New Britain and the Vanderbilts
By Amy Melissa Kirby | New Britain Historical Society Director at June 20, 2024 | 8:00 am | Print
Our last story of New Britain, Florida can be expanded as we move forward in time from its founding in 1873 to the first decade of the 20th Century. By then, the town was known as Ormond, although ties to New Britain, Connecticut were still noticeable. In the morning of January 27, 2024 William K. Vanderbilt, the New York heir and racing enthusiast, was driving up and down the beach of Ormond in his massive and powerful custom-built Mercedes.
Officials noticed his considerable speed and asked him to try for the one-mile land speed record. He not only bested the highly contested previous record set by Henry Ford on the ice of Lake Michigan, but his time of 39 seconds (92.3 miles per hour) would remain a record for the next two years. Willie K. would later that year establish his own venue closer to home, on the roads of Long Island.
The races were dubbed the Vanderbilt Cup and would remain on public and private roads of Long Island until 1910,before he moved the event to the South. Philip Corbin would enter his Corbin Cannonball in the final Long Island Vanderbilt Cup races, driven by his test driver Joe Matson.
While a considerable racer, the car developed radiator trouble and finished 24th. One can imagine the conversations after this race with Mr. Corbin, who had for years championed his air-cooled engines for their reliability, until market demands forced him to develop water-cooled models.
At this year’s Klingberg Vintage Motor Car festival on June 20 we will be celebrating some of the cars and people of this era. Not only will you likely see Corbin automobiles, but will see an actor portraying Willie K. himself! Joining him will be his sister, Consuelo Vanderbilt and their mother Alva, as well as their limousine Chauffeur, all recounting the years 1904-1910.
This group will share a glimpse into the dramatic lives of the Vanderbilt family and the love for automobiles that kept this trio together, bringing them back to life and creating another tie to New Britain more than a century later.
