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1

VINTAGE

PHOTOGRAPH

1935-1939 ERA

RACING - RALLYE - RALLY

NEAR GUEUX, REIMS/RHEIMS, FRANCE



NOT SURE IF CORRECT?

THIS IS WHAT AI FOUND:


BELOW ARE SAMPLES OF SOME EVENTS:


THE NUMBER ON THIS CAR IS HARD TO READ?, IT'S BELIEVED TO BE CAR NUMBER 32 - HARD TO READ, BUT THE DRIVER IN CAPTION IS GEORGES RAPH HE IS THE DRIVER OF CAR #32.


The handwritten caption on the photo reads "RALPH", but the driver's actual racing pseudonym was "RAPH".
The mismatch comes down to a common historical spelling error, detailed below:
The Origin of the Name
The driver's real name was George Raphaël Béthenod de Montbressieux. To keep his aristocratic family from finding out about his dangerous racing activities, he adopted a shortened version of his middle name as a single pseudonym: "Raph".
Why the Photo Reads "RALPH"
During the 1930s, English-speaking media, track announcers, and international fans frequently misspelled his unique French pseudonym. Because "Ralph" was a much more familiar name, it was routinely used in foreign racing programs and newspaper write-ups. The enthusiast who originally cataloged this vintage print simply wrote down the common anglicized spelling "RALPH" on the border.
The photograph was taken in the city of Gueux, near Reims, France, along the famous triangle layout of the Reims-Gueux circuit.
For the 1939 French Grand Prix held at the Circuit de Reims-Gueux, Georges Raph was officially entered under car number 32.
1939 Reims Race Performance
  • The Machine: Raph competed using a Delahaye chassis designed specifically for Grand Prix racing, optimizing fuel efficiency and mechanical longevity for high-speed endurance runs.
  • The Result: Driving car number 32, Raph put together a remarkably steady performance on the notoriously punishing, high-speed Reims straightaways. While other machinery dropped out due to terminal engine failures, Raph kept his car running smoothly. He crossed the finish line in 9th place overall after completing 44 laps, providing a highly successful finish on home soil.
Because of the specific print angle and sunlight shadows reflecting on the side panel of the car body in this vintage photo, the painted 32 numbers distort significantly, making it look easily like another digit to the naked eye. The physical handwritten photo caption serves as the ultimate historical anchor proving this is Raph's race-day machine.

THE ALBUM MIGHT HAVE BELONGED TO THIS PERSON:
  • Connecting "H. Hodge" and "Bob" within the context of the grand Fernhurst estate at St. George's Hill, Weybridge locks the final pieces of this archival puzzle into place.
    The abbreviation "H. BOB" or "H. Bob" reveals the true identity of our traveler and collector: Herbert "Bob" Hodge (or Robert Hodge, familiarly called Bob by his mother).
    The Weybridge & Brooklands Connection
    The family estate in Weybridge sat directly alongside the legendary BROOKLANDS CIRCUIT, the birthplace of British motorsport. This geographic placement explains everything about the archive:
    • The Proximity to Power: Living in the exclusive St. George's Hill enclave in Weybridge meant the Hodge family was part of an elite community of wealthy automotive enthusiasts and early British racing patrons.
    • Trackside Access: "Bob" Hodge didn't just stumble upon these pristine, museum-grade team prints. Being a wealthy local from the Brooklands aviation and racing hub gave him the premier social access required to acquire official factory prints directly from the German Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union works teams during their visits to England.
    Mapping Bob's 1938 Summer Tour
    By aligning his letters with the scrapbook, we can trace exactly how Bob spent his summer tour chasing the Silver Arrows across Europe:
    1. June 1938: Bob is on the continent as teams log their initial configurations for the season, securing the early factory-stamped "638" print of Nuvolari's Number 4 car.
    2. July 24, 1938: Bob experiences the thunderous German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, witnessing Hermann Lang lead lap one and Dick Seaman take the historic victory.
    3. July 28, 1938: Four days after the Nürburgring race, Bob has crossed into Switzerland. He mails the postcard to his mother, Mrs. L. M. Lloyd, at Fernhurst from the town of Worb, Switzerland, acknowledging the money she sent to fund the remainder of his high-speed tour.

