Ever wonder why the original GT-350 was white with blue Stripes?
4/11/06, 06:58 PM
#1
Dethroned Nascar Guru
Thread Starter
White with Blue stripes was American racing colors in internationally sanctioned races. Sanctioning body was the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI), or International Sports Commision. Started back at the 1933 LeMans race and went into the sixties. Not sure when it was no longer in force. Colors were based on the driver's nationality and not where the car was manufactured. For example a US driver of a British car would also have a white car with blue stripes. Anyway here's the article.
THE COLOR IN RACING (ROAD AND TRACK- 1960)
REFERENCES are often made, in R&T, to the "red" cars from Ferrari or Maserati, the "green" cars from Vanwall, Aston Martin or Jaguar and the "white" or "silver" cars from Mercedes-Benz. These are not arbitrary colors picked by each constructor for his cars (except in the case of strictly national, local or club competition, where anything goes), but are the result of a decision reached in the early days of racing. Cars were, and still are, distinguishable by assigned numbers, but further separation (prompted no doubt by nationalistic feelings) was felt desirable. This is why racing cars from Italy are red, the cars from England are green and the cars from Germany are white (or sometimes silver-the result of leaving the aluminum body unpainted).
A private owner will generally paint his car in the color(s) of his own country, rather than the manufacturer's. According to the C.S.I. of the F.I.A., "The use of distinctive colors of nationality is compulsory when the supplementary regulations of the competition require it. These colors are determined by the nationality of the competitor." So, a Ferrari owned by an Englishman would be painted green, even though it was an Italian car. Thus, it has become a tradition for racing cars to be painted in the colors of the entrant, although they are occasionally seen with minor variations. Mercedes, for example, honored Englishman Richard Seaman, who was a Mercedes team driver, with a green border around the grille opening of his car. The shrewd Germans had also noted that this would allow quick identification if Seaman and one of the other Mercedes drivers (who would be in identical cars) chanced to pass rapidly by the pits at the same time.
Because these colors were assigned during the days when racing cars possessed chassis that were visible beneath the body, many countries have a combination of colors: one for the body, one for the, chassis and sometimes another for some other part, such as the wheels or hood. This presented a problem when streamlining came into fashion and the chassis disappeared from sight. As a consequence, the color formerly allotted to the chassis is now applied in the form of stripes or other trim over the color assigned to the body by the Code Sportif International of the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile. To further simplify (or complicate) matters, green, the color assigned to the British Empire, is used as a basis for all cars from England and its possessions. The commonwealth countries use green as a body color with other colors, at their choice, as stripes. Canada, for example, uses two white stripes 4 in. wide, one on each side of the car's centerline and 6 in. apart.
British racing green, to dispel some of the arguments, is not any particular shade of green, but Napier green is preferred. Stirling Moss drove a light sea-green BRM in the 1959 French Grand Prix. This was quite contrary to the accepted general opinion of what constitutes "British Racing Green" but was, nevertheless, acceptable. The color applied to a racing car has also had its share of side effects. For many years U.S. drivers would not drive in, or in competition with, cars painted any shade of green; they believed the color to be unlucky. This has diminished in recent years, especially since the advent of more British international competition.
The chart lists the racing colors of each country as assigned by the C.S.I. The car number and its background color, a necessary aid to identity, are made to contrast as as much as possible to aid race officials and lap scorers. Colors assigned to chassis or underframe in the chart are
now applied to stripes or trim.
COUNTRY COLORS OF CAR / COLOR OFNUMBERS
Argentina Body: blue / red on white
Hood: yellow
Chassis/Stripe: black
Belgium Body: yellow / black
Brazil Body: pale yellow / black
Chassis/wheels/stripes: green
Canada Body: green / white
Stripes: white
Chile Body: red / half blue-half red or all red on white on black
Hood: blue
Underframe/stripes: white all red on white
Cuba Body: yellow / white on black
Hood: black
Czechoslovakia Body: white / blue
Hood: blue and white
Underframe/stripes: red
Egypt Pale violet / red on white
Finland Black / blue on white
France Blue / white
Germany White / red
Great Britain Green / white
Holland Orange / white
Hungary Body, front: white / black
Body, rear: green
Hood: red
Ireland Green with horizontal band of orange around body / white
Italy Red / white
Luxembourg Pearlgray / white on red
Mexico Gold / white on black
Monaco White with red horizontal band around body black on white
Poland Body and hood: white / red
Underframe/stripes: red
Portugal Body and hood: red / white
Underframe/stripes: white
Scotland Green / white
South Africa Body: Gold / black on white
Hood: green
Spain Hood: yellow / black on yellow
Body and chassis: red white on red
Sweden Body and hood, lower / white
part:blue-upper:yellow
Three cross bands of
blue on top of hood
Switzerland Hood: white / black
Body and underframe/stripes: red
Thailand Body and hood: white on blue / pale blue with yellow
horizontal band around body and hood
Wheels: pale yellow
United States Body and hood: white / blue on white
Underframe/stripes: blue
Venezuela Body: white
Stripe:green
THE COLOR IN RACING (ROAD AND TRACK- 1960)
REFERENCES are often made, in R&T, to the "red" cars from Ferrari or Maserati, the "green" cars from Vanwall, Aston Martin or Jaguar and the "white" or "silver" cars from Mercedes-Benz. These are not arbitrary colors picked by each constructor for his cars (except in the case of strictly national, local or club competition, where anything goes), but are the result of a decision reached in the early days of racing. Cars were, and still are, distinguishable by assigned numbers, but further separation (prompted no doubt by nationalistic feelings) was felt desirable. This is why racing cars from Italy are red, the cars from England are green and the cars from Germany are white (or sometimes silver-the result of leaving the aluminum body unpainted).
