1954a MERCEDES BENZ W196 STREAMLINED, REIMS F1 Cover signed LESLIE MARR

£7.50

Product may vary slightly from image representation.
MotorsportMemorabilia 1954 Grand Prix commemorative cover signed LESLIE MARR

The 1954 was a complex season with Juan Manuel Fangio being signed up for Mercedes but being free to drive for other teams until the cars were ready to race. Fangio won the first 2 races of the season, in a Maserati 250F, at Buenos Aires and Spa-Francorchamps; he then won a further 4 races in the Mercedes-Benz W196 to become World Champion by a clear margin. Unusually, the W196 was produced in open wheeled and streamlined versions, the latter being raced on the faster circuits. Despite the late introduction the Mercedes W196 took 4 pole positions for the season and led for 376 laps versus Ferrari's 304, despite the German cars missing the first 2 races. Ross Wardle has produced artwork that compliments our 1955 cover, showing Juan Manuel Fangio crossing the line at Reims, finishing just 0.1 seconds ahead of his team mate, Karl Kling.

LESLIE MARR has signed the first special; he was a professional artist who mainly raced Connaughts in national events in the 1952/53 period. In 1954, he progressed to Libre events, achieving a creditable third place in the Glover Trophy and in the Aintree 200 F2 class. He raced in 2 GPs the first at Silverstone, 1954 and the second at Aintree, 1955. He retired from racing in 1956, having achieved fourth place in the New Zealand GP, from starting at the back of the grid and third place in the Lady Wigram Trophy at Christchurch.