Racing stripe

Racing stripes redirects here. For the film of the same name, see Racing Stripes.
Cunningham C-4R with racing stripes

Racing stripes, also called Le Mans stripes, were applied to racecars to help identify them in the field during races, and to help a driver realign a spun-out car with the track.[1]

Racing cars

Racing stripes were applied to the Cunningham team's racecars[2][3] beginning in 1951. Usually two parallel blue stripes running from front to rear in the centre of the white body, they helped spectators identify the cars during races. These evolved from the traditional FIA registered US Racing colours of a white body and blue chassis which dated from when racing cars had the chassis exposed. The two blue stripes were a symbolic echo of the chassis colours.

Saab 96 with "go faster stripes"

Road cars and "go-faster stripes"

From the 1960s, stripes have sometimes been applied to road cars as well as racing cars. Such cars as the Renault 8 Gordini had stripes fitted as standard or they were applied as a mild form of customizing. Arrangements include one or more stripes on the hood/bonnet, roof, and trunk; stripes on the sides; and stripes that cross the hood or trunk and continue along the sides. Sometimes referred to as "go-faster stripes" on road cars, the term "go-faster stripes" was coined by comic strip, The Perishers in the British newspaper The Daily Mirror, on the premise that striping was popular with boy racers. In a running gag, one character sold his slow-witted friend a series of home-made buggies that always had such stripes. In 1996 a pair of 8-inch wide stripes was used on the Dodge Viper GTS, starting a revival of the fashion.[4] They are sometimes referred to as "Viper Stripes".[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Le Mans Stripes.
  2. ↑ The Le Mans Era: 1950 – 1955
  3. ↑ Briggs Cunningham.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fast Car magazine, June 1998

External links