Lot 126: Le Comminges/XXXVIe Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.

Le Comminges/XXXVIe Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.
ANDRE BERMOND (1903-1983)
Moullot, Marseilles
Cond B/Slight tears at folds.
This year there were to all intents and purposes two French Grand Prix: the 'Grand Prix of the Automobile Club of France for Sports Cars' run at Comminges and the 'Grand Prix of the Associated Automobile Clubs of France and the Automobile Club of Champagne' run for Formula 1 cars at Reims. . . . Only once before had the French Grand Prix been run so far south . . . The race was run in torrid heat which imposed additional strains on drivers who already had to cope with mediocre organization and the associated, considerable hazard of poorly-controlled spectators . . . Charles Pozzi ran on to win by a clear lap in a [Delahaye] car which was having its first outing and did not miss a beat (The French Grand-Prix, by David Hodges, pp. 139-140). And though it may have been a Delahaye that took the checkered flag, it's a cherry-red Masserati used by Bermond to generate interest in the event.
1949
24 x 39 in./61 x 99 cm