What ever became of the Joan Cuneo trophies?

[Terry Bond]

At at previous AACA Annual Convention I did a seminar on the life and racing history of Joan Cuneo.  I enjoyed learning about this great lady and her life behind the wheel.  Along the way, I found out that a few of her trophies still existed.  They were supposed to be in an auction that was highly publicized, but apparently they did not meet the price expectations and were not sold.  I've long been curious about where they ended up.  Where they sold privately to a collector?  Were they donated to a museum?  Where they retained by the family?  Does anyone have more info?

Here is a link to the story that appeared in Old Cars weekly.

https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/news/race-pioneer-joan-newton-cuneos-trophies-sold

Auction reports I have seen indicate these lots had very high reserves and seem to have been "passed" without getting bids at the desired opening level.  

Where are they now?

Terry

[1937hd45]

Terry, Do you have any of the magazine features she wrote for Country Life in America around this time? Bob 

[George Cole]

 

For those who've never heard of her, from: 

 

https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/a_pioneering_woman_race_driver_on_the_long_island_motor_parkway

A Pioneering Woman Race Driver on the Long Island Motor Parkway: Joan Newton Cuneo

 

One of the great achievements of a pioneering woman race driver was setting a world speed record on the Motor Parkway in 1911.  Above photo courtesy of the Pettee Memorial Library/Wimington Historical Society, Wilmington, Vermont.

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick

Dr. Elsa Nystrom, Professor of History at Kennesaw State University, has researched the first successful female auto racer in the United States: “Joan Cuneo was the daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur and received the education considered appropriate for women in the Victorian era. Despite her upbringing, she developed a peculiar interest in cars, including collecting, repairing, and racing them. As shocking as it was for racing fans in the first decades of the twentieth century to see a woman competing in the sport, it was inconceivable that she might actually win. Yet she did just that in a series of races in 1909 in New Orleans, beating her male counterparts. The sport's authority (AAA) responded by banning women altogether from competition.”On April 17, 1911, Cuneo became the fastest women driver by going 111.5 miles per hour on the Long Island Motor Parkway in a Pope Hummer over a half mile. Louis Disbrow, who finished fourth in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race, served as her mechanician and mentor. Photo courtesy of Dr. Elsa Nystrom.In the January 1914 issue of Country Life in America, Cuneo reflected about her racing history, the AAA ban and the future of automobiles. "During the three-day Mardi-Gras meet on the dirt track in New Orleans in 1909, competing with the greatest men drivers, I was fortunate to break some records, winning the gold trophy for the American amateur championship, two silver cups, a Rockwood vase, and a gold Klaxon horn. The surprise was a shock for too much of the men, and the American Automobile Association ruled that no more women would be allowed to compete in their sanctioned events." "..on the Motor Parkway in 1911 drove a half mile in 16 1/10 seconds, which is a rate of 111.5 miles an hour." "Living over the trials and tribulations as well of the joys and triumphs of the eighteen automobiles that I owned, I cannot help wondering what the next ten years may bring forth- for surely it seems that the car of to-day has reached nearly the top notch of comfort in every respect, and we wonder how some of them can be improved upon." Photo courtesy of firstsuperspeedway.com.

[Terry Bond]

8 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Terry, Do you have any of the magazine features she wrote for Country Life in America around this time? Bob 

I read them and used some of the info in my presentation, especially liked her descriptions of what it was like to handle one of those beasts of an automobile. She was a fairly small woman so certainly had some stregth, stamina and raw courage.

Terry