Mystery Foto #36 Solved: Joe Seymour Driving the #8 Thomas During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
This week's Mystery Foto was a previously unpublished image from the Vanderbilt Cup Races.
Answers to the Mystery Foto questions:
-Identify the race
1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
-Identify the race car and its driver
#8 Thomas driven by Joe Seymour
-Identify the bridge in the background
Looking west, it is the Jerusalem Avenue Motor Parkway Highway Bridge. Note: The 1908 Press Box/Officials' Stand and Scoreboard can be seen through the bridge on the right.
Congrats to Joe Osterle, Ariejan Bos, Greg Oreiro, and Frank Feminas for identifying the Jerusalem Avenue Bridge. Kudos to Ariejan Bos, Art Kleiner and Greg Oreiro for identifying the Thomas car and its driver Joe Seymour.
If you have a suggested Mystery Foto, please send a jpeg to [email protected] .
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets
The #8 Thomas driven by Joe Seymour passing the Jersusalem Avenue Bridge.
#3 Mercedes driven by Emil Stricker passing the Press Box/Officials Stand.
Ariejan Bos believes this is the #6 Isotta driven by Herb Lytle. It may be the #3 Mercedes driven by Emil Stricker. Note: the grandstand can be seen through the bridge on the left.
Ariejan Bos believes this is the #3 Mercedes driven by Emil Stricker.
The 1908 grandstand looking west.
The #6 Isotta driven by Herb Lytle passing the Jerusalem Avenue Bridge.
Closeup of the Isotta.
Closeups of the #3 Mercedes
Comments
Jerusalem Ave Bridge, you can see the grandstand in the background. 1909 or 1910. The Black Beast #8.
The race must be the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup. The car with the distinctive 8 is Joe Seymour on a 60hp Thomas. The bridge I have to guess, it could be Jerusalem Avenue Bridge (do I see the Grandstand behind the bridge in the distance?). The second photo (though not very clear, the 6 looks like a 3) could be Herb Lytle on Isotta. He is the only one with this type of fenders. The last photo must be Stricker on Mercedes with nr.3. He started with two fenders, but there is a photo were he already lost one. On this photo he seems to have lost them both (you can still see a spare tire hanging by the side of the car).
-Identify the race
1908 Cup Race
-Identify the race car and its driver
#8 Thomas driven by Joe Seymour
-Identify the bridge in the background
Jerusalem Ave. highway bridge
A fairly easy one. Could have been a little more difficult by asking for the name of the photographer, his age and what he had for breakfast that morning! 😉
Looking west through the bridge appears to be the scoreboard in the 1909 or 1910 race situated on the northside of the LIMP with its opposite facing grandstand on the south. Looks similar to the 1908 scoreboard but I believe that year had a single grandstand under the scoreboard. http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/the_vanderbilt_cup_race_scoreboards
If this is in Hempstead Plains/Levittown/Island Trees, the LIMP Parkway bridge may be carrying Jerusalem Ave with the raceway passing straight under it. I’m betting 3 bushels of hay on 1910. Is that the no.8 Black Beast in the picture?
In regards to the 4th photo from the top, I’m inclined to go with Ariejan on that car being the Isotta. While it’s not clear enough to see grill detail, it’s possible to make out that the car has fenders which the #3 Mercedes does not have.
I did notice there were fenders on the Mercedes in other photos, (even during the same race?) but the Mercedes fenders do look a bit smaller and shaped differently.
I realized I only read the photo captions and never read through Ariejan’s comments in regard to the fenders, so excuse and my repetative comments!
Came across this nice photo of Joe Seymour and his mechanician within the DPL website.