Yesterday I participated in my first event, the Port Jefferson hill climb. It is really just a dress up and show up deal intended to keep local car culture alive. There were only a few HAMB friendly cars in attendance so I’m sharing them here, mine is not present because I was driving it, slow and loud is the game for me right now. A lot of people don’t realize the auto racing history on Long Island was robust for many decades. The Islip Speedway closed only two years before I got my license/ first car and by then things were already spiraling downward. Today there are a lot of people here doing great things to keep it going. Jimmy V “In 1910 Francis Maurice Richard organized a hill climb on East Broadway in Port Jefferson, NY. The hill climb was attended by several big name automobile manufacturers including Henry Ford who finished 16th. This hill climb is a classic car event that commemorates that competition.”
No rain up that way? It poured all day down where I am. Is that the same hill where they have the soap-box derbies?
This was on Saturday morning. We got our downpour last night, really bad out here. This is hosted by the PJ Harborfront park at the foot of Broadway.
A good friend of mine lives in Port Jefferson/ is originally from Long Island, i guess i'll need to finish one of my cars and meet up with them for this next year! Thanks for sharing this!
@Stooge It is a pretty cool albeit short event, located about 100 yards away from the ferry. There’s lots of winding roads to cruise through on the north shore as well.
O... Saturday. I was at my girlfriend's east of there and it was overcast but clear until about 7 when I started off for home. Then I ran into light rain when I was heading south on 83.
Definitely a fun event even for bringing cool cars, hot rods, racers, brass era and others together in a unique waterfront location. Long Island has a very deep Auto Racing and automotive history that many don't know about. Keeping that history alive is important.
Marty Himes (RIP last year) in Bay Shore had the ultimate collection of Long Island racing history on his property. I don't know what is being done with it, his midget collection is worth a mint alone. He had the concrete mile-marker piles from the OG Vanderbilt Cup races, how is that for preserving history? Marty BTW was the last man to drive on Islip Speedway, I forget the exact year, maybe 1986. He heard it was being razed and took one of his midgets over there, cut the lock on the gate, cleaned off the track (with help), fueled up the Offy midget and hit the track. The cops were called and just stood by, Marty ran it until he exhausted his fuel. What a legend.
The Jalopy Journal