A private owner will generally paint his car in the color(s) of his own country, rather than the manufacturer's. According to the C.S.I. of the F.I.A., "The use of distinctive colors of nationality is compulsory when the supplementary regulations of the competition require it. These colors are determined by the nationality of the competitor." So, a Ferrari owned by an Englishman would be painted green, even though it was an Italian car. Thus, it has become a tradition for racing cars to be painted in the colors of the entrant, although they are occasionally seen with minor variations. Mercedes, for example, honored Englishman Richard Seaman, who was a Mercedes team driver, with a green border around the grille opening of his car. The shrewd Germans had also noted that this would allow quick identification if Seaman and one of the other Mercedes drivers (who would be in identical cars) chanced to pass rapidly by the pits at the same time.
Because these colors were assigned during the days when racing cars possessed chassis that were visible beneath the body, many countries have a combination of colors: one for the body, one for the, chassis and sometimes another for some other part, such as the wheels or hood. This presented a problem when streamlining came into fashion and the chassis disappeared from sight. As a consequence, the color formerly allotted to the chassis is now applied in the form of stripes or other trim over the color assigned to the body by the Code Sportif International of the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile. To further simplify (or complicate) matters, green, the color assigned to the British Empire, is used as a basis for all cars from England and its possessions. The commonwealth countries use green as a body color with other colors, at their choice, as stripes. Canada, for example, uses two white stripes 4 in. wide, one on each side of the car's centerline and 6 in. apart.
British racing green, to dispel some of the arguments, is not any particular shade of green, but Napier green is preferred. Stirling Moss drove a light sea-green BRM in the 1959 French Grand Prix. This was quite contrary to the accepted general opinion of what constitutes "British Racing Green" but was, nevertheless, acceptable. The color applied to a racing car has also had its share of side effects. For many years U.S. drivers would not drive in, or in competition with, cars painted any shade of green; they believed the color to be unlucky. This has diminished in recent years, especially since the advent of more British international competition.
The chart lists the racing colors of each country as assigned by the C.S.I. The car number and its background color, a necessary aid to identity, are made to contrast as as much as possible to aid race officials and lap scorers. Colors assigned to chassis or underframe in the chart are
now applied to stripes or trim.
COUNTRY COLORS OF CAR / COLOR OFNUMBERS
Argentina Body: blue / red on white
Hood: yellow
Chassis/Stripe: black
Belgium Body: yellow / black
Brazil Body: pale yellow / black
Chassis/wheels/stripes: green
Canada Body: green / white
Stripes: white
Chile Body: red / half blue-half red or all red on white on black
Hood: blue
Underframe/stripes: white all red on white
Cuba Body: yellow / white on black
Hood: black
Czechoslovakia Body: white / blue
Hood: blue and white
Underframe/stripes: red
Egypt Pale violet / red on white
Finland Black / blue on white
France Blue / white
Germany White / red
Great Britain Green / white
Holland Orange / white
Hungary Body, front: white / black
Body, rear: green
Hood: red
Ireland Green with horizontal band of orange around body / white
Italy Red / white
Luxembourg Pearlgray / white on red
Mexico Gold / white on black
Monaco White with red horizontal band around body black on white
Poland Body and hood: white / red
Underframe/stripes: red
Portugal Body and hood: red / white
Underframe/stripes: white
Scotland Green / white
South Africa Body: Gold / black on white
Hood: green
Spain Hood: yellow / black on yellow
Body and chassis: red white on red
Sweden Body and hood, lower / white
part:blue-upper:yellow
Three cross bands of
blue on top of hood
Switzerland Hood: white / black
Body and underframe/stripes: red
Thailand Body and hood: white on blue / pale blue with yellow
horizontal band around body and hood
Wheels: pale yellow
United States Body and hood: white / blue on white
Underframe/stripes: blue
Venezuela Body: white
Stripe:green
4/14/06, 09:38 AM
#3
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stoic21 @ April 14, 2006, 12:47 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
LAAAAAAAMMMMMEEEEE. I'm running frech colors..........Actually I have now decided that they are running MY colors
[/b][/quote]
That's O.K., they'll simply give them up to you anyway.
LAAAAAAAMMMMMEEEEE. I'm running frech colors..........Actually I have now decided that they are running MY colors
[/b][/quote]
That's O.K., they'll simply give them up to you anyway.
4/14/06, 07:59 PM
#4
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LOL.............. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lol.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lol.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lol.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lol.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lol.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lol.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lol.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lol.gif[/img]
4/14/06, 08:51 PM
#5
Dethroned Nascar Guru
Thread Starter
According to the Shelby book I have, Peter Brock, (manager of special projects for Shelby back in 1964/65),
"had long admired Briggs Cunningham's cars, and for the Mustangs, he adopted Cunningham's American racing color scheme using white bodies with twin wide blue stripes. Brock also added the distinctive parrellel lines and model designation along the rocker panels".
Source is Shelby Mustang, Racer for the Street. by Randy Leffingwell , page 56.
Here a couple of pix of the Cunningham manufactured race cars. The C4R (top) finished 4th at LeMans in 1952. The C5R (bottom) finished 3rd at LeMans in 1953. I guess this is where the term "LeMans stripes" is derived.
"had long admired Briggs Cunningham's cars, and for the Mustangs, he adopted Cunningham's American racing color scheme using white bodies with twin wide blue stripes. Brock also added the distinctive parrellel lines and model designation along the rocker panels".
Source is Shelby Mustang, Racer for the Street. by Randy Leffingwell , page 56.
Here a couple of pix of the Cunningham manufactured race cars. The C4R (top) finished 4th at LeMans in 1952. The C5R (bottom) finished 3rd at LeMans in 1953. I guess this is where the term "LeMans stripes" is derived.
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