Lotus Racing - Black is back

[ArrowsFA1]

Lotus will revive its historic black and gold colours for the livery of its 2011 car.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88127

[pino]

Great news :up:

[555-04Q2]

Yes Please :up: My favourite car livery of all time! Bring it on :up:

[Ranger]

It will be black but will it be a Lotus?

[ArrowsFA1]

It will be black but will it be a Lotus?
Well my first thought was maybe they are being forced to change as Group Lotus will use green/yellow with Renault.

The JPS black & gold is an iconic livery and I loved it on cars like the Lotus 72, but JPS are not involved and quite possibly the colours will not be on a car called Lotus.

:crazy:

[Sonic]

Well my first thought was maybe they are being forced to change as Group Lotus will use green/yellow with Renault.

The JPS black & gold is an iconic livery and I loved it on cars like the Lotus 72, but JPS are not involved and quite possibly the colours will not be on a car called Lotus.

:crazy:

Fact. This whole thing is CRAZY. And it only makes F1 look bad - the average fan does not understand there is a difference between Lotus Cars and Lotus Racing - I just hope the marketing bods at Lotus Cars realize that and don't shoot themselves in the foot.

[Donney]

I loved that livery so I am happy.

[maximilian]

I like the livery too, but it may well be moot. Somehow I doubt that there would be 2 teams with the name "Lotus" in some way or form... all signs are that the current team will compete under the name 1Malaysia Racing...

[Dave B]

So the Lotus which is green and yellow will become a Lotus-Renault in black and gold, while the Renault which is yellow will become a Renault Lotus in green and yellow.

I'm confused, Blackadder. Which one of us is the porpoise?

[fandango]

I thought the old JPS Lotus livery was beautiful too, but can they not find something else? The past is gone. It's fun looking back, but you have to move on. Sticking the name Lotus on something and making black and gold isn't going to make the spirit of Colin Chapman come back and make it a race winner. Why does everything have to be a revival these days? What will they revive in the future, originality?

[RS]

The whole confusion over the Lotus name thing shows what a massive pile of bollox it was earlier in the year celebrating "Lotus' nth race" e.t.c.

Mr Fernandez, go and get your own name and create your own heritage instead of buying it!

[ArrowsFA1]

The news that Lotus Racing is will be running in black and gold next year is a clear signal to anyone who cares to take notice that Tony Fernandes is not about to back down and accept being pushed out of the way by Group Lotus...
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/the-latest-in-lotus/

[jens]

Err... so is this sure that Lotus (well, the currently existent one) will use black next year or will they use it only if Lotus Cars in some way forbids to run the team in its current form? Because I quite liked this year's livery and hoped it would be a long-term choice.

[steveaki13]

Sticking the name Lotus on something and making black and gold isn't going to make the spirit of Colin Chapman come back and make it a race winner.


And if it does? ;) :p

[Giuseppe F1]

So, comparing the recent IndyCar Lotus 'Classic' green/yellow livery of Sato and the 'homage' JPS-inspired Lotus 'Retro' black/golf livery of Rossiter's car which gives us as good an indication as to how these 2 liveries will work on a modern day single-seater race car (even if the attached images are of CrapWagons ;) ) which one seems the most 'Lotus' to you personally - we could it seems have both in 2011 of course! :

http://i54.tinypic.com/2ijgaqg.jpg

Looking forward to your views

[nigelred5]

So, comparing the recent IndyCar Lotus 'Classic' green/yellow livery of Sato and the 'homage' JPS-inspired Lotus 'Retro' black/golf livery of Rossiter's car which gives us as good an indication as to how these 2 liveries will work on a modern day single-seater race car (even if the attached images are of CrapWagons ;) ) which one seems the most 'Lotus' to you personally - we could it seems have both in 2011 of course! :

http://i54.tinypic.com/2ijgaqg.jpg

Looking forward to your views

Homage to the JPS lotus or not, that's one FUGLY race car. I would not think Lotus seeing that. More like "Jersey Shore", just needs a caddie crest.

A large part of the beauty of the several JPS Lotus' was the lotus itself. That's lipstik on a pig IMHO.

Without The half Union Jack, the JPS logos and the John Player Special down the side, it's nowhere the same affect. Too bad the Forsythe Champcars used the Player's and not the "Special" colors.

[Nikki Katz]

I'm confused. They're using old Lotus colours but are changing their name to 1Malaysia?

