
The 1963 King Cobra challenged the uniform norms by inverting the design with a blue body and white stripes. They Look Coolĭespite car dealers’ fears, nearly half of all model purchases included stripes from 1965 to 1966. Dealers feared that buyers would avoid purchasing models with rally stripes because they garnered more attention from traffic enforcement.
FADING RACING STRIPES CAR FREE
The designer delivered a paint job based on the American race aesthetic of a white body with blue stripes.įrom then on, manufacturers and dealers favored the term “rally stripes.” If a dealer purchased at least three cars, they’d get a striped model free of charge. Shelby needed a unique design on a low budget. Sales Boostsĭuring the 1960s, a car designer had an assignment requiring him to create a minimal yet sporty design for an upcoming Shelby car. Since race cars had to use uniform colors, Cunningham added his creative spin to the racing design.
FADING RACING STRIPES CAR DRIVER
If a car went off the track during a race, the driver could better orient himself by looking down at the stripes on the car’s hood. As an American, he kept the embellished white body with two blue stripes down the middle of his race cars.įor years, racing aficionados referred to these details as “Cunningham Stripes.” A rumor eventually spread that the stripes served a practical purpose for drivers.

A man named Briggs Cunningham became the first to use a pair of stripes on his vehicles. So, each country’s race team boasted a different paint color.Īmerican cars typically used a brilliant white body with blue detailing down the center. People had difficulty distinguishing between cars moving at high speeds. Racing stripes date back to the 1950s when racing cars used specific colors to differentiate teams. You can easily add them to your vehicle with a custom paint job at our auto painting shop in Tucson, AZ.īut where do they originate? What meanings do they carry? Our talented team at Cutting Edge Collision Center shares the historical background of racing stripes.

While most people associate them with sports cars, they can give any model a flashy accent. Racing stripes on a car add a unique, sporty touch that grabs the attention of onlookers.
