1907 and 1908 French Grand Prix Photos- The Second and Third Grand Prix in History
Photo Album
Photo Album of 23 silver gelatin photos of the 1907 and the 1908 French Grand Prix in Dieppe with Felice Nazzaro, Vincenzo Lancia and Arthur Duray featuring the Fiat 130 HP. The 23 Photos are pasted onto 6 album pages, No covers . Album pages measures 10.5" x 12.5" and each photo measures between 2" x 3" to 3.5" x 4.5". Le Mans was the first Grand Prix in 1906, and the second and third were in 1907 and 1908 the Grand Prix took place on public roads between Dieppe, Eu and Londinières. The famous race that introduced the 130 HP model Fiat made especially for Grand Prix racing, driven and by Felice Nazzaro who won the 1907 Grand Prix . Nazzaro in fact won all three major events of 1907 including the Targa Florio and the Kaiserpreis. The photographs document the drivers with goggles preparing for the race, the circuit near the city of Dieppe in the French countryside,the race cars at the pit stops. Hand inscriptions are written below some of the images, a candid of Nazzaro is shown on the sidelines at the Fiat station, whereas two other photos show Arthur Duray's Lorraine-Dietrich with his racing number "LD1", and Vincenzo Lancia's Fiat with his racing number "F1" painted on the grill. The Fiat 130 HP put Fiat on the map of circuit racing since they were met with limited success prior to 1906. Previously having the French dominating the race at 90 HP, The 1907 Grand Prix changed their car's standards allowing Fiat to create their most powerful engine at 130 HP. In the first couple images we're shown vehicles from the following 1908 race at Dieppe with number 41's Paul Bablot and his Brasier, with a team changing out the tires, and a crowd admiring Felice Nazzaro's Fiat at number 24. A few images show a family of three, presumably the family of fans that owned the album, sitting on the sidelines and at the campground "Camping Club de France" with other fan's tents as people gathered from around the world to witness these events. Other images in this album show the various scenery around Dieppe including a small town and cafe, showcasing what it was like to be part of the international event of the French Grand Prix. Grand Prix motor racing eventually evolved into formula racing, and one can regard Formula One as its direct descendant. Each event of the Formula One World Championships is still called a Grand Prix; Formula One is also referred to as "Grand Prix racing". The only race at the time to regularly carry the name Grand Prix was organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), of which the first took place in 1906. The circuit used, in 1906 which was based in Le Mans, was roughly triangular in shape, each lap covering 105 kilometres (65 mi). Six laps were to run each day, and each lap took approximately an hour using the relatively primitive cars of the day. For the most part, as can be seen in the photos, races were run over a lengthy circuit of closed public roads, not purpose-built private tracks. This was true of French circuit at Dieppe, a mere 48 miles. The photos document the Dieppe 1907 and the 1908 Grand Prix race. Photos are crisp and clear, overall very good condition.Item #18520
Price: $1,250.00
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