Are these the coolest race car liveries of all time?

The car that looks fast… races fast

Getting the livery right is important for any racing team, so what better time to remember the greatest motorsport paint (and sticker) jobs of all time?

We have taken a global approach to tracking down the best color schemes, so expect everything from NASCAR and IndyCar, to Formula 1, touring cars, and rallying.

Keep clicking to enjoy the show, and see if you can spot your favorite livery.

Gulf Oil – McLaren Racing

The blue and orange colors of Gulf Oil perhaps make for the most instantly recognisable livery of all.

McLaren first gained Gulf Oil sponsorship in 1968, for both F1 and its Can-Am racers. This continued into the 1990s, with the McLaren F1 GTR wearing a Gulf livery for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Ahead of the 2020 British Grand Prix, McLaren again painted its Formula 1 cars with Gulf Oil branding.

Gulf Oil – Porsche

A little assistance from a certain Steve McQueen didn’t do Gulf Oil any harm, either. McQueen’s character raced for the Gulf team in the 1971 film, Le Mans.

Arguably, this helped make it the most famous racing livery of all time. Those instantly recognisable blue and orange colors helped Gulf Oil become synonymous with motorsport.

Black Lives Matter – Mercedes F1

Mercedes-Benz has raced in silver since the 1930s, but the F1 team introduced a new black livery for the 2020 season. The color was a recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement and what Mercedes called a ‘lack of diversity’ within the team.

The team’s then-star driver Sir Lewis Hamilton said the livery was “an important statement we are willing to change and improve as a business”.

Martini Racing – Lancia

Drinking and driving don’t mix, but Martini and racing certainly do. Whether you like the taste of Martini vermouth or not, there’s every chance you’ll approve of the famous Martini Racing dark blue, light blue and red stripes.

Some will choose the Martini Lancia rally cars as their favourite flavor.

555 – Subaru

Cigarettes and alcohol dominate this list of iconic race car liveries, with State Express 555 – famously known simply as 555 – appearing next on our list.

Back in 1993, the British American Tobacco brand sponsored the Subaru Rally Team, with 555 becoming synonymous with the Legacy and Impreza. Even without the sponsorship, the famous blue and yellow livery remains entrenched in WRC history.

Marlboro - McLaren

For F1 fans of a certain generation, Marlboro and McLaren go together like strawberries and cream. To be honest, McLaren just doesn’t look the same without the famous red and white livery.

The partnership lasted from 1974 to 1996, making it – at the time – the longest running F1 sponsorship in history.

Alitalia – Lancia

Dressing a Lancia Stratos in the famous Alitalia livery is like you wearing your best bib and tucker.

Quite frankly, the Stratos looks a little bereft without it.

JPS – Team Lotus

The black and gold livery of the John Player Special-sponsored Team Lotus quite simply is the 1970s.

That said, the JPS colors still graced Team Lotus cars well into the 1980s.

Canon – Williams F1

Maybe it’s the link to ‘Our Nige’, but there’s something special about the yellow, blue and white colors of the Canon-sponsored Williams F1 team of the 1980s. In its entirety, the livery just seems to work.

A ‘Red Five’ on the nose helps, of course.

Rothmans – Porsche

During the 1980s and 1990s, Rothmans tobacco was a prominent motorsport sponsor. From world rallying to Formula 1, its famous blue, white, gold and red livery was seemingly everywhere.

Is the Rothmans-Porsche livery the most iconic? We reckon so. Porsche seemed to agree, with the recent 911 Dakar available in Rothmans-inspired colors.

Brawn GP

An unlikely suggestion, perhaps, but does the Brawn GP livery warrant a mention here?

Maybe it’s just the memory of Jenson Button steering the car to the Formula 1 drivers’ title in 2009, but we can’t help but find the simplicity of the Brawn GP livery quite refreshing.

Silk Cut – Jaguar

To race fans, Silk Cut and Jaguar means the World Sportscar Championship and in particular, the Le Mans 24 Hour race.

To our eyes at least, it just edges the aforementioned Castrol-sponsored Jaguar XJR-9 in terms of effectiveness.

Alfa Romeo 155 TS – BTCC

Brilliant, just brilliant. The car is very much the star when it comes to the livery of the Alfa Romeo 155 BTCC car and it’s all the better for it.

Audi A4 Quattro – BTCC

When Audi arrived in the British Touring Car Championship for 1996, it did so with a mission to win. With Quattro all-wheel drive, the new A4 would be almost unstoppable, especially in the hands of Frank Biela. John Bintcliffe starred as a supporting act to the German superstar.

A simple silver and red livery made the A4 BTCC machine seem modern and futuristic, but with a subtle nod to classic Auto Union racers.

It all worked, with Audi Sport UK claiming the 1996 BTCC silverware with ease.

Benson and Hedges – Jordan

Benson & Hedges seemed to add something extra to the famous yellow and black colours of the Jordan F1 team.

Maybe this had something to do with the ban on cigarette advertising, when the name was substituted for the likes of ‘Bitten & Hisses’ and ‘Buzzing Hornets’ at certain races.

Gold Leaf – Team Lotus

It’s Lotus again, with the famous red, cream and gold colors of the Gold Leaf cigarette brand. Looks great on the Lotus 49 Formula 1 car, looks even better on the Lotus Elan road car.

Benetton F1

The Benetton F1 team used a number of different liveries from 1986 to 2001, so choosing the best one comes down to a matter of personal opinion.

We rather like the 1990 livery, which truly felt like the United Colors of Benetton.

Castrol – Toyota

How about the instantly recognisable red and green livery of the Castrol oil company?

These colous appeared on a seemingly endless number of Toyotas, being used for the company’s World Rally Championship contenders between 1993 and 1999. That includes this rather clean looking 1993 Celica.

The Castrol livery was also used by Toyota for its Supra in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship – a car familiar to players of the original Gran Turismo video game.

Pennzoil – Nissan

Another car likely to be familiar to Gran Turismo gamers is the Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R, also raced in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship.

Although numerous teams used the R34 GT-R, the 1999 Pennzoil-backed car is perhaps the most notable. Driven by Satoshi Motoyama and Erik Comas, the latter would claim the GT500 Driver’s Championship in the 1999 JGTC season.

Pennzoil – Team Penske

As an American oil brand, naturally the yellow Pennzoil colors have appeared on numerous race cars in the USA.

In particular, Team Penske has become associated with Pennzoil, sponsoring Rick Mears in his IndyCar – nicknamed the ‘Yellow Submarine’.

For the 2024 Indy 500, Penske’s Scott McLaughlin drove an IndyCar with a retro-inspired Pennzoil livery.

Triple Crown – Arrow McLaren

The legendary Indy 500 race attracts plenty of unique liveries, and the McLaren Racing team chose to honor its own 60th anniversary for the 2023 edition.

The choice of liveries reflected McLaren’s success in the ‘Triple Crown of Motorsports’.

This meant celebrating Alain Prost’s 1984 Monaco Grand Prix win, along with Johnny Rutherford’s 1974 Indy 500 victory and McLaren’s success at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Shell V-Power Racing – Ford

We head Down Under next, with the Shell V-Power livery that has appeared on cars used by the Dick Johnson Racing team in the Supercars Championship since 2016.

It proved to be a successful collaboration, with the Shell V-Power Racing Fords claiming title success three times between 2018 and 2020.

The previously mentioned Scott McLaughlin was the driver responsible for this trio of championship trophies.

Renown – Mazda

Renown, the now-defunct Japanese textile brand, sponsored various Mazda racers during the 1980s. However, the most famous car that its colors clothed was the 787B entered in the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Driven by Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidel and Bertrand Gachot, the Wankel-engined 787B claimed outright victory in the French endurance classic.

