Auction Ends: Jun 30, 2020 08:00 PM EDT

Memorabilia

Framed Print Gilles Villenuve 50th Anniversary Formula 1 Racing in Canada

Item Number: 254

Estimated Value: Priceless
Opening Bid: 75 CAD

Item Description

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Formula 1 racing in Canada, Canada Post has issued a supercharged set of stamps featuring five of the fastest drivers ever to capture the checkered flag at the FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA – each representing a different decade in the history of the race.

Designed by Paprika of Montréal, the stamps appear as miniature racing posters. In addition to classic photos of the five showcased drivers, each stamp offers a stylized overhead view of the car used to secure victory. This level of detail is carried over to the five Official First Day Covers, where the cancel on each cover represents the particular wheel and rim of each driver’s winning race car.

Gilles Villeneuve

This flamboyantly aggressive driver with amazing control represents the second decade of the F1 Grand Prix du Canada. He raced F1 for McLaren and Ferrari from 1977-82, winning six races and taking 13 podiums as well as two poles in a career that lasted little more than four seasons. He won the F1 Grand Prix du Canada at the inaugural race on Île Notre-Dame, about an hour from where he grew up in Berthierville. About 70,000 fans were bundled in blankets and tuques on that frigid October day in 1978, when Villeneuve became a national hero. On May 8, 1982, aged 32, Villeneuve was killed in a crash while qualifying for the F1 Belgian Grand Prix. He was among the first inducted to the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993.