Walter Christie
Front-Wheel drive pioneer
Nationality: American
Born: May 6, 1866
Died: January 11, 1944
The struggle of the Christie team in the 1905 and the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races was a kind of metaphor for (John) Walter Christie’s life.
Related Posts
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Oct 31
2023
Kleiner’s Korner: Miscellaneous News Concerning Vanderbilt Cup Race Drivers and Cars
Here are some miscellaneous news items reported about Vanderbilt Cup Race drivers and autos.
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Sep 18
2023
Mystery Foto #37 Solved: #9 50-HP Christie Touring Car at the Hairpin Turn during the 1906 American Elimination Trial
A racer at speed
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Sep 06
2021
Mystery Foto #36 Solved: Four Speed Merchants- Robertson, Christie, Strang and Oldfield at Atlanta Speedway in 1909
The Helck Family Collection challenged you to identify this weekend's Mystery Foto.
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Aug 04
2021
Kleiner’s Korner Part 2: Illustrations of the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Participants
Additional portrayals of participants of the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race.
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Jul 12
2021
Mystery Foto #28 Solved: Barney Oldfield in the 1909 Christie Racer which established the 102.6 mph Indy lap record in 1916
Wayne Carroll Petersen challenged you to identify this weekend's Mystery Foto.
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Jul 06
2021
Greg O’s Garage: From the Helck Family Collection: Stocks and Bonds
Rare Stock and Bond certificates discovered in the Helck Family archives.
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Jun 08
2021
New Hyde Park Herald Courier: Vanderbilt Cup Races in New Hyde Park
I wrote this brief article for this week's Guide to New Hyde Park published by the New Hyde Park Herald Courier.
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May 17
2021
Mystery Foto #20 Solved: Driver Walter Christie and mechanician Lewis Strang practicing in a 1906 Christie on Guinea Woods Road
Did you solve this weekend's Mystery Foto?
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May 11
2021
Greg O’s Garage: Removable rims and their impact on early motoring and racing
Please give a big welcome to VanderbiltCupRaces.com columnist Greg Oreiro. Greg O's Garage first post: Sometime in 1904/1905, the idea of having a pre-mounted tire and tube with air on a removable rim was beginning to take form. And unlike today, it was a big deal then.
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Apr 05
2021
Mystery Foto #14 Solved: Walter Christie making the Bull’s Head Turn during a practice run
Did you solve this weekend's Mystery Foto?
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Aug 22
2020
Kleiner’s Korner Part I: Illustrating the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race and the Motor Parkway
In addition to magazines using photographs to graphically enhance a story, illustrations were also often times used. One illustrator employed by "The Motor Way" magazine was Henry Thiede whose drawings in 1906 portrayed anecdotes of the Vanderbilt Cup Race and the building of the Motor Parkway.
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Jun 08
2020
Mystery Foto #23 Solved: 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Winner George Robertson
Automotive historian Walt Gosden challenged you to identify this weekend's Mystery Foto.
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Apr 01
2019
Mystery Foto #13 Solved: A Unique 1906 Transverse V-4 Christie Front-Wheel Drive Engine
This weekend's Mystery Foto was a never-before-published photo formerly from the Don C. Bouton Collection of a unique Vanderbilt Cup race car engine.
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Mar 15
2017
VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: A Vanderbilt Cup Race Scrapbook Discovered in Garden City
The Garden City Archives have discovered a small scrapbook of photos from the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races. The scrapbook was a gift from Dorothy Peters Hubbell, whose family had direct links to the Long Island Motor Parkway and the founding of Garden City.
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Sep 05
2016
Mystery Foto #36 Solved: Louis Chevrolet at the 1906 Ormond-Daytona Races
Paul Osika, a great collector and seller of racing and automobile photos, challenged you to identify this veteran of Vanderbilt Cup Races.
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Jun 21
2016
Translation: December 1906 Les Sports Modernes: The Vanderbilt Cup in America
Professor Pau Medrano Bigas, Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Barcelona, has forwarded an article on the Vanderbilt Cup Race from a December 1906 French magazine Les Sportes Modernes. Sam Berliner III has provided its English translation.
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Sep 12
2015
Film and Photos: The 1905 Ormond-Daytona Beach Automobile Races
King Rose Archives posted this four-minute film of the 1905 Ormond Daytona Beach Automobile Races including a segment with William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. competing in his 1905 Mercedes.
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Jan 31
2015
Saturday Request: Information on the Christie Racers from Barney Oldfield’s Great-Great -Nephew
Wayne Peterson: "I am trying to get as much information as possible on the Christie Racer as it is being rebuilt."