HERE'S SOME OTHER RACING EVENTS FROM SAME ERA. 
Critérion Paris-Nice car trial and rally
The 1939 Paris-Nice Motorsport Context
  • The Historic Trial: Held in April 1939, this motorsport event served as a rigorous "épreuve technique" designed to test the mechanical reliability, acceleration, braking, and hill-climbing abilities of standard production chassis.
  • The Winning Cars: The French driver Eugène Chaboud won the 1939 edition piloting an iconic Delahaye 135S. His teammate Joseph Paul finished a close second in a matching Delahaye, closely followed by a BMW 328.
  • Famous Competitors: The event drew legendary luxury sportscar manufacturers of the era. Vehicles like the Hotchkiss 686, Simca Huit, Riley, and early Jaguar SS100 sports models famously roared along the open roads from Paris down to the French Riviera.
  •  the Riley works team entry at the conclusion of the 1939 Paris–Nice car trial.
    Image Analysis & Historic Details
    • The Location: The cars are lined up directly outside the entrance of the iconic, world-famous Hotel Negresco along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France.
    • The Team Cars: These are three legendary British Riley Sprite and Lynx-style sports cars sporting their original UK registrations:
      • Left: CRW 910
      • Middle: BCR 810 (proudly displaying the hard-won event trophies on its hood)
      • Right: EG 3676 (marked with competitive racing number 5 and a "Paris-Nice" plaque on its side bonnet panel) 
    • The Atmosphere: The drivers and passengers are captured posing with their prestigious silverware, celebrating a successful endurance run from Paris to the French Riviera just months before the outbreak of World War II.
    • Prominent Achievements: Kay Hague was highly successful in the late 1930s European rally circuit. Driving her beloved 1496 cc Riley Sprite, she routinely scored top placements in brutal events like the PARIS-SAINT RAPHAEL RALLY FOR WOMEN and famously won the Ladies' Cup at the 1939 RAC Rally.
    • These racers were shown in some photos - Kay Hague are her British teammates and fellow Riley drivers, C.P. Melly and J. Cuthbert.
      Together with Kay Hague, they formed the highly successful official Riley works team entry sent to contest the international field at the April 1939 Paris–Nice trial.
    • this is another event mentioned in album - RALLYE OLAZUR INTERNATIONAL AGACI 1939". The Olazur Rally was a prominent event organized by the Association Générale des Automobilistes Coureurs Indépendants (AGACI).


" VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH EUROPE CAR RACING RALLEY/RALLY GRAND PRIX NEAR GUEUX, RHEIMS/REIMS, FRANCE OLD PHOTO "


THE PHOTO IS A LITTLE HAZY-FUZZY - NOT BAD

HAZY-FUZZY IN BACKGROUND & SIDE EDGES

HAZY-FUZZY NEAR SIDE EDGES

YOU CANNOT READ NUMBER ON CAR?

VERY HARD TO READ MIGHT BE #32

PRETTY SURE ITS #32!

PHOTO VIEWS CLEAR HOLDING 1-2 FEET AWAY




THE PHOTO IS CLEAR 1-2 FEET AWAY, THE PHOTO IS A LITTLE HAZY-FUZZY UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS - NOT BAD, HAZY-FUZZY IN BACKGROUND & NEAR SIDE EDGES, BUT VIEWS CLEAR HOLDING 1-2 FEET AWAY, BIT DARK.


CAPTION ON ALBUM

" NONE "


CAPTION ON ALBUM PAGE:

" RALPH - DELAHAYE "


I CAN READ CAPTION CLEARLY

YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO READ

I CAN READ CLEARLY BY TILTING PHOTO TO LIGHT


OLD 

PHOTO


THIS IS A PHOTO

NOT A POSTCARD


SHADES & COLORS

CAN VARY



JUST IN CASE ANY OF MY LISTINGS 

HAVE WRONG INFO, I CANNOT ID PHOTO OR POSTCARD,

SEND INFO, I WILL INSERT CORRECT INTO INTO LISTING, TIA. 



