AM to race in Gulf colours

[mgmark]

The GT40 raced in both variants of the Gulf colours - the pale and the dark blue - in the 1960s, and looks gorgeous in either.  And the 917 did/does look nice in the Gulf colours too....

MG Mark

[Christopher]

I beleive the darker blue is the original Gulf blue. The pale blue has something to do with the marketing boys or something along those lines. (seem to recall reading it somewhere).

[Nordic]

the Gulf MacLaren colours of ten year ago, and a lot better, but this looks so bleached

Never thought this shade looked right on either the F1 or the Kremer Porsche. The F1 in 98 had a lighter version with more black and looked better.

I think the Aston does look pale compared to the Iconic GT40 and 917 versions but its not to bad. (looked better in Aston BRG though)

http://rupert8766.fotopic.net/p35991797.html

http://rupert8766.fotopic.net/p2810157.html

[mgmark]

I beleive the darker blue is the original Gulf blue. The pale blue has something to do with the marketing boys or something along those lines. (seem to recall reading it somewhere).

I think you are right there - http://www.racingicons.com/gt/1049.htm - as 1049 was a '67 car it seems to indicate that the darker blue was used before the powder blue, as the John Wyer Gulf cars appeared in the latter from '68 - http://www.racingicons.com/gt/1076.htm - when JW Automotive was set up, as distinct from John Wyer operating under Ford.  No clue as to the origin or the reason for the powder blue.

MG Mark

[Christopher]

I beleive the darker blue is the original Gulf blue. The pale blue has something to do with the marketing boys or something along those lines. (seem to recall reading it somewhere).

I think you are right there - http://www.racingicons.com/gt/1049.htm - as 1049 was a '67 car it seems to indicate that the darker blue was used before the powder blue, as the John Wyer Gulf cars appeared in the latter from '68 - http://www.racingicons.com/gt/1076.htm - when JW Automotive was set up, as distinct from John Wyer operating under Ford.  No clue as to the origin or the reason for the powder blue.

MG Mark

JW used to 'work' for Gulf Oils (no?) at the same time as 'consulting' on the early GT40 program.

[Christopher]

It is possible that AM have chosen their own shade of blue and orange to suit their own marketing needs, but the association is still clearly Gulf colours.

The 917s used a Porsche selected shade of blue and orange which was different to what JW had used previously on the Fords.

The AM colours will just go down as another iteration of a theme.

[mgmark]

I beleive the darker blue is the original Gulf blue. The pale blue has something to do with the marketing boys or something along those lines. (seem to recall reading it somewhere).

I think you are right there - http://www.racingicons.com/gt/1049.htm - as 1049 was a '67 car it seems to indicate that the darker blue was used before the powder blue, as the John Wyer Gulf cars appeared in the latter from '68 - http://www.racingicons.com/gt/1076.htm - when JW Automotive was set up, as distinct from John Wyer operating under Ford.  No clue as to the origin or the reason for the powder blue.

MG Mark

JW used to 'work' for Gulf Oils (no?) at the same time as 'consulting' on the early GT40 program.

It think that John wyer worked for Ford as a director/VP of something, and was involved with the GT40 programme and Advanced Vehicles, until he split away when Ford finished the Le Mans programme, by buying the Advanced Vehicles set up in Slough to create JW Automotive with (I think, John Willment) around 1967/68.  The then VP of Gulf Oil was (again I think) one of the main instigators of the Gulf and JW connection in 1967 which resulted in the JW team running in Gulf colours with the GT40 and Porche 917

MG Mark

[Lorry]

Don't forget that Wyer was Team Manager of Aston Martin (I wonder what happened to them) in the 1950s, and joined Ford for the GT40 project, leaving when they moved to the US to ensure "an American win", as the GT40, even the MkII was seen as British.

In 1967 he ran the GT40 based Mirage, with 5.7 litre engine, and slippery, carbon reinforced body.  I'm sure it was the light blue.  With the 3 litre prototype limit in 1968, he went back to GT40s, which were light blue, and played with a 3 litre BRM engined special, also called a Mirage, until Porsche came along.

I'm sure these were all the same colour, and darker the the latest AMR powder blue, but I have a faint recollection that they did start with the normal darker blue but quickly gave up because the didn't like it. 

[WhiteBaron]

My mate "Iain the Mullet" bought a gulf T-shirt last year at the race.

That was light blue

pre-emptive strike job done!!!!

[Christopher]

I beleive the darker blue is the original Gulf blue. The pale blue has something to do with the marketing boys or something along those lines. (seem to recall reading it somewhere).

