Formula One has produced some memorable racing liveries, but the most beautiful have arguably appeared elsewhere – namely at Le Mans.
The various iterations of the Porsche 917 alone have worn more than their fare share: Gulf, Martini Racing, the Pink Pig, the Psychedelic Porsche…. And that’s before we even get to the prototypes fielded by other manufacturers.
Now, we understand that racing liveries are dictated largely by sponsors, without which the teams wouldn’t have the budgets they need to, you know, actually race. But what if they didn’t need to take such considerations into account? What if they could dip into the history books and revive some of the most beautiful and iconic liveries ever to speed around the Circuit de la Sarthe?
That’s what designer Sean Bull has imagined with this set of renderings. He’s pulled inspiration not only from the Porsche 917, but from other gorgeously colored Le Mans racers like the Bentley Speed 8, Bugatti Type 56, Jaguar XJR-9, and Mazda 787B, and applied them to the body of a modern grand prix single-seater.
If nothing else, the purely aesthetic exercise shows us what it might look like if automakers like Porsche, Jaguar, and Peugeot were to return to Formula One – and follow the lead set by Lotus and Williams in putting some of racing’s most iconic liveries back on the grid.
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