Racing stripe

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For the movie, see Racing Stripes.
Cunningham C-4R - a later example of the first race car brand to use the Cunningham racing stripes, which also became a popular decoration for "sporty" production vehicles
Cunningham C-4R - a later example of the first race car brand to use the Cunningham racing stripes, which also became a popular decoration for "sporty" production vehicles

The original racing stripes were stripes applied to the Cunningham team of racing cars [1] to identify them in the field during races. Another purpose is to make it easier for a driver to align a spun out car with the circuit. [1] Today they often are a simple way of decorating cars to make them appear to be modified for extra speed.

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[edit] Cunningham racing stripes

The first racing stripes were applied to high-performance prototype automobiles built as racecars by Briggs Cunningham and placed into competition as his motorsport team, beginning in 1951.[citation needed] Cunningham racecars usually carried two parallel blue stripes running from front to rear in the center of the white body so that spectators could identify the team's automobiles readily during races. The stripes often were called "Le Mans stripes" because of the repeated efforts of Cunningham to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, where the French had a great affection for him. His tradition was soon adopted by other racing teams in many venues. Thereafter, the use of racing stripes soon became common in the 1960s and early 70s for both race and road cars.

Many automobile manufacturers soon decided that imitation of the Cunningham tradition could be profitable, and some "sportier" models of a manufacturer's range often featured stripes out of the factory (hence the derisive use of the term, go-faster). The Cunningham tradition was followed by Carroll Shelby on his Cobra and some prototypes built as "Shelby" that sometimes were driven on the street in New Jersey.

Saab 96 in the classic blue on white colours and format used by Cunningham
Saab 96 in the classic blue on white colours and format used by Cunningham

The imitative trend continues—although striping has tended to become more subtle. In North America, owners of performance sport compact cars or Ricers as they are called, use a thinner version of the classic striping, similar to that of the Renault Clio Gordini.

Recently the striping was used on the Dodge Viper by Carroll Shelby, starting a revival in Europe,[2] so among many who have no knowledge of the history, they sometimes are referred to as Viper Stripes.[2]

Purists call them Cunningham racing stripes, although the more generic American racing stripes also is used in Europe, because Cunningham epitomised the American motorsportsman and racing car constructor. For three decades, Briggs Cunningham and his team were well known and extremely popular among spectators and racing professionals at European racing events.

[edit] Tradition established

The Cunningham tradition was quickly adopted on other racing cars of the 1950s and 1960s, which also began to have racing stripes applied to their paintwork. It had the effect of giving the cars a distinctive appearance on the track and made them easier to identify for spectators and commentators. Some say that this also helped the driver identify the direction of the car in the event of a spin out on the track.

In some cases, the stripes were applied asymmetrically and were used to identify on which side of the race car the driver was situated. Applying similar stripes to street cars is thought to give them the appearance of these racing cars, and by association, that the cars themselves had been modified for extra speed, whether or not they really had been. It can be seen as a mild form of car customisation.

At times the tradition fades and is revived again.

[edit] Go-faster stripes

The humorous term go-faster stripes is thought to have been popularised, and most probably invented, in the Daily Mirror comic strip, The Perishers. Go-faster stripes are popular with boy racers. A running gag in the strip had one character selling his slow-witted friend a series of home-made buggies with "go-faster stripes" as a feature.

A typical form of the 'classic' go-faster stripes is a pair of parallel stripes in a contrasting colour to the main bodywork which is fixed to the hood, roof, and trunk in a continuous run (with breaks for the windscreen and rear window). Other arrangements such as side stripes and stripes which form a loop across the hood, or trunk, and along the sides are seen frequently. The illusion of a racing car is continued by the application in some cases of competition number panels on the doors, hood, etc.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Le Mans Stripes
  2. ^ a b Fast Car magazine, June 1998
See also: List of international auto racing colors

[edit] External links

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