I think you are right there - http://www.racingicons.com/gt/1049.htm - as 1049 was a '67 car it seems to indicate that the darker blue was used before the powder blue, as the John Wyer Gulf cars appeared in the latter from '68 - http://www.racingicons.com/gt/1076.htm - when JW Automotive was set up, as distinct from John Wyer operating under Ford.  No clue as to the origin or the reason for the powder blue.

MG Mark

JW used to 'work' for Gulf Oils (no?) at the same time as 'consulting' on the early GT40 program.

It think that John wyer worked for Ford as a director/VP of something, and was involved with the GT40 programme and Advanced Vehicles, until he split away when Ford finished the Le Mans programme, by buying the Advanced Vehicles set up in Slough to create JW Automotive with (I think, John Willment) around 1967/68.  The then VP of Gulf Oil was (again I think) one of the main instigators of the Gulf and JW connection in 1967 which resulted in the JW team running in Gulf colours with the GT40 and Porche 917

MG Mark

Correct. After AM he joined Ford (FAV) and when they finished with the GT program he was granted the licence to make them and continue racing them under the JWA banner. JW standing for John Willment.

But I am sure at the time of joining Ford he was an exec at Gulf, and got one of the other execs excited about racing, and hence got Gulf to sponsor.

[mgmark]

your sureness is spot on - appears he was the executive vice-president at Gulf before Ford invited him to join the GT40 project.
http://www.gulfoilltd.com/gulf_racing_enthusiasts/milestones_in_gulf_motor_sport_history/the_birth_of_the_gt_40/index.html

And the subsequent wind up of the the Ford operation and the setting up of JW Automotive.
http://www.gulfoilltd.com/gulf_racing_enthusiasts/milestones_in_gulf_motor_sport_history/1966_gulf_and_ford/index.html

MG Mark

[Christopher]

your sureness is spot on - appears he was the executive vice-president at Gulf before Ford invited him to join the GT40 project.
http://www.gulfoilltd.com/gulf_racing_enthusiasts/milestones_in_gulf_motor_sport_history/the_birth_of_the_gt_40/index.html

And the subsequent wind up of the the Ford operation and the setting up of JW Automotive.
http://www.gulfoilltd.com/gulf_racing_enthusiasts/milestones_in_gulf_motor_sport_history/1966_gulf_and_ford/index.html

MG Mark

That is great news.......my memory is not as bad as I though!

I read words along those lines many years ago, and also an explanation about the colour shades used.....but cannot remember that bit.

[mgmark]

Finally found the bit about the colours used - page 10 of this issue of Gulf's in-house magazine, which is an interesting read in itself:

http://www.gulfoilltd.com/cms_media/files/od6_compl.pdf

In brief: Gulf painted their original horse-drawn delivery tank wagons in a distinctive colour - orange - because fuel merchants often recognised brand by the tank colour.  Blue lettering was added in due course, and the orange disc with blue lettering first came out on a product called Gulfwax in 1920.  The company played with the logo in the 1950s and 1960s, and orange was allied to dark blue as the Gulf colour scheme.  However, when it decided to go racing, it wanted to create a scheme that would be memorable, distinctive, imaginative, cool etc - that led them to the orange and powder blue in the 1960s.  And a good job that they did too, or we wouldn't have had those evocative GT40s and 917s....

Anorak fact.  If the founders had formed the company a few weeks earlier in 1901, it would have become Texaco, as when they tried to register the name "Texas Oil Company", the name had been already been registered a couple of weeks earlier.  So they came up with the "Gulf Refining Company of Texas" after the nearby Gulf of Mexico, hence "Gulf".  Not a lot of people know that....

MG Mark

[Kev_mk3]

you wont mistake this aston for anything else tho on race day / weekend will you tho 

[Christopher]

Finally found the bit about the colours used - page 10 of this issue of Gulf's in-house magazine, which is an interesting read in itself:

http://www.gulfoilltd.com/cms_media/files/od6_compl.pdf

In brief: Gulf painted their original horse-drawn delivery tank wagons in a distinctive colour - orange - because fuel merchants often recognised brand by the tank colour.  Blue lettering was added in due course, and the orange disc with blue lettering first came out on a product called Gulfwax in 1920.  The company played with the logo in the 1950s and 1960s, and orange was allied to dark blue as the Gulf colour scheme.  However, when it decided to go racing, it wanted to create a scheme that would be memorable, distinctive, imaginative, cool etc - that led them to the orange and powder blue in the 1960s.  And a good job that they did too, or we wouldn't have had those evocative GT40s and 917s....

Anorak fact.  If the founders had formed the company a few weeks earlier in 1901, it would have become Texaco, as when they tried to register the name "Texas Oil Company", the name had been already been registered a couple of weeks earlier.  So they came up with the "Gulf Refining Company of Texas" after the nearby Gulf of Mexico, hence "Gulf".  Not a lot of people know that....

MG Mark

Good work fella, the mystery is solved.