Ralph Mulford
Winner of the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race and driver in 10 Indy 500 Races
Nationality: United States
Born: December 28, 1884 Brooklyn, New York
Died: October 23, 1973 Asbury, New Jersey 89 Years
Mulford may have won the first Indianapolis 500, in 1911, but he didn't get credit for it. He was given the checkered flag before Ray Harroun and he took three extra laps as a precaution. When he finished the third lap, Harroun was in the winner's circle and Mulford's protests were largely ignored.
Related Posts
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Feb 20
2024
Mystery Friday Foto #7; Solved; Gentlemen, Start Your Engines for the 1912 Milwaukee Vanderbilt Cup Races!
Did you identify the race and cars at the starting line?
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Oct 13
2023
InstaGRAM Report: Peter Helck Vanderbilt Cup Races Paintings Part 2
An up-close look into Peter Helck's Vanderbilt Cup artwork
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Feb 06
2023
Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: Mulford and Chandler winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Did you identify this wave to the crowds?
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Aug 29
2022
Mystery Friday Foto #35 Solved: Bert Dingley taking the Hicksville Turn in a Pope-Hartford at the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race
The Walter McCarthy archives again challenged you with another unpublished race photo.
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Jul 25
2022
Mystery Friday Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford, Louis Chevrolet and Ralph DePalma gather around a 1914 Stutz Bearcat before the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race
The Helck Family Archives challenged you again to solve this weekend's Mystery Foto.
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Jul 26
2021
Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier
Did you identify this weekend's Mystery Foto?
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May 04
2021
Kleiner’s Korner: The 1910 Buick VCR Team at Sea
Soon after the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race, the Buick team headed to Savannah, GA to participate in the Nov. 12th Grand Prize Race. The team and other auto enthusiasts returned after the race to New York on the steamship "SS City of Savannah" which featured in its on-board publication an…
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Apr 22
2020
Update: From the Thayer Family Album: Four Photos of the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race
I recently purchased these photos on Ebay originally from the Thayer Family with the caption "1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race".
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Dec 04
2019
Kleiner’s Kolumn: Another Long Island Race Inspired by the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Three weeks after the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race on Long Island, another group of racing daredevils took to their vehicles to vie for a coveted cup.
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Nov 04
2017
Gregg D. Merksamer: “Remembering the 1908 Briarcliff Trophy Race”
The most exciting and spectacular automobile race ever held in Westchester County is considered the 1908 Briarcliff Trophy Race. Run six months before the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race, the Briarcliff race attracted skilled drivers and over 100,000 spectators along the 32.4-mile course.
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Nov 07
2015
VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive-The Helck Family Memoirs #1: Old 16 at the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Jerry Helck, former owner of the Old 16 Locomobile and son of the great artist Peter Helck, has agreed to share family memoirs related to the Vanderbilt Cup Races. In the first post of the series, Jerry recalls when Old 16 was brought to the Old Timers Exhibition of the…
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Sep 15
2015
Mystery Foto #37 Solved: Futurity Handicap Race at Sheepshead Bay Speedway Held on June 1, 1918
Bob Green, director of Survive the Drive, challenged you to identify this Long Island race.
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Feb 25
2015
Starting Lineup: The 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Savannah, Georgia
For the first Vanderbilt Cup Race held outside of Long Island, a total of 14 entries raced on a 17.1 mile road course in Savannah and Effingham on November 27, 1911.
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Feb 18
2015
ClassicCars.com Profile: The Old Timers Exhibition of the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Steve Evans has posted a "Classic Profile" of the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race on ClassicCars.com .
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Oct 15
2014
Starting Lineup: The 1912 Vanderbilt Cup Race Held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Only eight race cars participated in the Vanderbilt Cup Race held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 2, 1912.
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Aug 11
2014
Mystery Foto #80 Solved: The East Embankment of the Wantagh Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge in the 1950s
Al Castelli of West Babylon challenged you to identify this week's Mystery Foto.
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Aug 07
2013
Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series #35: The “Meadowbrook” Bridge in East Meadow
The 35th bridge in the series documenting the 60 bridges built by the Long Island Motor Parkway is the "Meadowbrook" parkway bridge over Newbridge Avenue (Bellmore Road) in East Meadow.
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Jun 25
2013
Then & Now: The Westbury Old Country Road Turn at the 1909 & 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races
Another crowd favorite to view the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races was the turn of Old Country Road on to Ellison Road (Avenue) in Westbury. Check out the "Then & Now."
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Jun 12
2013
Then & Now: The Hicksville Old Country Road Turn at the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races
One of the favorite locations to watch the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races was the Old Country Road Turn in Hicksville. Here is a "Then & Now" of the turn and another Vanderbilt Cup Race discovery.
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Sep 12
2012
1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race Pennant Sells for $5,778 on eBay
Last week a pennant from the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race held in Savannah, Georgia was sold on eBay for $5,778. The seller noted the rare pennant "was found yesterday in an attic trunk in New Jersey. Wonderful condition. No tears, no holes."
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Jun 29
2012
A New Book by Joel E. Finn: The 1912 Milwaukee Races: Vanderbilt Cup and Grand Prize
Just in time for its 100th anniversary, race historian Joel E. Finn has written a wonderful book on the 1912 Vanderbilt Cup Race and 1912 Grand Prix held in Milwaukee.
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Feb 02
2012
Three Vanderbilt Cup Race Winners Together in 1936
David Greenlees' Oldmotor.com website has posted this photo taken prior to the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race. I believe it may be the only image of three Vanderbilt Cup Race winners together.
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Jan 16
2012
Race Profile: The Vanderbilt Cup Race Heads to Savannah in 1911
Racing returned to Savannah in November, 1911. The Vanderbilt Cup and the Grand Prize were to be held within three days of each other. Savannah welcomed the racers, holding lavish parties and improving the circuit that AAA’s Fred Wagner called, “the finest road course in the world.”
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Jan 13
2012
The Mulford Special: “A Roadster That Saved a City”
Five years ago Wendell McCrady Jr. purchased a unique roadster that most believed no longer existed. The Mulford Special car was one of seven prototypes built by Ralph Mulford, veteran of the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race and ten Indy 500 Races (1911-1922). The roadster was highlighted in the May 27,…
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Dec 30
2011
Views from the Pits of the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race
One innovation of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race was the first use of service racing pits in an American automobile race.The 1908 rules allowed only the driver and mechanician to work on the car. However, the rules were modified in 1910 to allow two of the pit crew to replenish…
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Aug 01
2010
Archives: 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com (Updated: December 31, 2011):
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Jul 06
2010
Starting Lineup: The 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race
A large field of 30 cars raced in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race held on October 1, 1910. The race was run on the same course as in 1909- a total of 12.64 miles including 5.15 miles of the Long Island Motor Parkway. The winner needed…
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Dec 23
2009
Promoting the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race Victory
The primary reason for automobile manufacturers and their suppliers to build and equip expensive racers for the Vanderbilt Cup Races was the opportunity to promote a potential victory. As an example, these ads appeared in the November 2, 1909 issue of Horseless Age after the Alco-6 driving by…
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Mar 03
2009
The Magnificent 1910 Lozier
The second set of 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race photos from the Hayden Allen Collection focuses on the magnificent #2 Lozier driven by Ralph Mulford.
Rollin’s granddaughter Betty King had this medal. She said she gave it to the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum…