12 Heures de Paris poster – Coupe Olazur – Autodrome de Montlhery – 1938 – Geo Ham

12 Heures de Paris poster, Coupe Olazur – 1938 – Geo Ham This superb motor racing artwork was created by the renowned artist Georges Hamel. He is better known as his nom de plume Geo Ham. The poster features a fantastic rendering of two, French blue, racing cars speeding down the straight of the famous Autodrome de Montlhéry race circuit. The cars are depicted super-imposed over a large clock face which shows the time at ten minutes to twelve. Which suggests the competing cars are about 10 minutes away from the end of the race. As the 12 Hours od Paris poster displays, the drivers would be racing in a competition for the ‘Coupe Olazur’. The Olazur trophy was donated by the French oil manufacturing company Olazur. It would be awarded to the race winner. The race was organised by the Association Generale Automobile des Coureurs Independants, better known as the Association Francaise des Coureurs en Automobile, better known as AGACI . The rest of the poster is taken up with the date and venue information which reads: Coupe Aluzur. 11 Septembre 1938. Autodrome de Monthléry. Strangely, the poster does spell the name of the Montlhéry venue incorrectly. Even stranger is the fact that the mistake wasn’t even rectified for the recycled version for the 1939 event. The 12 Heures de Paris 1938 race The race took place on 11 September 1938 at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry motor racing circuit about thirty miles south of Paris. The circuit was opened in October 1924 and held its first race on 26 July 1925. The race was the 1925 French Grand Prix. The Grand Prix revisited the Montlhéry race track again in 1927 and became the home of the French Grand Prix each year between 1931 and 1937. The famous high-banked race circuit, originally named Autodrome Parisien was 12.5 km (7.7 miles) in length. Thirteen drivers of the twenty-eight that started the race, managed to complete 117 laps of the track in the 12-hour race period. A total distance just shy of 1,463 kilometers. The non-championship race was entered by a wide variety of racing cars. The field included several Delahaye 135, Talbot-Lago T26 and Simca 5, 8 and 9’s. Also present were a DB Citroen, a Hanomag Sport Diesel, a couple of Delage’s and a couple of Riley 9 Brooklands. Twenty-four of the drivers were French the rest of the field was made up of English driver Robin Mere, German racer Karl Haeberle and the Swiss racing driver Roger Caron. Of the thirteen drivers that finished the race, the top ten were all French drivers. Victory went to René La Begué and André Morel in a Talbot-Lago T26. Second place was taken by Louis Villeneuve and René Biolay with third place going to the all-female team of Anne Rose-Itier and Germaine Rosault. How much is an original 12 Heures de Paris car racing poster worth? Recently, original Geo Ham posters have become more and more sought after. This has obviously had an impact on the prices at auction. Original lithographic copies of this stunning print, can now command prices in the region of $7,000. There’s no argument from us, if you can find an original copy and can afford to buy it, you’re on to a winner. There’s nothing like owning an original vintage poster and they often make a great investment. Chances are in just a few years you’ll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it. Unfortunately, for most of us, an investment, even at the entry-level prices of the collectible poster isn’t even close to being a possibility. This is where our stunning high-quality reproductions come into their own. They cost a fraction of an original and look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your living room wall. The design of this poster was used for two consecutive years. The reproduction on this listing is for the rarer 1938 Coupe Olazur version. If you’re a fan of motor racing, or the art of Geo Ham, then this wall art print is a must-have to add a sense of drama to your pit wall, mancave, living room or kitchen. So if you’re looking for a unique and stylish way to show your love for motorsports, put yourself in pole position and order your own motor racing poster today.