The History of "Yellow" with Ferrari

Racing tradition in Europe was by country, each assigned a color. France-blue, England-green, Spain-yellow, Italy-red, Germany-silver. This is why in your minds eye, say Jaquar and you picture a green car, Hispano-Suisa is yellow, etc. Ferrari, Alpha Romeo are red, and MB are silver or grey. Can you guess which country has blue with 2 white stripes down the middle? Hint-think Cobra.

The tradition is broken at times and doesn't apply to production cars but marketing dictates catering to buyers who often emulate the racing tradition with personal cars. Ferrari has had 10 colors available for many moons but until the 355/360s, yellow just didn't 'look right' to most people who have been exposed to racing.

 

Yellow is the official color of Modena, Enzo's hometown.

 

Many Ecurie Francorchamps racing cars were yellow:

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And their most famous:

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you right
Yellow for Modena and Red for Fiorano

 

I thought Germany was really white, but the tradition of silver got started when a Mercedes was overweight by a few pounds, so they had the mechanics sand off all the paint overnight -

So, who was Black?

 

I think he's right. Germany was initially white, and if this is the way the German silver got started, its a very cool story

 

I believe Japan is white.

Mercedes was always fanatical about weight and with the inconsistancies with scales of the day they would show up with the cars in bare aluminum and a large supply of silver paint. If the cars made weight bare, so be it. They got raced that way. If they were underweight they got painted rather crudely right there on the scale. I guess no one considered the loss of weight when all the solvents evaporated out of the paint. The minimum weight formula didn't last too long. The cars were scary flimsy.

 

Rifledriver may well be right about Japan;

At least Jim Garner's Honda-san was white in GrandPrix...

and, I had never heard the reverse legend of "last minute paint to make up the weight" - wouldn't it be easier to add some typesetters lead as ballast?

Where I got my version of the story was from the book "Kings of the Road" by Ken Purdy. His chapter on Mercedes was titled "The Big White Cars"...and, remember the really old Mercedes racers were indeed white. (SSKL, Blitzen Benz land speed cars, etc.)

of course, it doesn't explain BMW, Porsche, Auto Union, etc. going silver too.

I just realized who is Black - the nation of Slobbovia, where Boris and Natascha came from.

 

You are right, in the 20's they were white. At the time Japan was not in the picture.

The painting on the scales came from a Mercedes authorized history of the prewar racing program.

 

I think the first "official" yellow Ferrari was the Lancia-Ferrari for "Jellybean". I think the original official color for Japan was white with red chassis rails exposed. BTW, Egypt was purple with red numbers!!

 

First, the true story of the silver paint...(thanks, Rifledriver);

And second, the true reason why Egypt has never won a Grand Prix...

They were ashamed to show up in a clown car.

 

Yellow 275's were not uncommon.

 

yellow Ferraris were Belgian, for Paul Frere and Olivier Gendebien

 

Probably one of, if not THE, oldest original yellow Ferrari is 0460AM.
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I like the yellow color. White is the one color on ANY vehicle I just can't stand. White cars are icky Even if someone gave me a white Muira, I'd paint it another color.

 

Now THAT one was for a west coast female owner.......LOL!

Still yellow/green AFAIK........

 

Should be, and still with the original owners son.