Once upon a time, the phrase “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” actually meant something. A manufacturer could win Le Mans (or NASCAR, or even a club race at the grassroots level) and see a spike in sales as a direct result of that success. As motorsports declined in popularity, that correlation to sales became less and less apparent, and today you’ll almost never see that old saying used as justification for fielding a factory-supported race team. But without question, Porsche’s racing dominance over the decades has fueled the growth of its passenger car division—and during that time, the brand’s marketing team commissioned many, many posters touting its racing wins.
These posters were distributed to Porsche dealerships and mechanic shops, and eventually made their way to the bedroom walls of aspiring Porsche owners. The large-format ads helped establish Porsche’s reputation as a builder of top-tier sports cars, and today are highly sought after by collectors. Period originals are usually very hard to come by, but you can own a little piece of Porsche history thanks to a special online auction held by RM Sotheby’s.
Now through April 27, the auction house is offering a collection of 75 original Porsche posters ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s, which means many of them were designed by renowned Porsche graphic artist Erich Strenger.
Even if you’re unfamiliar with his name, you’ve most likely seen his work. Strenger was a freelance graphic designer in the early ’50s when Porsche was just starting to rack up wins. Back then, after a 356 or 550 Spyder won a race, Porsche would spend what little advertising budget it had on commissioning a poster from Strenger. Eventually, he started an ad agency in Stuttgart, and Porsche was its primary client. Because races were indeed held on Sunday, Strenger’s team had to work on tight deadlines in order to get the designs to the printer, and ultimately to dealers, by Monday. Much of the design work was completed before the race, and as soon as the winner was known photographs would be rushed to the artists so they could lay out the final product.
The earliest Porsche posters, in addition to a few later ones produced with the luxury of time, feature illustrations hand drawn by Strenger, and several are available in this auction. Those early posters penned by Strenger helped the brand become the performance powerhouse it is today, but perhaps his most notable contribution to Porsche’s legacy was his eye for modern design and typography. The aesthetic he created lives on to this day and can even be seen in Porsche’s minimalist logo, which is credited partially to Strenger.
Want an incredible piece of Porsche automobilia with a great back story to start (or add to) your collection? This RM auction could be your best shot. As of this writing, there are several lots with high bids under $100, and a number are valued as low as $100-$200.
Photos courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
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