1952 Ferrari 500 André Simon Swiss Grand Prix Circuit Bremgarten F1 For Sale

FERRARI 500 SWISS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT BREMGARTEN 1952
André Simon photographed by pioneering French photojournalist Bernard Cahier.LOT DESCRIPTION, PLEASE READ
Seldom seen graphite signed artwork by renowned conservator and artist Aurelian #restorerofworlds featuring as its centerpiece a historic capture by pioneering French photojournalist Bernard Cahier of Grand Prix driver André Simon at the wheel of his Ferrari 500 ahead of the inaugural race of the 1952 F1 season at Circuit Bremgarten on 18th June 1952.
Bernard Cahier was one of the most influential and foundational photojournalists in motorsport history.
The Pioneer: Along with his wife, Joan, Cahier began documenting the Formula One paddock at its inception in the early 1950s.
The Paddock Insider: Unlike regular press photographers, Cahier was a trusted friend and peer to the drivers. He even competed as a racing driver himself, winning the GT class at the 1958 Targa Florio. This unique level of access allowed him to stand right beside the cockpits to capture incredibly intimate, candid close-ups, like this portrait of driver André Simon, moments before they headed into battle.
PREFACE: The Catalyst of A New Era
The 1952 Swiss Grand Prix at the formidable tree-lined Circuit Bremgarten stands as a watershed moment in motorsport history, marking the dawn of an accidental empire. Following the abrupt withdrawal of the dominant Alfa Romeo squad the sport faced an existential crisis: a grid depleted of competitive machinery.
In an emergency maneuver to save the World Championship from collapse, governing bodies enacted a radical decree, banishing top-tier Formula One beasts and rewriting the rules for smaller, cheaper Grand Prix cars.
What followed on May 18th 1952 was a masterclass in tactical drama, team-order ruthlessness and engineering destiny.
The Birth of a Dynasty: Stripped of his V12 engines, chief engineer Aurelio Lampredi engineered a brilliant four-cylinder masterpiece the Ferrari 500 F2. The race marked the debut of this legendary car, initiating a historic era of absolute technical supremacy.
The Pit-Lane Sacrifices: With team leader Alberto Ascari away preparing for the Indianapolis 500, Scuderia Ferrari fielded a temporary lineup of Nino Farina, Piero Taruffi, and French guest driver André Simon. Simon delivered a blistering performance to run third, only to be ruthlessly ordered into the pits on lap 16 to surrender his vehicle to a stranded Farina - a vivid testament to the brutal hierarchy of 1950s racing.
A Day of Carnage and Triumph: Amidst a grueling race that saw high profile mechanical retirements and a catastrophic engine failure for the shared Simon/Farina car, Piero Taruffi survived the war of attrition. He swept to a magnificent victory, securing his only career World Championship win and laying the foundation for a season where the Prancing Horse would win every single remaining Grand Prix.
Bremgarten 1952 was more than just a race; it was the crucible that redefined Grand Prix regulations and crowned Ferrari as the undisputed titan of the modern racing world.
Stepping into the cockpit of the factory car the French guest driver did not just face the blistering speed of a new four-cylinder era - he faced the brutal, unyielding hierarchy of Scuderia Ferrari.
From Simon’s vantage point behind the wheel, the weekend unfolded not as a spreadsheet of statistics but as a high stakes psychological and physical battle.
The View from the Second Row: Strapped into an unfamiliar factory machine with lead driver Alberto Ascari away in America, Simon immediately proved his elite caliber. Peering through dust-covered goggles, he matched the pace of the sport\'s titans, launching off the grid to spearhead an astonishing 1-2-3 Scuderia breakaway alongside teammates Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi.
The Scent of Castor Oil and Adrenaline: For 16 brilliant laps, Simon held a commanding third place, perfectly managing the balance of the nimble Lampredi-designed chassis. The podium was entirely within his grasp, his performance a flawless audition for a permanent factory seat.
