Most factory racing teams have their own unique and emblematic livery, whether it be Ferrari’s iconic red, or Ford’s white with blue stripes. There have been even more non-factory sponsors who have adorned racers with their own special color and texture looks. From John Player Special to Tide, they have created their own memorable and sometimes historic looks. What we want to know today is which one you think was the most awesome. Explanatory pictures in support of your nominee would be most welcome.
Image: RacingJunk
Hooniverse Asks: What's History's Greatest Non-Factory Racing Team Sponsor?
By Robert Emslie
Apr 6, 2016
Kamil Kaluski 
Jeff Glucker
As mentioned in the article, John Player Special has to be up there. Doesn’t this look great?
Leading to
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=159391&stc=1&d=1294975824
http://www.lotusespritturbo.com/Colin_Chapman_Lotus_Esprit_S2.jpg
You ‘furrin’ car lovin’ guys can have your Gulf livery, and JPS black and gold – I’ll take the King and STP
http://api.ning.com/files/LlGDdB4NNbI9Vcg0Y4xD*zuHe7fAS3k2NrTsHEXr4zWZx1iwQ7KR0ldl9879EoGIiWM8R5l7i5p0NjapNPNE9O-3K2CJPJqUKjOHDxL8s38_/PSM1254copy.jpg
Stylish Indy attire, to boot.
http://images45.fotki.com/v1074/photos/1/1011428/5730661/BobbyUnser-vi.jpg
Agree 100%. Even as kids too young to have any idea what STP did, or even what it was, we wanted — nay, needed — STP stickers on our skateboards and Schwinns.
Because racecar.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3598/3367281968_a1d73e30cb_m.jpg
Sticky Toilet Paper?
Stone Temple Pilots. Duh!
Gulf Oil.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/IMG_0052.jpg
I totally agree, but I think the 917 wears it better. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1754675748709cf557aaae51ee088e45fd47d56ee7adee306328515df2f382d0.jpg
Many think that the 917 looks great in Martini colours too but which ones?
http://www.slotcar-today.com/en/img2/2013/11/917-k-brm-colors-8681.jpg
Or maybe .
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/db/b4/70/dbb470c6d0626e73ebe2285f12547f6d.jpg
to me, the martini colors have to include white. but the 917 tends to look good, on any livery
I’m sorry, Gulf may have put its livery on some really spectacular machines, but that color scheme is just plain hideous.
I both agree and disagree with you. Gulf livery is spectacular, but it is only because it is so iconic. If it weren’t “Gulf livery”, light blue and orange would be horrible.
I actually like the color scheme, but only when the light blue is pale enough
“Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Can I put my feet out the window? Man, you really like Tide…”
http://www.jacksracephotos.net/09-07-2012-00003.jpg
RIP Mitch
+1 internets for the Mitch Hedburg reference.
Is this an SVRA car? Looks a little clean to me.
Aside from gulf (I really love those colors), Alitalia and Martini Lancias should be high on the list…
http://www.gensitalica.net/immagini/alitalia/alitaliastratps.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Delta_gruppo_A.jpg
An airline sponsoring a rally car in its most crazy era really belongs onto this list!
One of my favorites, courtesy of AFX G Plus.
This, but only so I can share a story…
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk223/neonrevolations/NASCAR/nascarcup-2005-cha-bh-0121.jpg
Years ago, I was working at the Ford wind tunnels and we ran some tests for a couple NASCAR teams including Penske. We got on the subject of sponsor product and the Penske engineers relayed the following story. So, it’s common for sponsors of the cars to deliver sponsor product to the shops during the week and the tracks during race day. When Mark Martin began running the Viagra livery one of the crew members from Penske would go over to their pit and ask if they had any sponsor product. The first couple times the Roush guys said no and sent him on the way. He should have stopped there because he went back the next week and asked, but this time it was during a meeting where many of the crews everybody was pretty much gathered together. The Roush guys said no, then asked loud enough so everyone could hear, “Why do you keep asking? Do you need it that bad?”
Even as a kid, I never liked the way these Cup cars turned into basically Super Late Models, with a shovel nose on the pavement and the back jacked up in the air.
Marlboro livery works well even in jurisdictions where tobacco company sponsorship was forbidden.
http://media.crash.net/original/16602.jpg
So good, Penske would continue using it after Marlboro was gone.
Long may it live.
Do any of your favorite sponsors print meatballs on their cars? No? Didn’t think so!
Mmmmmm…Kölsch
Appropriately place, too; on the haunches.