Mazda later used the same orange and green livery for a special celebratory Le Mans edition of the MX-5.

Visa Cash App RB

The liveries for many modern Formula 1 cars are unlikely to be described as iconic or legendary (we’re looking at you, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber).

However, the colors adorning the 2024 Visa Cash App RB were pleasingly retro, even if the team name is not. Like much else at present, there is an obvious throwback to the liveries of the 1990s.

7 Up – Jordan 191

Speaking of all things 1990s, the livery of the Jordan-Ford 191 Formula 1 car was the product of good fortune, and the charm of team owner Eddie Jordan.

When talks with Camel tobacco failed, Jordan managed to secure sponsorship from the 7 Up drinks company. This green scheme fitted neatly with the corporate colors of Fujifilm, and also paid tribute to Jordan’s Irish heritage.

Ford Mondeo – BTCC

We could have chosen any number of British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) liveries for this gallery, but we have restricted ourselves to just three. All come from the glory days of the 1990s, when the BTCC became one of the biggest race series in the world.

We start with this one: the blue and white Ford Mondeo. Things weren’t quite the same when the blue and yellow Rapid Fit livery arrived later.

BMW M

BMW has made use of its blue, purple and red M colors in racing since the 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ of 1973.

From touring cars in the 1980s and 1990s, to sports cars in the 2000s, the M stripes have been in almost continuous use.

This extends to BMW’s latest top racing car, the M Hybrid V8 prototype, which is competing in the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Porsche 917 LH Hippie

Technically, this should be classed as another Martini livery. The psychedelic 1970 Porsche 917 LH was actually a car entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the Martini Racing team.

However, with factory backing from Porsche, the car gained the hippie-inspired green and purple swirls, instead of regular Martini colors.

It seemed to work, with Willi Kauhsen and Gérard Larrousse claiming second place overall.

Porsche 917-20 ‘Pink Pig’

The following year, another distinctive Porsche 917 was on the grid for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Count Rossi of the Martini Racing team was apparently unimpressed with the appearance of the 917/20, and refused to let it be clad in the usual Martini colors.

Porsche had to create a new design at short notice, using the 917/20’s swine-like features as inspiration. Lines used by butchers, and names for cuts of meat, were added for good measure.

Sadly, the ‘Pink Pig’ would retire from the race, but it created a legendary livery in the process.

2024 McLaren MCL38 – Senna Sempre

As one of the greatest drivers to race in Formula 1, Ayrton Senna is still a totemic figure in the sport. With 2024 marking the 30th anniversary of his tragic death, McLaren opted to celebrate the legendary driver at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.

Finished in the green, yellow and blue colors used on Senna’s race helmet, the McLaren MCL38 Formula 1 cars certainly stood out on the streets of Monte Carlo.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed second place, gaining the Senna livery plenty of on-screen exposure.

Falken Motorsport

Japanese tyre company Falken has established a lengthy association with motorsport. Its distinctive blue and green colors have appeared on everything from drift cars to Pikes Peak International Hill Climb contenders.

However, the company’s involvement with the Nürburgring 24 Hours race is perhaps the most significant.

The distinctive livery has been applied to a number of Porsche 911 GT3 models in the legendary endurance race. They have also adorned BMWs, Nissans, and even a Ford Escort RS Cosworth.

Jagermeister – BMW 320 Turbo Group 5

During the 1970s, Group 5 ‘Special Production Car’ category produced some of the wildest thrills on four wheels. Take this BMW 320 as an example. It features a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine producing 450hp, which was linked to the one used in BMW’s Formula 1 project.

Brands were desperate to be seen on these exciting Group 5 cars, resulting in the partnership between BMW and Jägermeister. The famous livery appeared on numerous racing Porsches, too.

Remember not to drink and drive though, eh?

BASF – BMW M1 Procar

Making a chemical company seem cool is not an easy task. Well, unless you decide to plaster your name across something like a BMW M1 Procar.

