Martini Automobiles St Blaise poster – Elzingre – 1909

Vintage Car Poster: Martini Automobiles St Blaise – Elzingre – 1909

No not the drink! Martini was a famous, probably the most famous,  pioneer Swiss automobile manufacturer that built their first car in 1897. They set up a factory in St Bloise-Neuchatel in 1904 and followed a 2000 mile journey through the Swiss Alps by Martini’s British Sales Agent, Captain HHP Deasy.

An article about Capt Deasy at www.uniquecarsandparts.com tells:-  …and it was one of these cars that Captain H. H. P. Deasy, the British agent, had used in a daring publicity stunt. ‘Last week, Captain Deasy secured for it a unique and worldwide advertisement by driving it up the cog-wheel railway that runs from Caux to Rochers de Naye, a feat that has been described in nearly every newspaper in the world … the total distance covered in several journeys was nearly eighteen kilometers, a large proportion of which were on a gradient of 22.6 percent, or about 1 in 4½’ The stunt worked and sales in their automobiles grew.

Advertising posters like this one by Swiss artist Edouard Elzingre created in 1909 featuring what appears to be a bright red 1904 Martini Tourer helped to promote the brand. The Martini convertible is shown easily surging up a mountain road, leaving a stagecoach in its dust. 

Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears, or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints. The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £12. So you can bag a bargain of print and poster for just £22.