| Author | Message | ||
| Andrew-Phillip Goalen (Andrewg)
Junior Member Username: Andrewg Post Number: 123 Registered: 9-2002 |
Jeff, some Ferrari dealers also had their own colours, Swatters in belguim had yellow, whilst Colonel O'Hoare at Maranello Consecionares(sp) had Rosso Corsa with an Oxford Blue noseband (after his rowing team!) | ||
| Jeffrey Wolfe (86mondial32)
Member Username: 86mondial32 Post Number: 336 Registered: 5-2003 |
Thanks for the info... Little things like this are so much a part of the passion of motorsports. | ||
| John Millard (Jmillard308)
New member Username: Jmillard308 Post Number: 28 Registered: 5-2003 |
Michael - Nue Zuland? These colours were defined when the "shakey islanders" still chased their sheep in a horse & cart  Well before Bruce McLackers was born! | ||
| Tazio Nuvolari (Nuvolari)
Junior Member Username: Nuvolari Post Number: 243 Registered: 9-2002 |
It is my understanding that the national sporting colour, and by extension its racing colour, of Italy is in fact blue. It is only because the French started using blue first that the Italians opted for red. | ||
| Michael Green (Michaelg)
New member Username: Michaelg Post Number: 17 Registered: 4-2003 |
err ...Gerald ...New Zealand - where the McLaren name came from AND sports the highest percapita Ferrari sales region in the world.... | ||
| John Millard (Jmillard308)
New member Username: Jmillard308 Post Number: 26 Registered: 5-2003 |
No wonder the Egyptians never went racing | ||
| Gerald L. Roush (Ferrmktltr)
Junior Member Username: Ferrmktltr Post Number: 163 Registered: 5-2003 |
THE COLOR IN RACING (ROAD AND TRACK- January 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. Colors assigned to chassis or underframe in the chart are now applied to stripes or trim. Argentina - Body: blue; Hood: yellow; Chassis: black Belgium - Yellow Brazil - Body: pale yellow; Chassis and wheels:green Bulgaria - Body: green; Hood: white Canada - Body: green; Stripes: white Chile - Body: red; Hood: blue; Underframe: white Cuba - Body: yellow; Hood: black Czechoslovakia - Body: white; Hood: blue and white; Underframe: red Egypt - Pale violet Finland - Black France - Blue Germany - White Great Britain - Green Holland - Orange Hungary - Body, front: white; Body, rear: green; Hood: red Irish Free State - Green with horizontal band of orange around body Italy - Red Luxemburg - Pearlgray Mexico - Gold Monaco - White with red horizontal band around body Poland - Body and hood: white; Underframe: red Portugal - Body and hood: red; Underframe: white Scotland - Green South Africa - Body: Gold; Hood: green Spain - Hood: yellow; Body and chassis: red Sweden - Body and hood, lower white; upper yellow; Three blue cross bands on top of hood Switzerland - Hood: white; Body and underframe: red Thailand - Body and hood: pale blue with yellow horizontal band around body and hood; Wheels: pale yellow United States - Body and hood: white; Underframe: blue Venezuela - Body: white; Stripe:green | ||
| V.Z. (Ama328)
Junior Member Username: Ama328 Post Number: 169 Registered: 11-2002 |
i saw a blurb about what PSk is referring to on the Mercedes removing white paint and going to a 'silver' color on a rather interesting, but long & tedious show on the early history of racing in Europe(don't remember title, just saw it on either PBS or one of the History channels). Don't recall how much weight they dropped, but it must have been enough to convince them to go ahead with the idea. | ||
| PSk (Psk)
Member Username: Psk Post Number: 629 Registered: 11-2002 |
Germany was white originally ... until the Mercs were over weight at (or before) their first race meeting in the 30's. Thus they removed the paint and thus the Silver colour started ... er, that is what I have read. If you look at all Mercedes racing before the late 30's their cars were always white. Argentina was light blue with a yellow bonnet??? or was that just Fangios colours? Also I think New Zealand is or should be orange as that is what all the (Bruce) McLarens raced in. My last club car was orange for this reason ... and this was also my fathers colours. Pete | ||
| Jeffrey Wolfe (86mondial32)
Member Username: 86mondial32 Post Number: 327 Registered: 5-2003 |
Trying to remeber the national racing colors. Was it: USA : White UK : Green Italy: Red France: Blue Japan: ? And didn't NART race under a White with blue Stripe? |