[VkmSpouge]

I'm confused. They're using old Lotus colours but are changing their name to 1Malaysia?

That hasn't been confirmed, indeed the fact they are looking to a JPS-esque livery could be an indication that Lotus Racing are continuing with their push to become Team Lotus next year and fight off a challenge from Group Lotus, which by the sounds of it they have every chance of winning.

[Jag_Warrior]

Well, we've had "Red Bull" and "Toro Rosso" for several years (I wonder how funny the Italian speaking fans find those two teams), so having a "Team Lotus" and a "Lotus X" won't bother me all that much. Especially since neither team has anything to do with the original Team Lotus anyway. :dozey:

And that "thing" up there, that Dallara IRL lawn dart, painted in Lotus colors and driven by the Human Wrecking Ball (Sato), was an abomination; like a drag queen dressed up as the lovely and legendary Sophia Loren. Maybe Lotus should stop branding race cars and just sell decals to whoever wants them. At least that would be a more honest way of making money.

[Cooper_S]

Apart from the fact that I am not as much a fan of the JPS colours as many on here, I confess that I am less than happy with this news because to me the BRG/Yellow are the real Lotus colours whereas the Red/White/Gold or indeed the Black/Gold liveries are just advertisers liveries. They are Gold Leaf and JPS… and without the JPS sponsorship it is meaningless (to me)

[ShiftingGears]

I don't see the point, to be honest. They could just try to make a really good livery based on their current sponsors colours. Sponsors would pay them more that way, and that would actually help make them faster. I just don't see the point in making a car black and gold if it isn't a teams traditional colours, and if JPS isn't sponsoring them.


Also, the Gold Leaf Livery was also great.

http://b.f1-facts.com/ul/a/2856

[nigelred5]

Apart from the fact that I am not as much a fan of the JPS colours as many on here, I confess that I am less than happy with this news because to me the BRG/Yellow are the real Lotus colours whereas the Red/White/Gold or indeed the Black/Gold liveries are just advertisers liveries. They are Gold Leaf and JPS… and without the JPS sponsorship it is meaningless (to me)

I can see that and I totally agree the black and gold need the JPS logos. The BRG/ Yellow Lotus colors just goes back to the traditional Bitish racing colors before anyone raced in sponsor livery. The teams have ben sporting traditional colors more in recent years. I don't guess Malaysia has national racing colors.

I'm actually working on a racing style color scheme for a little buggy I'm building. I'm going with the traditional american white with blue, but I'm torn on the actual white with blue frame and accents, or the more familiar blue with white racing stripes.

[turismo6]

Are JPS still around? Could JPS be paying for subliminal messages?
I wonder what the FIA have to say about this, after ferrari's barcode.

[Giuseppe F1]

but I'm torn on the actual white with blue frame and accents, or the more familiar blue with white racing stripes.

Nice! So.....either going the 'Cunninghman Stripes' livery route (blue stripe on white) or 'Gurney/Shelby' livery route (white stripe on blue)??? Tough one as both lovely looking liveries.

Ive ALWAYS wondered which is the OFFICIAL American Racing livery interpretation - the blue stripe on white on white stripe on blue, or if there even is an 'official'..??????

.....Trivia point: Did you know that Italys original national racing colour denomination was not initially red....but was infact..........BLACK!

Red was originally assigned to, you guessed it, American racing teams.

They didnt race for a long time and so as the story goes, their 'allowance' to use red lapsed as it were and so later Italian racing teams picked up the red banner

[Cooper_S]

The Gordon Bennett Cup racing series (1900's) I believe is where we get the historic national colour of the race cars. The Series was between national teams and to distinguish between competitors, it was suggested that the cars be painted in a standardized way to reflect the team's nation of origin. Later the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) standardized national racing colors.

As for Great Britain, the colors of its Union flag – red, white, and blue – were already taken by Italy, Germany, and France. In the planning for the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup to be held in the UK, it was decided the race would be held in Ireland as motor racing at the time was illegal in England. In a nod to the Irish, the team cars were painted shamrock green. While the exact shade of green today is loosely defined, the close association between British Racing Green and fine British motoring remains.

Germany as folklore tells ditched the White (heavy Lead based) paint to race bare metal, later with lighter paints available they kept the 'silver' look that we associate today.

