1958 Grand Prix of Cuba Poster Signed Juan Fangio

Description: PRISTINE CONDITION WITH NOT ONE BLEMISH! This poster was signed by Fangio on May 3, 1994, which was tragically a few days before Juan had a heart attack, and would become among his last signatures ever in an edition. This has been in my personal collection for over 24 years and is the ONLY ONE KNOWN that was kept in its ORIGINAL PACKAGING ! (I never got around to framing it as expensively as I wanted to). I purchased this directly from the late JACQUES GRELLEY when we met in person at the first “re-entrance” of the US American Grand Prix in Indianapolis PA, USA in 2000. I was sad to hear of Jacques Grelley’s passing some years later as he was an enthusiastic collector. I attended several more of those races as it was so enjoyable to see F1 race in the states and see all inner-circle action with Pit Passes. It was truly an experience! Story behind the poster: Grand Prix of Cuba. 1958/printed ca. 1960s/70s. Color offset lithograph poster from the 1958 Grand Prix of Cuba race. 28 x 19”. The 1958 Grand Prix of Cuba is infamous for being the event at which pro-Castro forces kidnapped racing legend Juan Manuel Fangio before the race in order to embarrass President Fulgencio Batista, releasing him only after the race had ended. Posters for the event were designed and printed in Italy. Rather than ship the posters to Cuba by air they were transported by sea. Due to delays these posters did not arrive in Havana until two weeks after the event, and were destroyed. A few years later racing enthusiast and poster collector Jacques Grelley had 500 of these posters reprinted in the early 1960’s and started a 50-years process of obtaining autographs (some for his museum, private collection, and this lot was 1 of 100). This collection is in PRISTINE condition and rare (1/ 100 signed back in 1994 and at this point may only be 1/50 of this lot in existence on a good day when you factor in natural disasters and people who passed with generations who don’t know one driver from the next). This one was kept sealed in it’s original packaging and never seen the light for more than 10 min to take pics - Frame it how you like (but I’d recommend museum quality) or use it to raise 10 x what you paid for it at a racing or collector charity auction if you can afford it… or a GREAT CHRISTMAS or HOLIDAY GIFT! This piece is one of my favorites by far! The shortened race was won by Stirling Moss in his Ferrari 335S Sport. (I have many of Stirling Moss items as he was truly one of my favorites to meet)!! I also loved meeting Dan Gurney, and Paul Newman! Jacques Grelley was an enthusiastic collector of his time and had close access to Juan Manuel Fangio. I purchased this poster Jacques in 2000 in Indianapolis while meeting the collector in person at an F1 race. It is a limited-edition piece. - measuring tape displayed on pictures. It comes with signing photos, Fangio’s original business card, Jacques Grelley’s buisness card, Jacques Grelley’s HAND-SIGNED letter acknowledging the purchase, and his extra articles he included about the race, a nice Caribbean map displaying Cuba, and finally, an extra that I threw in for the great collector...a Vintage Motorsports magazine showcasing Juan Fangio on the cover with a vintage magazine sticker that came with that month’s edition. Shipped within continental United States only. This item will require adult buyer signature only and be fully insured. Once payment clears it will be shipped. Contact me with any questions. Seller reserves right to refuse if Buyer has poor ratings or nearly no buying history. No returns accepted as item is completely as described. Seller may cancel listing if item sold locally first or as available. Please check out my other listings for great deals on other F1 signed and unsigned memorabilia. Thank you. - Dana

Price: 3499 USD

Location: Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-12-09T18:13:45.000Z

Shipping Cost: 150 USD