Le Mans Sunset. Guess where that paint color got it's name?
Ever wonder where manufacturers come up with some of their wacky paint color names?
The best way to answer that question is with some racing trivia.
Such names as Interlagos Blue, Silverstone, Nordschleife Gray, British Racing Green, are all a marketing ploy. Manufacturers use names of famous race circuits to show a certain prestige and pedigree in a vehicle, to appeal to the enthusiast or to sound oontzy to the general public.
However, one thing to note, is that it seems manufacturers pick the name of a circuit arbitrarily out of a hat and stick it to a color. As such, a circuit name for one brand can be used with a color that is completely different from a color it is attributed to by another brand. Case in point, BMW uses Interlagos with a hue of Blue, while Hyundai uses Interlagos with a Yellow.
Since compiling the entire list would most likely take about as long as traveling to each track one by one, let’s take a quick look at some of the racetracks and racing terms or pedigrees mentioned in manufacturers’ color codes.
Chicane (Nissan’s Chicane Yellow) is the term that describes an obstacle placed on a track that creates an extra corner.
Laguna Seca (BMW’s Laguna Seca Blue) is the name of the racetrack in Monterey, California, a site of many automotive events such as the Redbull MotoGP US Grand Prix, the Festival of Speed, and the Monterey Historics Races.
Nordschleife (Hyundai’s Nordschleife Gray) is the short name of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany, often considered the most daunting racetrack in the world. It is also where many manufacturers go to test their vehicles due to its 13 mile long track with elevation changes and varying corners.
San Marino (Nissan’s San Marino Blue or Acura’s San Marino Red) is the location of the San Marino Grand Prix, so called because an Italian GP is also contested.
Tsukuba (Hyundai’s Tsukuba Red) is the name of a Japanese racetrack that hosts many time attacks. If you are a Best Motoring fan, you’ll recognize this track.
Misano (Audi’s Misano Red) is a recurring location of MotoGP’s Italian Grand Prix
Le Mans (Nissan’s Le Mans Sunset and BMW’s Le Mans Blue) is the site of the famed 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race.
British Racing Green (Aston Martin, Mini, Mazda, Bugatti and many more) is the general name for a dark green shade. It is called as such because a number of British racecars from the past were all painted green, per tradition. These successes have evolved into a tradition for any brand with cars intended for racing.
Silverstone (Hyundai, BMW, and Nissan’s Silverstone Silver) is a famous racetrack in England. This is one of if not the only name whose corresponding colors match in general hue, between brands.
With this list in mind, the next time you consider the name of a color odd and wonder where it is from, chances are it is a racetrack or a racing term!
-KF