Connoisseurs of Vintage Autos Can See Historic Alco-6 Race Car, Along With Corvettes, MGs and Jaguars at the Spectacular William K. Vanderbilt II Estate
Classic-car enthusiasts will be able to see hundreds of beautiful American and European automobiles—including a century-old model that won the two Vanderbilt Cup races, in 1909 and 1910—at a July 25 show at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.
The auto-show season at the Vanderbilt began in late May with the Long Island Buick Club's All-Buick Car Show. Next on the calendar are an all-car show by the Long Island Vettes on Sunday, July 25, and an MG show sponsored by The MG Car Club–Long Island Centre on Sunday, August 22. Details on each can be found at the car clubs' websites (see below). Show hours: 11:00 to 4:00. Shows are free to spectators with general museum admission.
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A highlight on July 25 will be the showing of the famous 1909 "Black Beast," an Alco-6 race car manufactured by the American Locomotive Co. The car won the last two Vanderbilt Cup races, in 1909 and 1910, and competed in the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
The Beast, which gathered dust for years in an Ohio barn, was restored, featured in Harrah's Automobile Collection and later sold in the 1990s to a French architect. In 2008, Long Islander Howard Kroplick saw the car for sale on the Internet and bought it from a Belgian vintage-car dealer.
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A Vanderbilt Cup Race author and historian, Kroplick operates the website VanderbiltCupRaces.com. He will be selling copies of his two books, Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island and The Long Island Motor Parkway, with all proceeds going to the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.
Kroplick is chairman emeritus of a medical-communications company in New York City, owns other classic automobiles and has an extensive collection of racing memorabilia.
The museum, in keeping with William K. Vanderbilt II's passion for automobiles and his seminal role in American automobile history, has hosted car shows on its grounds for three decades.
The Vanderbilt estate, home to the museum, is a landmark in automobile and racing history. In 1904, Vanderbilt, a pioneer American race driver, set a new land-speed record of 92.3 miles per hour in a Mercedes at a course in Daytona Beach, Florida. That same year, he launched the Vanderbilt Cup Races, the first international road race ever held in the United States. Held on long Island public roads, the popular Vanderbilt Cup Races drew drivers from around the world and up to a quarter of a million spectators. From 1908 to 1910, the races were partially run on the first concrete road built specifically for automobiles, the Long Island Motor Parkway. This historic road was financed by Vanderbilt and his business associates and operated as a toll road until 1938.
July 25, All-Car Show. Rain date: August 8
Drew Moore, who chairs this event for the Long Island Vettes, said his club has held shows at the Vanderbilt since 2003. He expects more than 200 cars at this year's show, including Rolls-Royces, Edsels, Studebakers and Corvettes. Judges will award trophies to cars in classes by model year. Also on display will be a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The first 100 cars to pre-register will receive a dash plaque commemorating the show.
The day includes food and music. Auto-entry fee: $20 for pre-registration; $25 day of show. To register, contact Moore at 516-978-4329 or by e-mail: Formula113NY@aol.com. For more information, visit www.longislandvettes.com.
August 22, MG Show. Rain date: August 29
The MG Car Club–Long Island Centre has scheduled its 30th annual Concours Sanitaire, which also will display some American cars including a Chrysler Imperial and British makes that include Jaguar, Lotus Elan, Bentley and Austin-Healy. Cars in a "sanitaire" show, spokesman Steve Becker said, are judged "by how they look, the condition of the paint and their overall cleanliness." Four judges each will look at one aspect: exterior, interior, trunk and engine. Competition classes are by model year.
All participants must register before the event and pay the $30 auto-entry fee. To register, contact Steve Becker at 516-485-8830 or by e-mail: mygti@optonline.net. Or visit www.mgcars.org.uk/mgcclic/.
