Perfect Circle
Name/Title
Perfect CircleEntry/Object ID
2025.7.160Scope and Content
This is a Perfect Circle Piston Rings promotional poster celebrating the company’s dominance at the Indianapolis 500, specifically the year 1930. The central image features Billy Arnold, who won the 1930 Indy 500 in the Miller‑Hartz Special at an average speed of 100.448 mph, becoming one of the youngest winners in race history. The poster highlights that every car finishing “in the money”—the top ten—used Perfect Circle piston rings, a powerful marketing claim in an era when suppliers fought fiercely for association with winning machinery. The layout, with its grid of driver portraits and cars (Shorty Cantlon, Louis Schneider, Louis Meyer, Bill Cummings, Dave Evans, Phil Shafer, Russell Snowberger, Leslie Allen, and E. Corn), is typical of early‑1930s trade advertising aimed at mechanics and performance‑minded motorists. The English‑language copy emphasizes reliability, oil control, and compression—key selling points for the brand. Stylistically and historically, this piece aligns squarely with 1930–1931, when Perfect Circle heavily promoted its sweep of AAA Championship events.Collection
Dr. Frederick A. Simeone Founder CollectionCategory
Posters