From the beginning of the 20th century until the late 1960s, before sponsorship liveries came in use, vehicles competing in Formula One, sports car racing, touring car racing and other international auto racing competitions customarily painted their cars in racing colors (which sometimes resembled political national colors). The colors most likely have their origin in the national teams competing in the Gordon Bennett Cup, which was held annually in 1900-1905, and were definitely established in the 1920s and 1930s era of Grand Prix motor racing, when blue Bugatti and red Alfa Romeo dominated many races. Sponsorship liveries in Formula One have been used since the late 1960s, replacing the previously used national colors. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... IMSA GTP sports cars racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1991 Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. ... Touring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. ... Motor racing and Motorsports redirect here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... National colours are frequently part of a countrys set of national symbols. ... One of three Gordon Bennett Cups, established by James Gordon Bennett, Jr. ... Europe between 1929 and 1938. ... Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. ...

Due to the weight limit for GP cars introduced in 1934, German Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams did not apply the traditional white paint in order to save weight, and the bare sheets of metal gave rise to the term Silver Arrows. When aluminium was replaced by fiberglass materials in the 1960s, some German teams (like Porsche and BMW) returned to white paint. Others German manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Audi used silver paint when they returned to international racing in the 1990s. Silver Arrow – 1939 Grossglockner hillclimb Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germanys dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55. ... General Name, symbol, number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, period, block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 26. ...

In spring of 1968, sponsorship liveries that had been used in the United States were allowed in European racing. Team Lotus was the first F1 team not only to paint their cars in a tobacco livery, but also to change the team name accordingly. The British Racing Green vanished soon from the cars of private teams, while the Rosso Corsa used by Italian manufacturers like Ferrari is in continuous use to the present day. Sponsorship liveries in Formula One have been used since the late 1960s, replacing the previously used national colors. ... Team Lotus was one of Formula 1s most successful teams. ...

Although this color scheme was abandoned by the FIA for most racing disciplines in the 1970s, it is still informally used, especially by Italian, British and German automakers and teams that want to emphasize their traditions. Often, sponsorship agreements respect this. Many concept cars follow the color scheme, and many amateur racers prefer them as well. The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ... Automakers, also known as carmakers, automobile manufacturers, motor manufacturers, or the automobile industry are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ... 1938 Buick Y-Job, the first Concept car A concept car or show car is a car prototype made to showcase a concept, new styling, technology and more. ...

Major competitors

German Blitzen Benz (1909)

French Bugatti Type 35C (1926)

German Silberpfeile (1930s)

Japanese Honda RA272 (1965)

British Lotus 49 (early 1968)

Italian Alfa Romeo 33 (1977)

German Audi R8 (2006)