The Heartbreak of the Pit Board: The romance of the drive was shattered on lap 16 by a frantic signal from the pits. Farina’s car had expired and team orders took over. Simon was forced to pull into the pits so his team leader could finish his race.André Simon stood stranded in the pit lane, a spectator to his own machinery being driven to destruction until the engine ultimately failed 35 laps later.
For André Simon, the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix was a microcosm of his entire career: a day of immense personal speed, defined by the ultimate sacrifice for the Prancing Horse.
AURELIAN yet anonymous.
The Restorer of Worlds #restorerofworlds his only online archive.
A reverent homage that borders on resurrection; reviving fading 19th and 20th century worlds for a 21st-century audience starved of beauty and stillness.
His unique invention of active corrosion is not street art, not conceptual, not ironic but a more sincere technical mastery and a statement in the service of wonder and nostalgia.
A singular creative intelligence behind the content reveals an artist who re-contextualizes historical works for contemporary eyes.
His captions are scholarly and understated yet the recurring #aurelian #restorerofworlds tags imply these are not mere reposts. They reveal uniquely restored editions: enhanced, upscaled and reinterpreted by Aurelian himself, reanimating rapidly vanishing master works and museum archives into living contemporary statement pieces.
His scholarly detail and multi-disciplinary mastery places Aurelian adjacent to the classical realism or academic revival movement of Jacob Collins atelier tradition or contemporary plein-air masters, but now with unique materials, historical curation, anonymity and a corrosive observation of society.
Limited Release
In the mid eighties Aurelian works in oil changed hands for modest sums, but in recent years they have achieved five and six figures.
Aurelian is displayed by collectors in New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Shanghai and Madrid.
Every concept in his collections are limited to an exceptionally tight, exclusive run typically a variable limited edition of just 4 pieces (e.g., La Décadence 1872, La Décadence 1884).
Because each hand made piece corrodes uniquely based on how the mixed media interacts with the environment, no two pieces are ever identical.
Due to the anonymous nature of the creator, these physical pieces rarely trade on typical commercial spaces and instead surface intermittently through high end fine art brokers. Search Aurelian approximately 50cm x 40cm or approximately 20\" x 16\" INCLUDINGBORDER.
Weight approximately 40 grams prior to packaging.
CONDITION
Please refer to the many large photographs provided which are of the actual signed artwork you are buying to reassure yourself of the condition.
Medium stock denatured paper, generally in good condition but with VISIBLE WEAR AND TEAR including some light creasing, folds, bumps and surface scuffs.
Discoloration and foxing front and rear with some oil paint residue, heat and soot stainingSOLD AS SEENand offered WITH OFFICIAL PROVENANCEfrom the artist Aurelian #restorerofworlds who has added his graphite signature to the rear.
An extremely rare Ferrariartifact with corporate insignia, original publication dated confirmed as contemporary between 1970-2020.
If you are not completely happy with your purchase there is aTHIRTY DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEEsubject only to the buyer returning the work still in its original conditionper listing photographs,in its original packagingand to be posted express tracked parcel service within thirty days of the original delivery date noted on your dashboard.
PAYMENT, SHIPPING & INSURANCE
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Securely consigned fully insured through Buyer Protection, PACKAGEDFLATBETWEEN 10MM POLYSTYRENE BOARDS WITH DOUBLE SKIN CORRUGATED CARDBOARD & AN ADDITIONAL WATERPROOF OUTERshipped with tracked national or international postal service. Please note satisfied buyers comments regarding our premium quality shipping service.
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QUESTIONS - GET TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE BUYING
Please take a moment to ask any questions you might have prior to purchase.
If you purchase promotional items, drafts, hand made preparatory work or \"not for sale\" editions frequently these objects are very different in quality and presentation to later factory made or mass produced retail editions - so please ask questions if you are uncertain before you commit to buying.
Take a moment to understand exactly what you are buying, ask questions and reassure yourself of condition by referring to the video and the many large photographs which accompany the listing and which are of the actual item you are buying.
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