12 Heures de Paris poster, Coupe Olazur – 1938 – Geo Ham
This classic Geo Ham, 12 Heures de Paris poster was created for the Coupe Olazar to be held on 10 September 1939. It was 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. 10 Septembre 1939. Autodrome de Monthléry. For the eagle-eyed amongst you, yes, the spelling mistake is part of the original poster. The poster does spell the name of the Montlhéry venue incorrectly. Even stranger is the fact that the same mistake had appeared on the poster for the 1938 race meeting and it wasn’t rectified.
The 12 Heures de Paris 1939 race
The race was planned to place on 10 September 1939 at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry. The motor racing circuit is located about thirty miles south of Paris. It was opened in October 1924. The new high-banked race circuit was a notoriously fast track. More than 100 records, were established or beaten just two months after its opening The venue held its first race, the 1925 French Grand Prix on 26 July 1925. The Grand Prix would return to the Montlhéry race track again in 1927. It also became the home of the French Grand Prix, holding its races there every year between 1931 and 1937.
The famous racetrack, originally named Autodrome Parisien, was 12.5 km (7.7 miles) in length. For the 1939 race, thirty two cars had entered. It was a field that would probably have been dominated by the number of 135cs and 145 Delahaye racing cars entered. Other manufacturers included Fiat, Bugatti, Talbot, Citroen, Riley MG and Aston Martin were all on the race’s entry list.
However, with Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939, the race was cancelled. If fact, although racing continued in places like North and South America, Africa and Australia, most motorsport events were cancelled throughout Europe for the duration of the war.
The 1939 Mercedes Benz Victory Posters
As the popular series of Mercedes-Benz victory posters show not all Automobile sporting events were stopped. German artists such as Hans Liska and Walter Gotschke were kept busy creating some superb racing posters between 1939 and 1941.
Events during 1939 included, amongst others, the Pau Grand Prix, Belgian Grand Prix, Eifel Rennen, Tripoli Grand Prix, the Alpenfahrt, the Italian Grand Prix, and obviously the German Grand Prix.
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. Although obviously very similar in appearance to the 1938 Coupe Olazur poster, this is the less rare version. Even so, original lithographic copies of this incredible Geo Ham poster can command high prices. At the time of listing (2021), an original copy was available for sale through an online original poster website. The asking price was a respectable $3,025.
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. If you’re a fan of Geo Ham’s incredible racing artwork, have an interest in the famous Montlhéry race circuit or have a love of vintage motor racing posters, then you’re on the right track. This poster is a must-have. It’ll add a sense of racing 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.
