Race / rally colours for cars in 1969 onwards - Red & White?

Hello,

This is a long shot but after spending some time looking at my car I've noticed my rear deck lid, front and rear bumpers are red underneath the light ivory, I also have the factory light ivory underneath the
Red?

Why would someone spray just the bumpers and rear deck lid red?

My car was from SA and was told it may have some kind of Motorsport history as it was not registered in the uk and spent all it's life in South Africa, the car was supplied by Rob Walker uk, would this point to a privateer car and painted In some kind of red and white colour scheme?

Does anyone know of any cars in the late 60's / early 70's that had a white body with red bumpers and
Red Rear deck lid.... Any race/ rally teams?

Maybe I'm Mad...who knows...

Lee

Post the VIN and let's see what the board can surmise...

119100008.

Cheers lee

Well, that would be one of the very first production T's of 69. The factory car which won the Nurburgring 24 in late 68 was 119300009. If it was a rallye car, that SN would make sense.

Thank you.... How do I explore further with trying to find out if this is correct.
I have no clue how to research, is there a specific person on the registry who can help....

Cheers lee

This information was in Road & Track in March, 1960, but might be of interest here.

THE COLOR IN RACING


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 "sil-
ver" cars from Mercedes-Benz.
These are not arbitrary colors picked by each construc-
tor 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 num-
bers, but further separation (prompted no doubt by na-
tionalistic 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 sil-
ver-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 manufactur-
er'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 oc-
casionally seen with minor variations. Mercedes, for ex-
ample, 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 be-
neath the body, many countries have a combination of
colors: one for the body, one for the, chassis and some-
times 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 Interna-
tional 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 common-
wealth 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 as-
signed 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...........NUMBERS
Argentina..........Body: blue..................red on white
......................Hood: yellow
......................Chassis: black

Belgium............Body: yellow................black

Brazil...............Body: pale yellow...........black
.....................Chassis and wheels:green

Bulgaria...........Body: green...................red
.....................Hood: white

Canada...........Body: green...................white
.....................Stripes: white

Chile...............Body: red......................half blue-
......................Hood: blue....................half red or
......................Underframe: white.........all red on white

Cuba...............Body: yellow.................white on black
......................Hood: black

Czecho-...........Body: white..................blue
slovakia............Hood: blue and white
......................Underframe: red

Egypt..............Pale violet.....................red on white

Finland.............Black......................... ..blue on white

France.............Blue........................... .white

Germany...........White..........................r ed

Great...............Green......................... .white
Britain

Holland.............Orange........................ white

Hungary...........Body, front: white..........black
......................Body, rear: green
......................Hood: red

Irish Free.........Green with horizontal.......white
State..............band of orange around body

Italy................Red.......................... ....white

Luxembourg.......Pearlgray......................wh ite on red

Mexico..............Gold.......................... ...white on black

Monaco............White with red hori-.........black on white
......................zontal band around
......................body

Poland..............Body and hood: white.......red
......................Underframe: red

Portugal...........Body and hood: red...........white
......................Underframe: white

Scotland...........Green.......................... ...white

South...............Body: Gold......................black on white
Africa...............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: red

Thailand...........Body and hood:..................white on blue
......................pale blue with yellow
......................horizontal band around
......................body and hood
......................Wheels: pale yellow

United..............Body and hood: white..........blue on white
States..............Underframe: blue

Venezuela..........Body: white
.......................Stripe:green

thanks for the info.....cheers Lee

You may have just won the lottery. Make sure that you document all of this with really quality color pictures. If it is a rally car you're going to need proof. You have gone from restoration to archeology at this point.

Richard Newton

thanks Richard,

I have a guy trying to get details on the car, I currently have one south african registration dating back to 2000 but can assure you
there are more, If I can trace the old registrations it will open the doors to history, according to this guy SA hold archives for the car
but I need to wait until they are pulled from the file..... how longs a piece of string?

I need a lucky break.... Lee