For the seventh and final time, the Centennial of the historic Vanderbilt Cup races was celebrated on New York’s Long Island last October. Just as 1910 marked the final running of W.K. Vanderbilt’s original seven races on Long Island, so was 2010 the last Centennial observance, commemorated along Museum Row in Garden City, N.Y., near the route of the original races, with runs by the ALCO-6 Black Beast that Harry Grant drove to Vanderbilt victory in both 1909 and 1910.
As well as demonstration runs by the Beast—some of which took famed Long Island racer and event guest of honor Janet Guthrie along for the ride—the event also included timed runs and a Provenance Concours for owners of other historic vehicles. “Our intention,” said event organizer Guy Frost, “was to show 100 years of automotive evolution, with emphasis on racing heritage, both on display and on the move.”
Hosted by The Cradle of Aviation, New York’s premier air and space museum, the event included an exhibition of period photos and Vanderbilt memorabilia from the collection of Vanderbilt Cup scholar Howard Kroplick, who now owns the Black Beast, as well as a panel discussion featuring Kroplick, Guthrie and author/journalist Ted West.
With the Vanderbilt Cup Centennial celebrations now history, Frost and his organization are turning their attention to remembrances of Long Island’s Bridgehampton Race Circuit, details of which will be forthcoming.
