Shell produced this poster in anticipation of JG Parry Thomas breaking the world land speed record. Parry Thomas actually set a new record of 169.30 mph/272.46 kph on 27 April 1926 at Pendine Sands, and returned the following day to improve it to 171.02 mph/275.23 kph.

In 1926, Shell were proud to sponsor J. G. Parry Thomas on his record-breaking land speed attempt, in his car “Babs”. On 27 April 1926, Parry Thomas broke the land speed record at Pendine Sands. The next day Parry Thomas raised the record even higher; this record stood for almost a year.

The benefit of using both Shell’s oil and petrol together was illustrated throughout the Company’s advertising with images of speed. Advertisements announcing race successes and record achievements claimed that these triumphs were won on Shell petrol and Shell oil.

Shell has supported motor racing since the Peking to Paris rally of 1907. By 1929, Shell was a prominent name on the race track, fuelling wins on circuits across Europe.

Since its launch in 1923, Le Mans has become the world’s oldest active sports car race in endurance racing. The event is held annually over a 24 hours period near the town of Le Mans, France and Shell has powered no less than 60 victories over these years.

Motorsport has always been a great opening for high-profile advertising; and an even better opportunity for Shell to develop high-performance fuels and lubricants.

The 1962 Grand Prix saw both BRM and Ferrari going head-to-head for the World Championship. Since the first Formula 1 World Championship, Shell had fuelled more than half of the winners. This race saw Graham Hill take the World Champion title from Phil Hill, both exclusively fuelled by Shell.