And although Malaysia was not a country at the time of the GBC race series, the FIA register national colours and in the recently defunct A1GP series which ran as a Nations cup, Malaysia raced in Yellow /White (interestingly Ireland ran green and GB ran red/white/blue)

[Hawkmoon]

Whichever guise "Lotus" take next year I'd prefer they used British Racing Green. I've never understood the love for the JPS livery. I think the canary-yellow Camel livery was more striking.

[AndyL]

Whichever guise "Lotus" take next year I'd prefer they used British Racing Green. I've never understood the love for the JPS livery. I think the canary-yellow Camel livery was more striking.

I think Canary yellow would be an excellent colour for Lotus, and I'm sure the BBC's Jake Humphrey would agree with me :)

[Cooper_S]

I think Canary yellow would be an excellent colour for Lotus, and I'm sure the BBC's Jake Humphrey would agree with me :)


Given the connection between Group Lotus and Renault, for Team Lotus to go yellow would cause no end of problems.

[V12]

While I had no problem - from a traditionalist point of view - with the BRG/yellow scheme, I don't think black and gold will fit in with Lotus' history at all.

Why did Chapman paint his cars black and gold? Because the Player tobacco company were paying him a lot of money to do so - no more, no less. They'd be more in keeping with Lotus' tradition if they found a title sponsor and painted the car in their colours - whatever they may be, IMO.

Of course all of this might be moot if they don't keep the Lotus name - I REALLY hope they don't go with the 1Malaysia name, it will be like the worst aspects of the Force India and MF1 names combined.

[Sonic]

While I had no problem - from a traditionalist point of view - with the BRG/yellow scheme, I don't think black and gold will fit in with Lotus' history at all.

Why did Chapman paint his cars black and gold? Because the Player tobacco company were paying him a lot of money to do so - no more, no less. They'd be more in keeping with Lotus' tradition if they found a title sponsor and painted the car in their colours - whatever they may be, IMO.

Of course all of this might be moot if they don't keep the Lotus name -

I REALLY hope they don't go with the 1Malaysia name, it will be like the worst aspects of the Force India and MF1 names combined.

Perhaps they do have a sponsor lined up for next year that does fit the black livery?

[UltimateDanGTR]

black is back...and I welcome the idea.

I will miss the british racing green though, but we could well see that at Lotus-Renault, which would only compliment the black of Lotus-Renault.

[truefan72]

I loved that livery so I am happy.

me too. My all time favorite

[nigelred5]

Nice! So.....either going the 'Cunninghman Stripes' livery route (blue stripe on white) or 'Gurney/Shelby' livery route (white stripe on blue)??? Tough one as both lovely looking liveries.

Ive ALWAYS wondered which is the OFFICIAL American Racing livery interpretation - the blue stripe on white on white stripe on blue, or if there even is an 'official'..??????

.....Trivia point: Did you know that Italys original national racing colour denomination was not initially red....but was infact..........BLACK!

Red was originally assigned to, you guessed it, American racing teams.

They didnt race for a long time and so as the story goes, their 'allowance' to use red lapsed as it were and so later Italian racing teams picked up the red banner

American racing colors were originally a white body with a blue frame. That transitioned into the cunningham stripes. The Shelby/Gurney white on blue had to do with 60's racing politics IIRC.

[RJL25]

I think this is just a bit of a last minute "Fcuk you" to Lotus Cars before they withdraw Lotus Racing's right to the "Lotus" name.

Next year I think there will be a 1Malaysia F1 team with Renault engines which will be done up in the colours of whoever their major sponsor is, probably AirAsia, and you will see a Lotus Renault F1 team which will have factory involvement from both Renault on the engine front and Lotus Cars in a branding sense on the chassis, I'm predicting a green and yellow livery with strong Renault branding on the engine cover and Lotus branding on the rest of the chassis, unless they get a major sponsor in which case the car will be done up in that sponsors colours.

It's all so very silly however, because the current Lotus Racing, soon to be 1Malaysia, has since aquired the rights to the famous Team Lotus name, which it seems they are now forbidden from using, but equally Lotus Cars also cannot use it for their own F1 efforts, both will have Renault in their constructors names.......... oh its all very silly! Sometimes F1 tries really hard at making itself look completely rediculous

[Giuseppe F1]

had to do with 60's racing politics IIRC.

Are you able to elaborate on the politics point above? Would be very interested to hear.....thanks