1974 (1975) Tour de France, Race Used Car Plaque, Eddy Merckx’s Fifth Tour Win

1974 Tour de France
Race Winner Eddy Merckx

This car plaque is from the 1974 Tour, but someone has edited it to read 1975 – Sneaky fan? Team mechanic who lost the new plaque?  Big fan of Bernard Thevenet, who won in ’75? Sadly, we will never know the whole story.

In the 1974 Tour de France, Eddy Merckx, having emerged as the pre-race favorite following his triumph at the 1974 Giro d’Italia, secured his fifth Tour victory with a comfortable lead of 8’04”. Raymond Poulidor claimed second place, while Vicente Lopez Carril finished third. Patrick Sercu clinched the Points classification, Domingo Perurena the Mountains, and Barry Hoban the Sprints.

Merckx’s fifth Tour win marked a historic achievement, equaling the record set by Jacques Anquetil. Impressively, he had triumphed in all five Tours he had entered. This victory marked several new records for Merckx: he amassed a total of 32 stage victories, surpassing Andre Leducq’s previous record of 25, and became the first cyclist to conquer the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Tour de Suisse in a single year. Following his Tour de France triumph in 1974, Merckx won the World Championships, securing his status as the first cyclist to achieve the illustrious Triple Crown of Cycling.

In today’s racing, the race organizer cars, team vehicles, and other participants of the official race caravan have disposable stickers affixed to the windshield. Slipping a bit into the way back machine, there was a time when the cars had plaques attached to the front of the follow cars.

As with most things ephemeral, most plaques were promptly tossed in the trash once the race was finished. The ones that survived have become quite collectible.

Made of Plastic

Size: 19 ¼   x 9 ½  inches  (49 x 24 cm

This is a one-of-a-kind item, please review photos carefully to determine condition.
Plaque has been altered to read 1975 from the original 1974.