Elf Scan #1: Henri Pescarolo

First in our new weekly series of scans is a very cool shot of Henri Pescarolo with some late 60's optical effects and fake signature to boot! Fun facts from the reverse of this card: Pescarolo's nickname was "Pepsi-Cola" for its phonetic similarity to his name when pronounced in French. His other great passion outside of racing was the hunt, and taking long hikes in the country.

About the series: The Elf Scans are a series of fascinating promotional cards that were offered at Elf fuel statons in France in 1970, showcasing the French petrol giant's involvement in motorsports. I will be posting a new one each week in 2011. Click the photo to enlarge.

Announcing a new weekly series: The Elf scans

'Tis the season where one naturally thinks of elves, but I recently acquired a fantastic set of A4 sized photo cards that were printed as promotional items for french petroleum giant ELF.  These cards, each celebrating the cars and drivers of the Matra and Alpine teams, were available at Elf fuel stations in France circa 1970. Starting in January 2011, I will upload a high res image of a new card each week.  The photos are simply sensational, and there are many cool cutaway drawings and diagrams on the backs of the cards.  See below for my Saul Bass-inspired mosaic showing the whole series!