Photos from the CC Cohort by Slant Six, found on State Route 36 in Greigsville, Piffar, NY.
Jump online and discover lots about stuff you never even knew existed. Like this odd-looking ’55 Cadillac, set up to serve as a pace car in horse races. Of course, if you happen to spend your days at the racetrack, this may be no news to you. But to me (tell me I’m not alone), that such a luxury car would’ve served that purpose is all new to me. Then again, had I spent more time with my Puerto Rican uncle in my teen years –he loved to go to the races– I would probably be lecturing on the subject.
Instead, I had to go online to find out what exactly I was looking at. So it is a pace car, with no link to the tracks of Sebring or anything. Rather, gates would attach to the car, and the “autostarter” (as they’re apparently called), would pace the horses until the announcer started the race.
And as odd as it may sound, looking online, I noticed it wasn’t that rare for luxury cars to serve as gate cars, as the photos above with the ’47 Cadillac show.
Here’s a more recent image, with an ’80s Buick in action. The announcer can be seen much easier in this one, as he rides in the rear seat facing backward. It’s harder to see in our ’55 Cadillac, but an opening on the roof serves the same purpose.
I’m still wrapping my head around the idea of a Caddy playing such a role. But thinking some more about it, had my uncle ever seen one in action in the races he attended, he would have certainly developed a passion for Cadillacs, or Buicks. Instead, all his automotive lust revolved around the Datsun 280Z he had owned since the ’70s.
Nope, no idea if he ever saw a 280Z as a gate car at the racetrack…
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1955 Cadillac Coupe DeVille – You’re The DeVille In Disguise, Oh Yes You Are
Museum Classic: 1955 Cadillac Coupe DeVille – Playing Favorites
Had a pic of a Saratoga race track Jeep flying bridge type car sitting in a yard in Hopewell junction ny. About 100 miles or so South of the track. Of course I deleted the pic and the car has been taken out of the yard.. Some unique purpose type vehicles have been conceived over the years.
Very neat! I knew nothing about these gate cars. Amazing to see one still around. I guess the use of premium cars added to the high-class aura of horse races. Regardless of the car though, it’s fascinating seeing these pictures.
Harness racing was a big attraction at the county fair in my little southeastern Ohio town when I was growing up. I remember the mobile starting gate cars as 1960’s and early’70s Cadillacs, but honestly am not sure. This post brings back pleasant memories of sitting in the grandstand with my folks while the grownups placed pocket change bets on the races.
Meant to specify that the cars were convertibles.
Our county had a marvelous roofed wooden grandstand about a half a block long, but it was damaged in a storm a few years ago and had to be torn down. The replacement was football-style aluminum bleachers with no roof. A total letdown for folks like me who remember the old days.
I’m trying to think through the mechanics on this.
Let’s say that the average race horse can run between 35 and 40 mph. https://www.petmd.com/horse/general-health/how-fast-can-horse-run If the pace car has to accelerate faster than that to stay out ahead of the horses and THEN go faster so as to pull far enough away to safely turn off the race track (because presumably the horses don’t run around the car), you’d probably be going more than 50 in the pace car when it was time to crank back in those gates…against the wind. The gates on that Buick are definitely moving forward rather than collapsing rearward. And rearward would be dangerous – I’d think – to the horses/riders.
Even assuming that nothing mechanical breaks (like whatever cable or mechanism is responsible for pulling the gates back in line with the sides of the car), it’s sure as heck not a job that I’d want to be in charge of.
Not without all the mint juleps I could drink at least. 😉
This guy in charge found out the hard way, Lincoln RWD pace car vs mud was not a good combination for the horses.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wk0LzYMJ608&pp=ygUUSG9yc2UgdHJhY2sgcGFjZSBjYXI%3D
There was a 1956 Buick TV commercial showing a new Buick on the horse race track being used as a gate car. The Buick, gates extended, moves at a crawl with the horses following behind. Once all the horses are lined up as they trot slowly forward and their noses are even, the Buick swiftly accelerates. When the car is well ahead of the horses, the gates retract. The selling point here was that only Dynaflow with its infinite smoothness (no perceptible gear changes) was suitable for such a job! “A buck, a boggle would pile up the sulkies!”
I wish I could show you the commercial–I looked on YouTube and didn’t find it there.
Pretty neat but I imagine it’s full of dust/mud and so might be too rusty to be worth saving .
I like the Divco next to it too .
-Nate
Quite a few used in NZ for trotting races. later models than the posted car
They were being used in NZ on trotting tracks,
Absolutely true , and someone big in gaming industry says recent Cadillacs still being used .
Horse racing is the sport of kings , and the tracks waa a place of prestige like Cadillacs.
They where powerful, and reliable , stylish; aspirational .
Cadillac had a big commercial business in chassis.
There almost ubiquitous use as ambulances , a big deal .
Last ones in 1979 , with trucks taking over .
Cadillacs seen as Motor Racing pace cars.
There use as hearses always well known.
In 1973 , Cadillac Eldorado was the official pace car of Indianapolis 500.
Eldorado sold with 500 on them that year.
Yes , you can believe it .
Bet that Cadillac was I service for 20 plus years !
A long time for a car then .
Gate car duties at the local trotter track is now performed by a Ford F-150. When I first visited this track in the seventies the gate car was a Buick Electra 225 convertible.