The death of a spectator in the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race nearly brought the classic to a premature demise. The marvel was that only one spectator had been killed in the three races held up to that time. Demonstrating vision again, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. chartered the goal of a private parkway.
His dream was for a safe, smooth, police-free road without speed limits and a place to conduct his beloved international race without spectators running onto the course. Vanderbilt and his associates were careful to position this new and modern Appian Highway as a modern convenience to all automobile enthusiasts and not primarily as a speedway for race cars. They extolled the virtues of economic development and the efficiency of quickly retreating from the city to the calm and healthful benefits the fresh country air that Long Island had to offer.
The birth of the Long Island Motor Parkway has been posted on VanderbiltCupRaces.com.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
