida,just driving down to check out renting and looking around to get an idea to what there’s to offer. Right now it very tempting,but it’s only the first day,need to see more to make that big decision