Category: throwback thursday

Olivier Gendebien and Phil Hill 1961 #10 Ferrari 250 TRI/61

One of the greatest Ferarri Le Mans cars of all time. Ferarri has the best shade of red in auto racing, and the simple smooth look, combined with the amazing look of the Ferrari 250 TRI/61 combine for a car that looks as perfect as it is possible to look. I’ll give it an A.

Jean Blaton and Leon Dernier 1959 #11 Ferrari 250 GT LWB

I’m not a fan of the Ferrari 250 GT LWB’s design. It doesn’t have the same look as some of Ferarri’s greatest cars, rather, it has more of a Plain Jane look. I get that the car was run by a Belgian team, but the use of the shade of yellow from the Belgian flag didn’t work. If they had gone with black instead of red, it would have been better. It’s not a terrible look, so I’ll give it a B+

Tony Brooks and Noël Cunningham-Reid 1957 #20 Aston Martin DBR1

Aston Martin has made some amazing looking cars, and this emerald green DBR1 is no exception. This might be my favorite shade of green I have ever seen on a race car. Add in an RAF logo for Noël Cunningham-Reid’s Father, and a large white circle with large numbers, and you have a great looking car that is worth an A.

Fernand Tavano and Jacques Péron 1957 #27 Ferrari 500 TRC

The Ferarri 500 is a beautiful automobile regardless of color schemes. The dark blue and bold red scheme works well, and the small amount of white on the stripes looks good too. I also like the number design on the white circle. To say that this is anything less than beautiful and worth an A is unfair!

Kenny Bernstein in his 1986 Batmobile Budweiser Buick

Our final Funny Car of 2017 is also one of the most important body designs, the Batmobile! Designed and first raced in 1986, the new body design was much more streamlined, and aerodynamic than any other funny car body that had been seen. Unlike the top fuel streamline designs, this one didn’t go away, and in fact, set a new precedent for funny car body design. The scheme it ran…not as good on the side of a funny car than it was on a dragster. Too many needless designs with a great color scheme. All in all, it earns a C-

Mark Oswald gets a good jump off the line in his 1985 Candies and Hughes funny car

Old Milwaukee has an amazing shade of red, and the single white stripe and lack of extra stripes or designs works very well. The gold CANDIES AND HUGHES logo works very well here. The vintage Old Milwaukee logo on the front of the car works very well too. All in all, it’s a solid A scheme.

Ed “The Ace” McCulloch smokes his 1985 Miller American Oldsmobile

Miller has a great shade of red, and it’s on display here. I also like the metallic gold stripes, and the diagonally aligned Miller logo. The star pattern on the back of the car isn’t the best, but it does look good. I don’t like the white stripe across the bottom. I’m going to give this scheme a C+ for the total package of the scheme.

Paul Smith burns out his Custom Body Enterprises funny car in 1984

I LOVE a good fade, and this isn’t a good fade…it’s a GREAT fade! The yellow-to-orange-to-red fade across the car is an amazing look. Sadly, rather than just fade to black, there has to be red, white, and blue stripes, and then black. It derails what could have been the greatest fade ever, and takes it down quite a few notches. The silver lettering works with the fade, and all things considered, I give it an A-

Al Segrini stands his wheels in his 1983 Super Brut funny car

Another example of a great shade of green paired with black. The silver and black scheme between the green and the black works well. I also like the fact that the logos are painted so that they look straight when the car does a wheel stand. The SUPER BRUT logo works very well here. I give it an A.

NHRA legend Frank Manzo is flying in his 1983 Ace Manzo funny car

Black and metallic gold=good color scheme. Red, blue, and purple=mediocre color scheme. The two together=Not a good look at all. This is an instance of two different designs on a car that clash with each other. I could handle the triple stripe if it were on a car by itself. Same with the gold and black scheme. Together, they are a disaster. The ACE MANZO logo would look good on both. Basically this is a D- scheme that could have been an A scheme.