Motor Sport Collection: Laud’ of the Ring
Fans of motor racing art, artefacts and ephemera will find a huge range, including these collectibles, at the Motor Sport shop – motorsportmagazine.com/shop
Signed Nürburgring posters
The funny thing about racing posters is that at the time of their production, they’re everywhere and worth very little, but give it a few years (and a few squiggles) and nothing becomes more desirable.
Due to a poster’s very nature, they degrade, get torn, fade, rot… so the well-cared-for survivors are like gold dust, especially if they’re signed by the greats of the day. We have two absolute gems on offer. The first dates back to the 1954 European Grand Prix (or Grosser Pries von Europa) held at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Juan Manuel Fangio may have won the race for Mercedes, but Maurice Trintignant finished third for Ferrari, and took the time to sign this example, making it a true collectors’ item.
Fast forward half a century, and the more modern F1 grid was competing on the track’s newer GP loop. This original poster is signed by 12 drivers, including five world champions – Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button. Somehow, it’s almost 20 years old… shocking.
2005 European Grand Prix poster, £1200; 1954 European Grand Prix poster, £600
Martin Tomlinson art print
Stirling Moss in a Ferrari 250 SWB at Goodwood… that’s a cocktail for success. So when renowned motor sport artist Martin Tomlinson opted to recreate Moss’s legendary drive to victory in Rob Walker Racing’s glorious 250 during the 1961 Tourist Trophy at Goodwood, we can’t not recommend it. Limited to just 25 prints, with each signed by the artist, it measures 43x32cm. £97
Vintage Monaco Grand Prix stickers
We’ve run out of superlatives for how brilliant these vintage Monaco Grand Prix stickers are. Monaco is one of the few races that has always had an individual artwork to help promote its races, and these stickers are a part of that tradition, with each season getting a fresh design. Some are singles, others are a set of two with one regular sticker and one inverted car sticker. £49 double, £30 single
Racing folding stools
It’s a busy summer, with Goodwood in full swing, the Silverstone Festival and more, so if your camping chair is past its best, invest in one of these snazzy numbers, each sporting one of the classic racing liveries of yesteryear. Take your choice between Martini stripes, Lotus green and yellow or Gulf Oil. And even if they don’t make it to an event, they’ll pep up your garden BBQ. £75
Lola T70: The Racing History
Think of the iconic racing cars of the late 1960s/early 1970s: Ferrari had the 512, Porsche the 917, Ford the GT40… and Lola the T70. In fact the GT40 and the T70 are linked by engineer and Lola founder Eric Broadley, who joined the GT40 project as a consultant but thought it too conservative, so went off and created the fearsome T70. This work tells the full story of the T70 across interviews, exclusive photos and chassis histories. £35
About the Motor Sport shop
With hundreds of special and unique racing-themed products, and many new items regularly added, the Motor Sport shop is aimed at both serious and casual collectors with a wide range of prices to suit your budget.
The expert view
Festival fever
The internet has given us many great things but sometimes it’s just better to go back to the analogue ways, and that makes the summer festival period a great time for the collectibles market.
Yes, buying collectibles online is quick and convenient, but buying from a seller face-to-face has a multitude of benefits that the internet just can’t match. And with a host of motoring-themed festival events coming up across the next few months, the time has never been better to get out hunting a rarity in real life.
The Signature Store has been exhibiting and selling direct to the public at the Goodwood Festival of Speed for years, and we love this old-school way of supply. From our side we get to meet the clients directly, assess their needs, there’s no packing and processing, or risky shipping or insurance… it’s gloriously simple. And contrary to many peoples’ belief, we don’t increase our prices for an event like the FoS. If anything we lower them to ensure better footfall.
From the public’s side, buying direct brings more opportunity. You can see and feel the products and speak about them before you buy, all of which helps not only with the decision-making process but also to verify the originality of authenticity… plus, you can haggle on price!
Art is a great case in point. It’s difficult to buy artworks online as the details get lost when all you see is a small image on a screen. Many artists exhibit and sell their works at festivals, and buying direct from the artists or official representative gives unbeatable provenance as often they can add an extra number, signature or even a message to make it even more of a find.
The best tips are to visit reputable dealers, if you’re buying anything signed make sure it’s hand-signed and not a printed signature, and go for the best you can buy, especially for art. Taking home a beautiful top-of-the-line work and hanging it straight on your wall without a courier in sight is the best. Plus, you’ll always have the personal value of knowing where and when you attained that item, which adds to its emotional value.
Andrew Francis is director at The Signature Store, thesignaturestore.co.uk