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Feb 17
2014
Mystery Foto #55 Solved: Walter Christie Driving the #9 Christie in Mineola on September 21,1906
Bob and Ruth Valentine forwarded this never-before-published photo of a Vanderbilt Cup Racer.
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Jan 26
2014
Images of the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Winner: Louis Wagner
Several of my favorite Louis Wagner images and a film clip from the 1906 race.
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Jan 06
2014
Mystery Foto #49 Solved: A View of Lake Success in 1934
To celebrate 2014, the first Mystery Foto was another vintage Long Island aerial.
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Nov 16
2013
Arcadia Publishing Announces the Availability of the Book “North Hempstead” In January 2014
My third book "North Hempstead" has been completed and will available for sale on January 20, 2014.
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Jun 19
2013
Then & Now: Guinea Woods Road in Old Westbury
The roads on Long Island have certainly changed over the last 107 years. Here is a "Then & Now" of Guinea Woods Road in Old Westbury to prove it.
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Jan 29
2013
Then & Now: New Hyde Park Turn
One of the six exciting turns in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race was the intersection of Lakeville Road and Jericho Turnpike.
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Aug 16
2012
Presentation:“The Incredible Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island: Racing on Roslyn Roads”, Roslyn NY
As part of the lecture series sponsored by the Roslyn Landmark Society, Howard Kroplick will be presenting an overview of the Vanderbilt Cup Races with a focus on racing in the Roslyn area.
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Jul 06
2012
Race Profile: The 1906 American Elimination Trial
As in 1905, an American Elimination Trial determined the five racers to represent the United States in the Vanderbilt Cup Race. Of 16 entries, 12 cars survived the practice runs to race on Saturday, September 22, 1906.
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Aug 01
2010
Archives: 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com (Updated: February 1, 2012):
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Aug 01
2010
Archives: 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Links to posts related to VanderbiltCupRaces.com (Updated: Febraury 1, 2012):
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Dec 30
2009
Starting Lineup: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race
For the last post of 2009, here are the 17 cars that competed in the third Vanderbilt Cup Race held on October 6,1906. The race was won by the #10 Darracq driven by Louis Wagner. Remember to click on the photos to enlarge the image.
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Dec 19
2009
Starting Lineup: The 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race
These 19 cars competed in the second Vanderbilt Cup Race held on October 14, 1905 won by the #18 Darracq driven by Victor Hemery. Remember to click on the photos to enlarge the image:
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Nov 20
2009
Starting Lineup: The 1906 American Elimination Trial
As in 1905, an American Elimination Trial determined the five racers to represent the United States in the Vanderbilt Cup Race. Of 16 entries, 12 cars survived the practice runs to race on Saturday, September 22, 1906. Here are images and profiles of all 16 cars. (Remember to click…
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Nov 13
2009
Driver Profile: John Walter Christie: Front-Wheel Drive Pioneer
The struggle of the Christie team in the 1905 and the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races was a kind of metaphor for (John) Walter Christie’s life. Born in River Edge, New Jersey on May 6, 1866, Christie spent his youth working as a machinist and studying mechanics. As a…
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Nov 13
2009
The Christie Returns to the 1906 Races
Despite his lack of success and total disruption of the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Christie returned to the 1906 American Elimination Trial and the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race with another of his front-wheel drive creations.
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Nov 11
2009
The Christie Front-Wheel Drive Car in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Among the most unique entries for the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race was the front-wheel drive Christie, named after its owner and creator, J. Walter Christie. One of just two cars to use Goodrich tires it was the first front-wheel drive car. Spur gears on each end of the crankshaft applied…
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Jun 24
2009
Vanderbilt Cup Race Drivers on the Broadway Stage in 1906
Last week, a photo was posted of Elsie Janis on stage for the 1906 musical The Vanderbilt Cup. The above recently restored photo was taken during the same night as the drivers and mechanicians posed with Elsie Janis after the show.
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May 28
2009
Vanderbilt Cup Race Art from West Wales
From the spectacular paintings of Peter Helck to the tin can art of David Wasserman, the action and passion of the Vanderbilt Cup Races have inspired artists for over 100 years. Today, David Holland, an artist specializing in motorsports from West Wales, continues to portray the…
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Mar 10
2008
Film “The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race”
The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race was one of the most exciting sporting events of its era- drawing over 200,000 spectators to Long Island. This rare film shows the race action among the French, Italian, German and American cars at the grandstand on Jericho Turnpike in Westbury and the Hairpin Turn…
Bob, the plates were purchased by members of the Wheatley Hills Golf Club and Links Golf Club. Both clubs had private…