If I could find the photo (remember the driver/sponsor), there was a Holden Torana racing in the 1970s with a large picture of a leg of ham on the side
Some Tuesday answers:
http://www.daidegasforum.com/images/698/Franco-Uncini-Assen-gp500-suzuki-hb.jpg
http://www.daidegasforum.com/images/1088/1993-honda-nsr250_rothmans-gp250.jpg
http://blog.motorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/071614-marquez-repsol-honda-motogp-f.jpg
Sentimental favorite here: mysterious Canadian “businessman” Walter Wolf dressed Jody Scheckter’s car in this awesome livery. Scheckter came second to Niki Lauda in the 1977 F1 championship, after winning the first race of the season in the car’s debut. Not bad for a guy who holds four passports and is possibly wanted in all four of those countries. Wolf’s livery was applied to the most insane motorcycle I ever owned, the Suzuki RG500.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ea/0a/80/ea0a80e413c0540d21965eadda9a308f.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/8032729390_640b9baa9d_b.jpg
Gotta love the Martini Racing colours.
http://www.influx.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/2011/12/martini-racing-lancia-delta-hf-integrale.jpeg
It’s pretty simple really. I wanna go fast!
Scratching my head on this one. Kurt Busch in a Hendrick Racing car? Also, putting ME after the cougar would have made more sense. Apparently Kurt was trolling for older women.
I like the subtlety of the Maserati 420 M/58 “Eldorado”
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Collection_Panini_Maserati_0098.JPG
Since Martini and Gulf are taken.
This is my fave-
My dad worked at the Kodak plant in Tennessee and I grew up about 5 miles from Bristol International Speedway. Morgan McClure was based up the road in Virginia. We were all fans of the team.
MM Racing is gone, one of the owners may still be in jail, Kodak spun off the plant as Eastman Chemical and Kodak was in Chapter 11.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NlMEmNKE8ms/maxresdefault.jpg
Pennzoil Indy Yellow Submarine.
Arie’s Dominoes livery was pretty sweet.
Sunoco Liveries:
http://www.speednik.com/files/2013/04/camaro21.jpg
Sunoco Camaro
http://www.sportscardigest.com/wp-content/uploads/3-16-Mark-Donohue-Sunoco-McLaren-1972-Indianapolis-500-winner.jpg
Sunoco Indy
The revival did not fare as well:
https://hanchagroup.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/978034_10151415333589117_1081074414_o.jpg
Agreed.
Such fast, so awesomes, wow.
http://static.nascar.com/content/dam/nascar/articles/Blogs/main/05/Dogecoin-main.jpg
Weirdest, dumbest, best idea for a Cup car sponsor ever. But money is money.
Well, livery aside, Red bull has contributed a lot to motorsport.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IN9RWIP1VnE/VpilCZrkjbI/AAAAAAAAHbM/ZzBnfuNTKVw/s1600/red-bull-racing-rb7-ski-slope-2.jpg
Define “factory”
https://s.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/adam/4288c94b9e6895dee78d9e2db7181dd5/snake-mongoose-funny-cars-bj.jpg
That reminds me – I’m planning to watch the movie this weekend. Anyone else seen it? Maybe I’ll do a review.
Bob Tullius’ Group 44 was iconic enough for me. Bonus: They’re all Jags!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7l3Kugot8aM/TlJ4nYPaS_I/AAAAAAAACqE/5Xv3pGIz-ps/s1600/Tullius%252C+Dennis+Tanney+Hi%253ALg.jpg
Also works on their TR6 that was really a TR250 in drag:
http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs159/1102686630936/img/315.jpg
Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik in partnership with Bayrische Motorenwerke. I think there was something similar for Target?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/BMW_M1_BASF_-_AVD_Oldtimer_Grand_Prix_2014.JPG/800px-BMW_M1_BASF_-_AVD_Oldtimer_Grand_Prix_2014.JPG
John Force and Castrol
17 championships
No one else even gets close.
One of my favorites is the undergarment Underalls which became a sponsor in NASCAR in 1987 on the Piedmont 44 car driven by (I think) Terry Labonte (Sterlin Marlin?). Later cars featured the two butt cheeks on the vertical rear end of the car and was pretty striking at the time. I cannot for the life of me find a photo of this. Mainly, it turns up photos of the character Lacy Underall from Caddie Shack, which is not all that bad.
This is TeamTWR not Volvo in the BTCC in the eighties, not a great scheme, but… racing Volvo WAGON.