c. 1930 Cigarette Card "Ulster T.T. Race, 1929"

c. 1930 Cigarette Card "Ulster T.T. Race, 1929" is a vintage Cigarette Cards artifact by W.D. & H.O. Wills (Imperial Tobacco Co. of Great Britain & Ireland, Ltd.) from 1930, preserved in The Record Institute Ephemera Archive.

Category: Cigarette Cards

Brand: W.D. & H.O. Wills (Imperial Tobacco Co. of Great Britain & Ireland, Ltd.)

Year: 1930

Rarity Class: C

Last updated: September 26, 2026

Issued during the golden age of European road racing, this W.D. & H.O. Wills cigarette card immortalizes Rudolf Caracciola’s legendary victory at the 1929 Ulster Tourist Trophy. It stands as a pocket-sized testament to the visceral thrill of interwar motorsport, capturing the roaring dominance of a supercharged Mercedes-Benz before a quarter of a million awe-struck spectators.

Quick Read

Subject: A W.D. & H.O. Wills cigarette card illustrating Rudolf Caracciola's victory at the 1929 Ulster Tourist Trophy (T.T.). Mechanical Specifications: Explicitly details the vehicle as a "giant Mercedes Benz" featuring a 7,100 c.c. six-cylinder engine and a supercharger. Historical Milestone: Records Caracciola's staggering 72.82 m.p.h. average speed in a heavy car on a challenging road course, an event witnessed by 250,000 spectators. Curious Detail: Features contemporary phonetic/typographical misspellings, identifying the driver as "Herr Rudolf Carraciola" (rather than Caracciola). Format: A mass-produced, multi-color halftone lithographic tobacco premium designed as an educational collectible c. 1930.

Summary

Issued during the golden age of European road racing, this W.D. & H.O. Wills cigarette card immortalizes Rudolf Caracciola’s legendary victory at the 1929 Ulster Tourist Trophy. It stands as a pocket-sized testament to the visceral thrill of interwar motorsport, capturing the roaring dominance of a supercharged Mercedes-Benz before a quarter of a million awe-struck spectators.

A vintage, landscape-oriented cigarette card featuring a color halftone lithograph of a white Mercedes-Benz open-top racing car, bearing the number 71, speeding past a blurred crowd of spectators. The text "WILLS'S CIGARETTES" appears at the top left, and "ULSTER T.T. RACE, 1929 (CARRACIOLA)." at the bottom right. The reverse side, oriented in portrait style, features crisp black typography on aged cream cardstock, titled "SPEED" and cataloged as number 29, detailing Herr Rudolf Caracciola's 1929 victory in a supercharged 7,100 c.c. Mercedes Benz.