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 851 pixel, file size: 253 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 851 pixel, file size: 253 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Henry Ford standing beside Oldfields first car in 1902 At Lakeside Track, April 1907 Barney Oldfield sitting in his Blitzen Benz at Daytona (undated) 1909 Blitzen Benz in a museum Oldfield (left) beside his Golden Submarine in the 1920s Official starter Barney Oldfield (left) beside racer Ralph Hepburn at... Image File history File links Bugatti_Typ_35C_Grand_Prix_Racer_1926. ... Image File history File links Bugatti_Typ_35C_Grand_Prix_Racer_1926. ... Bugatti Type 35B The Type 35 was the most successful of the Bugatti racing models. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 726 KB) 76e international Motorshow Geneva 2006 - F1 Honda RA272 1965 76e Salon international de lautomobile Genève 2006 - F1 Honda RA272 1965 Photography by Semnoz in march 2006 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 726 KB) 76e international Motorshow Geneva 2006 - F1 Honda RA272 1965 76e Salon international de lautomobile Genève 2006 - F1 Honda RA272 1965 Photography by Semnoz in march 2006 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link... Honda RA272 The Honda RA272 was a F1 racing car used in 1965. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 411 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 411 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The Lotus 49 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Phillipe for the 1967 F1 season. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 487 pixelsFull resolution (2450 × 1491 pixel, file size: 599 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 487 pixelsFull resolution (2450 × 1491 pixel, file size: 599 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 was a sports racing prototype raced by the Alfa Romeo works team between 1967 and 1977. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 534 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 683 pixel, file size: 219 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 534 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 683 pixel, file size: 219 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Audi R8 behind its trophies The Audi R8 is a Sports Prototype race car introduced in 1999 for Sportscar racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R (open top LMP) and Audi R8C (closed top LMGTP). ... This is a list of vehicle country identification codes: Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Note * Non-official Note1  There are other, unofficial codes in common... Benz can refer to: Karl Benz, a German automobile engineer and inventor Mercedes-Benz, a brand of automobiles and trucks Kafi Benz, an American writer, historian, designer, and artist, the founder of Friends of Seagate Inc. ... Mercedes was the brand of the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft before being merged with Benz & Cie. ... For other uses, see BMW (disambiguation). ... This article is about the auto company. ... Silver Arrow – 1939 Grossglockner hillclimb Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germanys dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... 1936 Auto Union Wanderer Auto Union was a joint venture of four German automobile manufacturers, established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression. ... Veritas Logo Veritas 1953 Veritas was a famous post World War II sports and race car company, located at Hausen am Andelsbach, near Sigmaringen, Baden-Württemberg, later at Meβkirch and Muggensturm and moved finally to the Nürburgring. ... Borgward Hansa 1500 of 1952 Borgward Hansa 1500 SP-C 1954 Isabella TS Deluxe Borgward P100 with air spring Borgward was a German automobile manufacturer founded by Carl F. W. Borgward (November 10, 1890 - July 28, 1963). ... An EMW. Notice the BMW-like grille. ... This article is about the auto company. ... Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer with headquarters in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, and has been an almost wholly owned (99. ... Bugatti is one of the fastest marques of automobile and one of the most exclusive car producers of all time. ... Talbot is an automobile brand, whose history is one of the industrys most complex. ... Mécanique Avion TRAction or Matra is a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to aeronautics and weaponry which today operates as the Lagardère Group. ... Gordini was a Formula One constructor and engine manufacturer from 1950 until 1956. ... Ligier Automobiles logo. ... Prost Grand Prix was a Formula One racing team managed by former world champion Alain Prost. ... British racing green, officially known as deep brunswick green, is the international motor racing colour of Great Britain. ... Jaguar Racing was a Formula One team that competed in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship from 2000 to 2004. ... Vanwall was a Formula One team in the 1950s. ... Jack Brabhams 1961 Cooper-Climax, the car that began the rear-engine revolution at the Indianapolis 500 The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1947 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. ... Lotus Logo with monogram of its founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at Hethel, Norfolk, England. ... Brabham - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... British Racing Motors (generally known as BRM) was a British Formula 1 motor racing team. ... Bentleys winged B badge and hood ornament 1929 Blower Bentley from the Ralph Lauren collection. ... Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a manufacturer of luxury performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England in the United Kingdom. ... A very red 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Mille Miglia. ... During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. ... A 1957 Maserati 200SI at the Scarsdale Concours Maserati Birdcage 1959 Maserati 5000 GT Coupe Maserati Sebring This article is about the automobile manufacturer. ... Lancia (pronounced Lan-cha) is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. ... Ferrari Enzo. ... Abarth logo Abarth is an Italian racing car maker founded by Italian-Austrian Karl (Carlo) Abarth in Turin in 1949. ... Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili - Fratelli Maserati SpA, is usually abbreviated to O.S.C.A. and sometimes spelled OSCA or Osca, was an Italian brand of sports car automobiles. ... Officine Meccaniche (OM) - was an Italian Truck manufacturer, from Brescia. ... The logo of the Honda automobiles The logo of the Honda motorcycles Honda Motor Company, Limited )   (TYO: 7267 , NYSE: HMC), or simply called Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, engine manufacturer and engineering corporation. ... Nissan Motor Co. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Renault Clio Gordini featuring the classic style of go-faster stripes. ... Briggs Swift Cunningham II was a victorious Americas Cup sailor and inventor, as well as, being a racecar enthusiast, driver, team owner, racecar owner, and racecar builder. ... Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ... The North American Racing Team (also known as NART) was created by Luigi Chinetti to promote the Ferrari marque in America through success in Gran Turismo (endurance) motorsport. ... Carroll Hall Shelby, (born January 11, 1923 in Leesburg, Texas) is an American racing and automotive designer. ... Joakim Bonnier 1966 in the Chaparral during practice at the Nürburgring Mike Spence 1967 in the Chaparral 2F during practice at the Nürburgring Chaparral Cars was a United States automotive company which built prototype race cars from the 1960s through the early 1980s. ... Anglo American Racers (Eagle) was a Formula One constructor from the USA. They participated in 25 Grands Prix, entering a total of 34 cars. ... Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ... Carroll Hall Shelby, (born January 11, 1923 in Leesburg, Texas) is an American racing and automotive designer. ... Scarab was a Formula One constructor from USA. They participated in 5 grands prix, entering a total of 9 cars. ...