Supporting the 1979 and 1980 Formula 1 World Championships, the Procar series saw appearances from the world’s top racing drivers. Having everyone in equal cars made for incredibly close action.

With such a strong on-track product, BASF created this special livery, which acted as a homage to the company’s cassette tapes.

UFO Jeans – 2024 BMW M4 GT3 Le Mans

During the 1970s, the BMW Luigi Team competed in sports car racing with this wild red and white UFO Jeans livery. The team’s BMW 3.0 CSL also made an appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977, where it won the IMSA GT class.

For BMW’s assault on the 2024 edition of the Le Mans endurance race, the factory-backed WRT outfit used a modern take on the UFO Jeans livery.

The #31 BMW M4 GT3 came home second in its class – showing off its special color scheme along the way.

Shelby American – Ford Shelby GT350 R

Although Carroll Shelby’s eponymous company made use of various racing liveries, there will always be one color combination that stands out the most – that used on the Shelby Mustang.

Wimbledon White bodywork with Guardsman Blue stripes was the color scheme on Shelby’s GT350R race cars in 1965, which took victory on their very first outing.

To celebrate the 55th anniversary of the GT350R, Ford launched a Heritage Edition version of the then-new 2020 Mustang, complete with white paintwork and blue stripes.

Duckhams – 2024 BTCC Cupra Leon

The Duckhams Oil company can trace its roots all the way back to 1899, meaning 2024 represented the company’s 125th anniversary.

Appearing on numerous single-seat racers during the 1980s and 1990s, the famous blue and yellow colors have appeared more recently on sports and touring cars.

Duckhams also gave Daryl DeLeon’s Cupra Leon a special commemorative livery for the 2024 British Touring Car Championship.

GruppeM – 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo

Hong Kong-based sports car team GruppeM has developed a reputation for using eye-catching liveries on its Mercedes-AMG racers.

For the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hours events, GruppeM worked with the Mercedes factory to develop this dramatic ‘Interference’ livery. Inspiration came from TV test card images – a reference possibly lost on younger fans.

Although the GruppeM car failed to finish, it proves that impressive liveries are still making cars stand out.

2025 Ferrari 499P Hypercar

You could be forgiven for thinking Ferrari’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) cars are simply painted red, but there is a little more to it than that.

For the 2025 WEC season, Ferrari has treated the 499P Hypercar to a livery that pays homage to the Scuderia’s previous racing prototypes. The traditional Rosso red is combined with Giallo Modena yellow highlights: a nod to the 1973 Ferrari 312 PB.

Although most of the red bodywork has a gloss finish, matte elements are inspired by the latest Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 car.

Aston Martin Racing Green

As with Ferrari, don’t go mistaking Aston Martin’s Racing Green for just another color. The marque’s association with the hue goes all the way back to 1949, when its works Aston Martin racers were painted in Almond Green.

Today, the company offers nine different shades of green, but the distinctive Racing Green has played a pivotal role in its recent motorsport rejuvenation.

Used by the Aston Martin F1 Team, the instant brand recognition of the Racing Green paint led to 12 percent of new Aston models sold in 2023 being finished in the same hue.

BMW – North America 50th Anniversary

For the 12 Hours of Sebring race this year, BMW went all-out with a special celebratory livery for the M Hybrid V8 prototypes campaigned by BMW M Team RLL.

The new color scheme was in honor of BMW of North America’s founding on 15 March 1975, marking 50 years of the German marque in the United States.

Indeed, just a week after the company was founded, a BMW 3.0 CSL took outright victory in the 1975 12 Hours of Sebring.

Celebrating BMW motorsport milestones

Naturally, the BMW M Hybrid V8’s special livery for Sebring included the trademark M colors of blue, red, and purple, with a modern take on the body stripes seen on the classic 3.0 CSL.

Written across the bodywork of the prototype racer were details of BMW’s motorsport achievements in North America.

