Description
Vintage Car Racing Poster
GRAND PRIX ZÜRICH
8 OKTOBER 1939
AUTOS MOTOS
Grosser Preis der Schweizerischen Landesausstellung 1939
(Grand Prix of the Swiss National Exhibition 1939)
This poster is a famous vintage advertisement for the Grand Prix Zürich automobile and motorcycle race, scheduled for October 8, 1939. The event was part of the Swiss National Exhibition that year, but the race itself was likely cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II, which began just days earlier on September 1, 1939.
Key Information
Event: Grand Prix Zürich (Autos and Motos)
Date on Poster: 8. Oktober 1939 (October 8, 1939)
Artist: The poster was created by the Swiss artist Adolf Schnider (1890-1961).
Historical Context: While the race was planned, the actual 1939 Swiss Grand Prix (a championship race) was held earlier on August 20, 1939, at the Bremgarten circuit near Bern. The event depicted in the poster was likely called off due to the start of WWII.
Design: The car featured strongly resembles the famous Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta, which dominated Grand Prix racing in the late 1930s and post-WWII years. The number "18" on the front is an arbitrary number chosen by the poster artist, Adolf Schnider, for the illustration, not an official race number associated with a specific car or driver for a particular race.
While less prominently featured, the motorcycle is believed to be a DKW.
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GRAND PRIX ZÜRICH
8 OKTOBER 1939
AUTOS MOTOS
Grosser Preis der Schweizerischen Landesausstellung 1939
(Grand Prix of the Swiss National Exhibition 1939)
This poster is a famous vintage advertisement for the Grand Prix Zürich automobile and motorcycle race, scheduled for October 8, 1939. The event was part of the Swiss National Exhibition that year, but the race itself was likely cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II, which began just days earlier on September 1, 1939.
Key Information
Event: Grand Prix Zürich (Autos and Motos)
Date on Poster: 8. Oktober 1939 (October 8, 1939)
Artist: The poster was created by the Swiss artist Adolf Schnider (1890-1961).
Historical Context: While the race was planned, the actual 1939 Swiss Grand Prix (a championship race) was held earlier on August 20, 1939, at the Bremgarten circuit near Bern. The event depicted in the poster was likely called off due to the start of WWII.
Design: The car featured strongly resembles the famous Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta, which dominated Grand Prix racing in the late 1930s and post-WWII years. The number "18" on the front is an arbitrary number chosen by the poster artist, Adolf Schnider, for the illustration, not an official race number associated with a specific car or driver for a particular race.
While less prominently featured, the motorcycle is believed to be a DKW.
