Frederick Gordon Crosby (British, 1885-1943), '1923 French Grand Prix at Tours',

Goodwood Festival of Speed|11 July 2025, 11:00 BST|Chichester, Goodwood

Frederick Gordon Crosby (British, 1885-1943), '1923 French Grand Prix at Tours',

signed 'F.Gordon Crosby' lower right, oil on canvas, race scene depicting Major Henry Segrave in his #12 Grand Prix Sunbeam about to overtake one of the supercharged Fiat 805/405s along the tree-lined straight at the XVII Grand Prix de L'Automobile Club de France held on 2nd July at the Tours public road circuit, being the first Grand Épreuve win for both a British driver and a British car, the canvas measuring 90 x 120cm, (some minor loss and surface cracking), displayed within wooden frame with moulding, measuring 117 x 148cm overall; and offered together with the strip-light fitted to the upper edge of the frame, with wiring, and used to illuminate the artwork when on display.
(2)

Footnotes

The Sunbeams enjoyed a successful race at the 1923 French Grand Prix, with all three cars of Segrave, Divo, and Kenelm Lee Guinness finishing in 1st, 2nd, and 4th place, with Ernest Friderich's Bugatti 32, and Andre Lefebvre's Voisin, in 3rd and 5th place the only finishers.

The supercharged Fiats struggled with the stony road surface and the experimental streamlined Bugattis and Voisin Laboratoires did not match up to expectations.

This painting was displayed in the conference room at the original Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealership at 100 George Street, Hanover Square, London (it later moved to Berkeley Square). An image is reproduced in the Jack Barclay Ltd. promotional booklet (See Lot 6)

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