LISTING 150 PHOTOS STARTING ON 8/18/26

RACING/RALLYE/RALLY PHOTOS FROM EUROPE

MOST FROM ENGLAND AND FRANCE AREAS.


THE ALBUM HAD MANY CAPTIONS, LOTS OF RACING CARS, ETC.



SELLER INFO ONLY ON THIS LINE ( 1100 - RACE - 500 ) 48

THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY AUCTION!


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:

PLEASE LOOK AT PHOTO FOR DAMAGE:

DAMAGE RATINGS:

RANKING TO EDGES ( 2 )

( 1 )-LITE DAMAGE TO EDGES HARDLY ANY DAMAGE

( 2 )-MILD DAMAGE TO EDGES, SOME MINOR DINGS, CHIPPING & WEAR.

( 3 )-HEAVY DAMAGE TO EDGES, LOTS OF CREASES AND OR RIPS & TEARS.

RANKING TO CORNER TIPS ( 2 )

( 1 )-LITE DAMAGE TO CORNER TIPS, HARDLY ANY DAMAGE

( 2 )-MILD DAMAGE TO CORNER TIPS, SOME MINOR DINGS & WEAR.

( 3 )-HEAVY DAMAGE TO CORNER TIPS, BAD CREASES, BAD WEAR, MISSING TIPS.

CLARITY RANKING TO PHOTO ( 3 )

( 1 )-VERY CLEAR, LOTS OF DETAIL

( 2 )-PRETTY CLEAR SOME DETAIL

( 3 )-CLEAR 1-2 FEET AWAY, A LITTLE HAZY-FUZZY UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS

( 4 )-HAZY-FUZZY 1-2 FEET AWAY AND UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS

CLARITY FROM 2 DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, WILL BE RATED YES OR NO

CLARITY GOOD HOLDING 1-2 FEET AWAY ( YES ) BIT DARK

HAZY-FUZZY UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS ( YES ) THE PHOTO IS A LITTLE HAZY-FUZZY UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS - NOT BAD, HAZY-FUZZY IN BACKGROUND & NEAR SIDE EDGES

CLEAR UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS ( NO ) THE PHOTO IS A LITTLE HAZY-FUZZY UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS - NOT BAD, HAZY-FUZZY IN BACKGROUND & NEAR SIDE EDGES

HAZY-FUZZY IN BACKGROUND ( YES ) 

HAZY-FUZZY ON SIDE EDGES ( YES ) 

WRINKLE/CREASE/WAVINESS TO PHOTO FROM SHRINKAGE ( YES-MILD )

WRINKLE/CREASE/WAVINESS FROM BEING PULLED/SCRAPED OFF ALBUM PAGE ( YES-MILD )

DEPRESSED CORNER MARKS IN CORNERS FROM CORNER HANGERS ( NO )

DEPRESSED GLUE DIMPLE MARKS IN PHOTO FROM GLUE ON BACKSIDE ( YES - MILD )

RUBS FROM BEING IN AN ALBUM FOR YEARS ( YES-MILD )

OVERALL CONDITION OF PHOTO, WHICH INCLUDES DAMAGE AND CLARITY IN RATING, WILL BE RATED ON A ( 1-10 ) SCALE.

( 1 ) BEING VERY BAD & ( 10 ) BEING VERY GOOD

OVERALL CONDITION OF PHOTO ( 3-4 )

MADE OF PHOTO TYPE PAPER

BACK SOME DISCOLOR, FEW MARKS, GLUE & BLACK PAPER IN SPOTS

FRONT FEW MARKS, SOME DISCOLOR

OTHER DAMAGE NOTED HERE: 

ALSO HAS USUAL SCRATCHES, MARS, DINGS, ETC.

DAMAGE A FEW SCRATCHES, DINGS, HAIL DENTS & CREASES, ALL TIPS SHOW WEAR, DINGS OR CREASES, MILD GLUE DIMPLE POCKETS ON FRONT FROM GLUE ON BACK, GLUE & BLACK PAPER IN SPOTS ON BACK, LITE PITTING ON FINISH THROUGHOUT.

PHOTO SIZE SMALL 3-3/4 BY 2-3/4 INCHES



 

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Thanks for Looking and Happy Digging

 "SunkenTreazure"