The 1936 Vanderbilt Cup (formally known as I George Vanderbilt Cup) was a

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

that was held on 12 October 1936 at Roosevelt Raceway near

Westbury, Long Island The Incorporated Village of Westbury is a Village (New York), village in the North Hempstead, New York, Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. It is located a ...

New York City, USA New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

. It was the fourth and last race of the

1936 AAA Championship Car season The 1936 AAA Championship Car season consisted of four races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Westbury, New York on October 12. There were also three non-championship events. The AAA National Champion was Mauri Rose, ...

, not counting the non-championship events. The race, contested over 75 laps of 6.39 km (3.97 mi), was won by

Tazio Nuvolari Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari (; 16 November 1892 – 11 August 1953) was an Italian racing driver. He first raced motorcycles and then concentrated on sports cars and single-seaters. A resident of Mantua, he was known as 'Il Mantovano Volante' (Th ...

driving a Alfa Romeo 12C-36 after starting from eighth position.

Background

''For the history of the Vanderbilt Cup: see

Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. History An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nassa ...

'' This was the first time that the

was held since 1916.

George Washington Vanderbilt III George Washington Vanderbilt III (September 23, 1914 – June 24, 1961) was an American yachtsman and scientific explorer who was a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family. Early life Born in Newport, Rhode Island, he was the younger son of Alfr ...

, the nephew of the founder of the Vanderbilt Cup,

William Kissam Vanderbilt II William Kissam Vanderbilt II (October 26, 1878 – January 8, 1944) was an American motor racing enthusiast and yachtsman, and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family. Early life He was born on October 26, 1878, in New York City, the second ...

, sponsored a 300-mile race (480 km) in 1936 at Roosevelt Raceway. Just like in the original races, European drivers were enticed by the substantial prize money -

Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Società per Azioni, S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in refere ...

entered three

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

racers. However, because of little American competition and an unexciting course layout, the race was organised for only two years. Both races were won by Europeans. After 1937, the Vanderbilt Cup would not be raced until 1960. ''Sources:The Golden Era of Grand prix Racing - I George Vanderbilt Cup Race
Vanderbilt Cup Races - Race Profile: 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race
'

Entries

* DNA = Did not arrive * DNS = Did not start * DNQ = Did not qualify ''Sources:
br

''

Grid positions

''Sources:
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Vanderbilt Cup Races - Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race
br

''

Race results

Twelve of the forty-five drivers that started the race were Europeans driving an English

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Compa ...

, a French

Bugatti Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars w ...

or an Italian

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

. The rest of the field was made up of Americans in dirt track cars with two-speed gearboxes. Although the course contained only one long straight, and the European drivers had to get used to the loose dirt track surface, the Americans were no contest for the Grand Prix cars. For example, even with Nuvolari's

V12 V12 or V-12 may refer to: Aircraft * Mil V-12, a Soviet heavy lift helicopter * Pilatus OV-12, a planned American military utility aircraft * Rockwell XFV-12, an American experimental aircraft project * Škoda-Kauba V12, a Czechoslovak experim ...

Alfa Romeo running on eleven cylinders, he won by eight minutes on

Wimille Wimille is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Wimille is a farming and light industrial town situated some north of Boulogne, at the junction of the D233 and the D237 roads, on the bank ...

. The best American driver was Cummings finishing seventh almost twenty-five minutes behind the winner. * DNF = Did Not Finish * DSQ = Disqualified ''Sources: see Entries''

Sources

ChampCarStats.com - 1936 George Vanderbilt Cup

Vanderbilt Cup Races - Exclusive: Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Vanderbilt Cup Races - Race Profile: 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Driver Database - The page of each aforementioned driver was consulted.

* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RPa8KCCVkM YouTube - 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Vanderbilt Cup Races - 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race: Photos from the Nassau County Division of Museum Services

Vanderbilt Cup Races - Spectacular Aerials of Roosevelt Field and Roosevelt Raceway (1924-1938)

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725155730/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/t8.htm#ROOSEVELT , date=2021-07-25 1936 in American motorsport 1936 in American sports

Vanderbilt Cup Motorsport in New York (state)