Alphabetic list

Code	Country	Body	Bonnet	Other Colors	Numbers	Illustrated example
A	Austria	Blue			Black on white
ARG	Argentina	Blue	Yellow	Chassis: Black	Red on white
AUS	Australia	Green	Gold	Blue
B	Belgium	Yellow			Black
BR	Brazil	Pale yellow		Chassis/Wheels: Green	Black
BUL	Bulgaria	Green	White		Red on white
C	Cuba	Yellow	Black		Black on white
CDN	Canada	Traditional colors are white and green parallel stripes		After the Canadian flag was changed in 1965 Red with wide lengthwise white stripes became popular	Black
CH	Switzerland	Red	White		Black
CS	Czechoslovakia	White	Blue/white	Underframe: Red	Blue
D	Germany	White		bare metal (aluminium, "Silver Arrows")	Red
DK	Denmark	Silver-grey		National flag as a lengthwise stripe on bonnet	Red on white
E	Spain	Red	Yellow	Chassis/Springs: Red	Black on yellow or white on red
ET	Egypt	Pale violet			Red on white
F	France	Blue			White
FIN	Finland	White		Two blue stripes on bonnet shaping a Latin cross	Black on white
GB	United Kingdom	Green		Scottish entrant Rob Walker used dark blue with a white noseband and Ecurie Ecosse also used dark blue; the Arrol Johnston team pre-World War 1 used navy tartan	White
GR	Greece	Pale Blue		Two white lengthwise stripes on bonnet	Black on white
H	Hungary	Front: White Rear: Green	Red		Black
HJK	Jordan	Brown			Black on white
IND	India	Sky blue[1]
I	Italy	Red			White
IRL	Ireland	Green		Horizontal band of orange all around	White
J	Japan	Ivory White		Red disk on bonnet	White on black
L	Luxembourg	Tricolor lengthwise stripe (red/white/blue) from front to rear			Black on white
MAS	Malaysia	Yellow		White	Black on white/Black
MC	Monaco	White		Red lateral stripe around car	Black on white
MEX	Mexico	Gold		Blue cross-stripe on bonnet	Red on white
NL	Netherlands	Orange			White
NZ	New Zealand	Green and silver		Black and silver[2]
P	Portugal	Red		Underframe: White	White
PL	Poland	White		Underframe: Red	Red on white
RCH	Chile	Red	Blue	Underframe: White	Blue/red or red on white
S	Sweden	Blue bottom, yellow top, three cross bands of blue on top of bonnet			White
T	Thailand	Pale blue with yellow horizontal band around body and bonnet		Wheels: Pale yellow	White on blue
U	Uruguay	Pale blue with large red band around the lower part of bonnet			White on black
USA	United States	White with blue lengthwise stripes		Underframe: Blue	Blue on white
ZA	South Africa	Gold	Green		Black on yellow

This is a list of vehicle country identification codes: Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Note * Non-official Note1  There are other, unofficial codes in common... Image File history File links Flag_of_Austria. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bulgaria. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cuba. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Switzerland. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Czechoslovakia. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... General Name, symbol, number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, period, block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 26. ... Silver Arrow – 1939 Grossglockner hillclimb Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germanys dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Denmark. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Egypt. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Finland. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Greece. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Jordan. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Luxembourg. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malaysia. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Monaco. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Poland. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Chile. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Thailand. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Uruguay. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Africa. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

See also

• go-faster stripes on notes about US racing color.

Renault Clio featuring the classic style of go-faster stripes. ...

References

1. ^ India's car turns sky blue
2. ^ Doug Nye: "McLaren, The Grand Prix, Can-Am and Indy Cars", page 73
   McLaren - The Cars by model number

External links

• 1960 Road & Track article
• 1903 Leinster Leader article
• Motorsport Memorial website - page about country automotive abbreviations and racing colours