Bernd Rosemeyer Signed Photograph

A remarkably rare original black-and-white photograph, personally signed by legendary German racing driver Bernd Rosemeyer.

The evocative period image captures a smiling Rosemeyer in racing attire, with his goggles resting around his neck. Rosemeyer has signed prominently across the lower-right portion of the photograph in dark fountain-pen ink. Despite approaching ninety years of age, the autograph has remained exceptionally bold and clearly defined. Close examination also reveals a strong physical impression in the photograph from the pressure of the pen nib, an attractive characteristic of an unquestionably hand-applied period signature.

Rosemeyer’s rise through international motor racing was extraordinarily rapid. After establishing his reputation in motorcycle competition, he moved into Grand Prix racing with Auto Union in 1935. Despite his limited experience in racing cars, he quickly demonstrated an almost instinctive ability to control the company’s immensely powerful and notoriously demanding mid-engined Silver Arrows.

The 1936 season established Rosemeyer as one of the greatest drivers of the pre-war era. Driving the formidable Auto Union Type C, he won the European Drivers’ Championship, the highest international honour available to a Grand Prix driver at the time, as well as the German Mountain Championship. His victories that year included the German, Swiss and Italian Grands Prix, together with the Eifelrennen and Coppa Acerbo.

Rosemeyer continued to produce exceptional performances during 1937, winning the Vanderbilt Cup in the United States, the Eifelrennen, the Coppa Acerbo and the Donington Grand Prix. His achievements were made all the more remarkable by the intense competition from Mercedes-Benz and the fearsome nature of the Auto Union machinery he drove.

Tragically, Rosemeyer’s career and life were cut short at the very height of his talent. On 28 January 1938, aged only 28, he was killed while attempting another high-speed record on the Frankfurt–Darmstadt autobahn in a streamlined Auto Union. His death came less than four months after his victory at Donington Park and ended one of the most brilliant and meteoric careers in motor-racing history.

Rosemeyer autographs are genuinely scarce. His Grand Prix career lasted for only three seasons, and his untimely death left an extremely limited period during which genuine examples could have been signed. Original photographs bearing his autograph are particularly desirable.

Complete with attractive period deckled edges, this is an outstanding piece of pre-war Grand Prix history and an important autograph for any serious collection of Auto Union, Silver Arrows or early motor-racing memorabilia.

Dimensions: Approximately 4.53 × 3.35 inches.

Accompanied by an AB Memorabilia certificate of authenticity.