Old Timer's Trivia - National Racing Colors

[David]

Long ago F1 and other race cars were generally painted in colors representing the race team's country. This started so long ago that, as I recall, the countries with two colors painted the body the primary color and the exposed frame the second color. Two questions:

Who established the standards for the colors?

What colors represented which country? I think these are an accurate start:

Italy - Red
Germany - White (NOT silver)
France - Light Blue
England (or Britain?) - Dark Green
Belgium - Yellow
United States - White with Blue Frame
Argentina - Blue with Yellow Frame
Others?

David

[SL]

A full list of the colours as allocated in the first race are as follows:-
Country Colours of vehicle Colour

Netherlands: orange,

Argentina Body: Blue
Bonnet: Yellow
Chassis: Black Red on white

Belgium Yellow Black

Brazil Body & bonnet: pale yellow
Chassis & wheels: Green Black

Chile Bonnet: Blue
Body: Red
Underframe: White Half blue & half red or all red on white

Czechoslovakia Bonnet: Blue & white Blue
Body: White
Underframe: Red


Egypt Pale Violet Red on white

Finland Black Blue on white

France Blue Blue on white

Germany White (sorry, not Red
silver)

Great Britain Green White

Holland Orange White

Hungary Bonnet: Red Black
Body, front: White
Rear : Green

Ireland Green (horizontal White
band of orange all
round body & bonnet

Italy Red White

Luxembourg Pearl grey White on red

Monaco White (red horizontal Black on white
band around the body
and bonnet

Poland Body and bonnet: White Red
Undeframe: White

Portugal Body & bonnet: Red White

South Africa Body: Golden Black on white

Spain Bonnet: Yellow Black on yellow, Body: Chassis & springs, white on red
red

Sweden Body & bonnet, lower part White
blue.Upper part: Yellow
three cross bands of blue
on the top of the bonnet)

Switzerland Bonnet: White Black
Body & underframe: Red

Thailand Body & bonnet: Pale blue White on blue
with yellow horizontal
band round body & bonnet
Wheels: pale yellow

United States Body & bonnet: White Blue on white
Underframe: Blue

These were the colours allocated by the sponsering newspaper in something like 1902, so you see sponser-ship is nothing new, several have altered since.
I thinhk that the US was either red before or after the agreement, hence the Panoz's at Le Mans in that colour.

Source:- Autosport 1955

Simon

[Sparky]

Thanks Simon - A very comprehensive and interesting reply.

[Liz]

Yes, the United States had red until they could not put anyone on the F1 grid, when Italy took it over. So if the USA gets back on the grid, I suppose they will have to have a different colour scheme. I suspect it will be Teal with accents of Mauve.

[EERO]

Thanks for the list, Simon, though I doubt the date 1902.
Finland was a Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire.
Czechoslovakia and Poland were creations of the Treaty of Versailles, following WW1 in 1919. Their lands being taken from the Austro-Hungarian and German Empires. Hungary was not an independant Nation until the same time.


With regard to the US being allocated red, I had never heard this before, but I believe that the Cunningham colors of the '50's at Le Mans were the "oficial" colors (Blue Stripe on White) later inverted by Scarab and AAR (Dan Gurney's Eagles)

Silver has become the de facto "German" color out of habit. Silver alledgedly became the official color for the 1934 season when Alfred Neubauer and Manfred von Brauchitsch, discussing ways to trim 2 final pounds from the weight of the Mercedes to reach the limit of 1675 lbs. (750 kgs), hit upon the option of removing the paint and racing the car with bare aluminum panels.

[Liz]

The USA having red as a colour was in a Speedvision program I saw, and that's the only place I heard it, so it might not be correct.

[Bononi]

They could use Pink...
or maybe Maroon...

[David]

Simon,

Great info! I'll be in touch for more details. Thanks to you and all who contributed.

Liz,

"I suspect it will be Teal with accents of Mauve."

Great writers have a clear understanding of the difference between sarcasm and a cheap shot.

Bononi,

"They could use Pink...
or maybe Maroon..."

Jealousy can be a terrible thing.

David

[Jeanburrasca81]

Really intersting info i got here, thank y'all. Italy is red do you think? In fact only Ferrari is red...in the end Ferrari is Italy...but azzurro, celestial blue is our true colour in every other sport...why not in motorsport? Does anyone know this?

[Bononi]

David,

Sorry if I upset you...

I have no problem in using those colours.

By the way, welcome to the forums.

[EERO]

Originally posted by Jeanburrasca81
Italy is red do you think? In fact only Ferrari is red...in the end Ferrari is Italy...but azzurro, celestial blue is our true colour in every other sport...why not in motorsport? Does anyone know this?

JB81, looking back at Photos of ALFA Romeo in their glory days of the 20's and 30's, the early Formula One cars of the 50's and even the F1 cars of the late 70's early 80's, I can see that they were all red, although a deeper blood red and not scarlet like the Ferraris. Maserati's GP cars of were also traditionally red-so I could ask "Why are the sports jerseys blue?" -at least red is one of the colors of the Italian Flag.