Sadly, this special livery did not allow BMW to emulate the success it achieved in 1975.

STP – Richard Petty

The association between “the King” and STP began in 1972, and lasted for an incredible 28 years.

Richard Petty negotiated hard with the oil and lubricants company to ensure his famed “Petty Blue’ wasn’t completely replaced with STP colors.

The resulting blue and red livery was used by Petty to claim four of his seven NASCAR championships.

GM Goodwrench Service – Dale Earnhardt

Like Richard Petty, the late Dale Earnhardt won seven top-tier NASCAR championships, and remains one of the greatest drivers to race in the series.

Although Earnhardt raced with Wrangler Jeans sponsorship during the early 1980s, the 1988 season saw him gain the GM Goodwrench livery.

This color scheme, combined with his fearless driving style, helped to create his “Man in Black” nickname.

Budweiser – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his move into the NASCAR Cup Series, his no. 8 car wore dramatic red and black colors, thanks to sponsorship from Anheuser-Busch.

The Budweiser livery was connected with Earnhardt Jr. until the end of his time with the DEI team in 2007. However, Dale Jr. announced that his partnership with Budweiser would return in 2025 for selected Late Model Stock Car races.

The 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR pictured was sold by RM Sotheby’s in 2024, achieving a price of $50,400.

DuPont Rainbow Warrior – Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon was a dominant force in NASCAR throughout the 1990s, achieving success while driving a car with the DuPont “Rainbow Warrior” livery.

Designed to highlight the range of paint colors DuPont could offer, the initial design for the Rainbow Warrior saw the center of the car finished in black. It would later be changed to blue, requiring a special paint color created just for Gordon.

Gordon used a modified DuPont livery featuring flames from 2001 onwards, but the original Rainbow design remains the most iconic.

Purolator – Wood Brothers Racing

The late David Pearson is regarded as one of the few NASCAR drivers who could go head-to-head with Richard Petty. This included Pearon’s dramatic win at the 1976 Daytona 500, which saw both him and Petty spinning across the grass.

Throughout the 1970s, Pearson frequently drove for Wood Brothers Racing, behind the wheel of a Mercury.

This car featured the Purolator livery, shown here on Pearson’s Mercury Montego at the 1973 Winston Western 500.

Target – Chip Ganassi Racing

The Chip Ganassi Racing team ran with Target sponsorship for 27 years, covering the CART and IndyCar single-seater championships.

During the 1990s, this included four CART FedEx Championship Series titles, with Jimmy Vasser, Alex Zanardi, and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Pictured here is Montoya during his championship-winning 1999 season, when the Colombian driver took seven race victories in Target colors.

Honda Racing Corporation – Chip Ganassi Racing

One of the newest entries here, the red, white, and blue Honda Racing Corporation livery made its debut at the 2025 Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.

The color scheme was a tribute to the livery used by Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda when he tested an IndyCar in 2024.

Applied to the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of Alex Palou, the all-conquering Spaniard took pole position and the race win.

Coca-Cola – Bob Akin Motor Racing

During the 1980s, Bob Akin Motor Racing fielded a number of Porsche sports car racers in the distinctive Coca-Cola livery.

This began with the Porsche 935, which helped the team achieve a GTP class win at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1983.

Bob Akin Motor Racing later switched to the Porsche 962, which retained the Coca-Cola color scheme. A highlight included winning the 1986 12 Hours of Sebring, with Bob Akin himself driving alongside Jo Gartner and Hans-Joachim Stuck.

Coca-Cola – Porsche 911 RSR

For the 2019 Petit Le Mans race, which concluded that year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Porsche brought back the iconic Coca-Cola livery.

It marked the final outing for the Porsche 911 RSR race cars before they were replaced by a newly developed RSR-19.

Given Petit Le Mans takes place at Road Atlanta, close to the home of Coca-Cola, the retro color scheme had an even greater significance.