1950’s Paris-Presse/But Car Flag

A very rare find! This beautifully chain stitched flag was created by Paris-Presse for its fabled BUT (later But et Club) magazine to distinguish and allow the journalists that covered the Tour de France and other big races of the day unencumbered open course access.

In a tradition started with the first Tour de France in 1903, flags were affixed to wood dowels and placed in special holders to distinguish cars that included race directors, teams, journalists and other authorized follow vehicles.  As time has marched on, the desirability of these flags has grown greatly as the use of flags was eventually dropped in favor of car plaques made of metal, wood, then plastic that were affixed to car bumpers. Sadly, in an drive for efficiency and cost savings, disposable decals are now broadly used at races around the world. A great piece of memorabilia from a top magazine of its era.

Size 54 x 32 cm ( 21.25 x 12.5 inches)