1932 Monaco Grand Prix poster – Robert Falcucci
One of the earliest of all Monaco Grand Prix motor racing posters. It was produced to promote the 4th edition of the Monaco street circuit. The vintage Grand Prix poster was created by the French illustrator and poster artist Robert Falcucci. It was his third poster for the event in as many years. It would turn out to be his last for the great race but what a way to finish. Falcucci’s 1932 Grand Prix poster perfectly captures the action on the Circuit de Monaco.
Falcucci’s dynamic scene, captured in pastels, depicts the race leaders racing flat out, having just emerged from the darkness of the famous Tir-aux-Pigeons Tunnel. The two leading cars have been created in a loose stylised form which are likely to represent the Bugatti T51 and an Alfa Romeo 8C Monza racing cars that were dominating motorsport races at the time. The cars are shown speeding towards Chicane alongside the water in Monaco’s harbour. This stretch is the fastest part of the track and the cars even in 1932 would have been travelling at around 200km per hour around the sweeping bend of the Boulevard de Louis II. Falcucci’s clever use of streaks of white pastel conveys a genuine sense of speed.
The viewpoint Falcucci has chosen, suggests that we are a spectator at the side of the race circuit watching events unfold. His image is a great, nostalgic reminder of how Monaco looked in the 1930s. The view features the twin towers of Monaco’s world-renowned Monte Carlo Casino and the iconic Hotel de Paris. Both architectural delights sit proudly, 130 feet above the sea on top of the steep cliff. Today, this area has been built up to an extraordinary level, so much so, that you can barely see the cliff face anymore.
When was Monaco’s first Grand Prix?
It was 1929 when racing engines first reverberated around the Principality, after cigarette manufacturer Antony Noghes decided to organise a race with his pals from the Automobile Club de Monaco. The race was part of the calendar in the first year of the Formula 1 World Championship in 1950, and hasn’t been off it since 1955. On April 14, 1929 the Monaco race became the seventh Grand Prix event — quickly growing to become the most popular race on the circuit.
The 1932 Monaco Grand Prix
The now infamous street race was the brainchild of the cigarette manufacturing magnate, Antony Noghès. At the time Noghés was also the President of the Automobile Club of Monaco and a close friend of the ruling Grimaldi family. The first race took place in 1929. The race was an instant success, exceeding all expectations and instantly gaining International fame.
17 April 1932 was the date for the fourth Monaco Grand Prix. Once again, entries to the race were by invitation only and competitor places were filled weeks before the race.
The race started promptly at 1.30pm on a dry and overcast day. To tremendous applause, the popular local lad, Louis Chiron took an early lead after lap one. He steadily increased his lead over Williams and on lap 10, with a lap time of 2m. 5s had broken the record set by René Dreyfus. On lap 30 Chiron was being caught by Nuvolari and whilst trying to pass two slower cars, he grazed sand-bags on the Quai de Plaisance corner. Chiron’s car jumped into the air and overturned. Other than cuts and bruises Chiron was unhurt, but out of the race, leaving Nuvolari in first position being chased down by Varzi and Borzacchini.
Over the next twenty odd laps Varzi had reduced Nuvolari’s lead from 28 to 17 seconds. However, on the 57th lap it was announced that Varzi had retired from the race with a broken axle-shaft. Once again the running order changed. Now, Nuvolari led Caracciola with Borzacchini placing third ahead of Fagioli.
By all accounts the battle between the race leader Nuvolari, and second placed Caracciola was immense. Caracciola was gaining several seconds each lap and managed to reduce the distance between them from 30 to 7 seconds. Caracciola made a tremendous final effort, and was just 2.8 seconds behind when Nuvolari crossed the finish line as the winner.
The 1932 Monaco Grand Prix results
The race was made up of cars from three manufacturers. Alfa Romeo were represented by the Philippe Étancelin, Giuseppe Campari, Baconin Borzacchini, Tazio Nuvolari, Rudolf Caracciola and Goffredo Zehender. Bugatti fielded eight drivers, William Grover-Williams, Stanislas Czaikowski, Louis Chiron, Marcel Lehoux, Guy Bouriat, Earl Howe, Achille Varzi, and Albert Divo. Maserati entered three drivers, Arialdo Ruggeri, René Dreyfus, Luigi Fagioli. A regular who’s who of the top drivers of the era.
Of the seventeen cars that started the race, just ten made it to the chequered flag. The winner of the 318km race was the Italian racing driver Tazio Nuvolari. He completed the 100 laps in his Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 S-8 in a time of 3h 32m 25s at an average race speed of 55.8mph. Second place was taken by the German racing driver Rudolf Caracciola. Third place went to Luigi Fagioli in his Maserati 8C 2800 just two minutes after Nuvolari.
Before retiring from the race Achille Varzi had produced the fastest lap of the race when on lap 19 he achieved a time of 2m 2s, averaging 58.3mph.
Monaco Grand Prix Posters
The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most captivating races in all motorsport, with drivers from around the world coming to compete for victory. The intense, high-speed races between cars at Monaco have captivated drivers and motorsport fans the world over. The Mediterranean city with its diverse landscape Monaco offers the perfect backdrop to its motor racing posters. Pristine mountains, sea views, steep cliffs, winding city streets, and the harbour have all been featured on Monaco Grand Prix posters over the decades. And that’s just the scenery! Add into the mix, dynamic and dramatic images of some of the world’s best sports cars, including Ferrari, Bugatti, Mercedes Benz and Maserati, and you can’t go wrong.
There’s something about motorsports that just gets the blood pumping. Maybe it’s the roar of the engines, the speed of the cars or the thrill of the race. Whatever it is, motor sports have always been a popular spectator sport. It has been the challenge of many artists over the years to capture the glamour and excitement of the race in their designs. Over the years many posters have coveted the chance to produce a poster for the prestigious street race. Artists that at one time or another took the top spot on the winner’s podium for Monaco Grand Prix poster design include Robert Falcucci, Geo Ham, B Minne, Alain Giampaoli, J May, J Ramel, Michael Turner, and Rene Lorenzo.
How much are original Monaco Grand Prix Posters worth?
Original lithographic prints of many of the race posters have become incredibly hard to find. They weren’t intended to be kept. usually printed in low quantities, most were stapled to trees or glued to fences, but some survive and now change hands for thousands of pounds. An original copy of this 1932 Robert Falcucci poster was put up for auction way back in 2022 with a guide price of between £17,000-£21,000. It exceeded expectations realizing almost £26,500.
Of course, 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 collectable 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, for example, our high-quality 50x70cm reproduction print of this Monaco 1933 Grand Prix poster is available on this listing and priced at just £14. And, what’s more, they look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your living room wall.
Whilst we don’t claim to be able to offer all the Monaco Grand Prix posters to you (yet!), we do currently have almost fifty Grand Prix or Monaco-related posters available. You can see them here. We also have half a dozen or so other Robert Falcucci posters to see here.
With so many different designs to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect one for your home or office. So don’t wait any longer, add a little bit of motor racing history to your home decor. Get your motor running, order yours today!
