List of international auto racing colors
Encyclopedia
From the beginning of organised motor sport events, in the early 1900s, until the late 1960s, before commercial sponsorship liveries
came into common use, vehicles competing in Formula One
, sports car racing
, touring car racing
and other international auto racing
competitions customarily paint
ed their cars in standardized racing colours that indicated the nation of origin of the car or driver. These were often quite different from the national colours
used in other sports or in politics.
, which was held annually in 1900-1905. Although colours were not assigned every year, the competition in 1900 assigned blue to France, yellow to Belgium, white to Germany and red to the USA, and the competitions in 1903 and 1905 added green for the UK. Colours were definitely established in the 1920s and 1930s era
of Grand Prix motor racing
, when blue Bugatti of France and the red Alfa Romeo of Italy dominated many races.
In the 1930s the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams did not apply the traditional German white paint, and the bare sheets of metal gave rise to the term Silver Arrows
. Porsche in the 1950s and 1960s also retained the silver colouring, although other German teams in the 1960s (such as BMW) returned to white paint. Other German manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Audi (Auto Union) used silver paint when they returned to international racing in the 1990s. It is not known why the German teams in the 1930s did not apply white paint, although a myth developed that it was due to the need to be under a weight limit; however the first "Silver Arrow" raced in 1932, before a weight limit was imposed.
In the spring of 1968, sponsorship liveries
, which already had been used in the United States for some years, were also allowed in international racing. Team Gunston was the first Formula One team to paint their cars in the livery of their sponsors when they entered a private Brabham for John Love, painted in the colours of Gunston cigarettes, in the 1968 South African Grand Prix
. British Racing Green
soon vanished from the cars of British private teams, although the Rosso Corsa
used by Scuderia Ferrari
has been in continuous use to the present day, albeit in a modified form.
The annual A1 Grand Prix
series of 2005-2009 featured national teams, driving identical cars with differing colour schemes. Initially, most schemes were based on the respective national flags; some teams with different traditional sporting colours have since switched, including A1 Team Australia
and A1 Team India
. The old national racing colors were not so popular among these teams.
s and teams that want to emphasize their racing traditions. Often, sponsorship agreements respect this. Many concept car
s follow the color scheme, and many amateur racers prefer them as well.
Formula One sponsorship liveries
Formula One sponsorship liveries have been used since the late 1960s, replacing the previously used national colours. With sponsors becoming more important with the rising costs in Formula One, many teams wanted to be able to display the logos of their sponsors as clearly as possible.The liveries...
came into common use, vehicles competing in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
, touring car racing
Touring car racing
Touring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. It is notably popular in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Britain.-Characteristics of a touring car:...
and other international auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
competitions customarily paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
ed their cars in standardized racing colours that indicated the nation of origin of the car or driver. These were often quite different from the national colours
National colours
National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols.Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have de facto national colours that have become well-known through popular use...
used in other sports or in politics.
History
The colours most likely have their origin in the national teams competing in the Gordon Bennett CupGordon Bennett Cup in auto racing
As one of three Gordon Bennett Cups established by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the New York Herald, the automobile racing award was first given in 1900 in France....
, which was held annually in 1900-1905. Although colours were not assigned every year, the competition in 1900 assigned blue to France, yellow to Belgium, white to Germany and red to the USA, and the competitions in 1903 and 1905 added green for the UK. Colours were definitely established in the 1920s and 1930s era
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
of Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
, when blue Bugatti of France and the red Alfa Romeo of Italy dominated many races.
In the 1930s the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams did not apply the traditional German white paint, and the bare sheets of metal gave rise to the term Silver Arrows
Silver Arrows
Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germany's dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55.For decades until the introduction of sponsorship liveries, each...
. Porsche in the 1950s and 1960s also retained the silver colouring, although other German teams in the 1960s (such as BMW) returned to white paint. Other German manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Audi (Auto Union) used silver paint when they returned to international racing in the 1990s. It is not known why the German teams in the 1930s did not apply white paint, although a myth developed that it was due to the need to be under a weight limit; however the first "Silver Arrow" raced in 1932, before a weight limit was imposed.
In the spring of 1968, sponsorship liveries
Formula One sponsorship liveries
Formula One sponsorship liveries have been used since the late 1960s, replacing the previously used national colours. With sponsors becoming more important with the rising costs in Formula One, many teams wanted to be able to display the logos of their sponsors as clearly as possible.The liveries...
, which already had been used in the United States for some years, were also allowed in international racing. Team Gunston was the first Formula One team to paint their cars in the livery of their sponsors when they entered a private Brabham for John Love, painted in the colours of Gunston cigarettes, in the 1968 South African Grand Prix
1968 South African Grand Prix
The 1968 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on January 1, 1968. It was the first round of the 1968 Formula One season. The race, contested over 73 laps, was won by two time World Drivers' Champion and 1965 Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Clark for Lotus-Ford...
. British Racing Green
British racing green
British racing green or BRG, a colour similar to Brunswick green, hunter green, forest green or moss green , takes its name from the green international motor racing colour of Britain. Although there is still some debate as to an exact hue for BRG, currently the term is used to denote a spectrum of...
soon vanished from the cars of British private teams, although the Rosso Corsa
Rosso corsa
Rosso Corsa is the red international motor racing colour of cars entered by teams from Italy.Since the 1920s Italian race cars of Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, and later Ferrari and Abarth have been painted in rosso corsa . This was the customary national racing colour of Italy as recommended...
used by Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
has been in continuous use to the present day, albeit in a modified form.
The annual A1 Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix was a 'single make' open-wheel auto racing series. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most formula racing series. As such, it was often promoted as the "World Cup of Motorsport"...
series of 2005-2009 featured national teams, driving identical cars with differing colour schemes. Initially, most schemes were based on the respective national flags; some teams with different traditional sporting colours have since switched, including A1 Team Australia
A1 Team Australia
A1 Team Australia is the Australian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :The team chairman is former-Formula One world champion Alan Jones, backed by general manager and former NASCAR driver Peter Nolan...
and A1 Team India
A1 Team India
A1 Team India is the Indian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :The seatholder for Team India is former Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan....
. The old national racing colors were not so popular among these teams.
Contemporary usage
Although this colour scheme was abandoned by the FIA for most racing disciplines in the 1970s, it is still informally used, especially by Italian, British and German automakerAutomaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
s and teams that want to emphasize their racing traditions. Often, sponsorship agreements respect this. Many concept car
Concept car
A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....
s follow the color scheme, and many amateur racers prefer them as well.
Major competitors
These have stuck as a pattern, and are common outside of international Grand Prix racing.| Code | Country | Body | Numbers | Marques/Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | White | Red | Benz, Mercedes Mercedes (car) Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft . DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler... , BMW BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands... , Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... |
|
| Silver (or bare metal (Silver Arrows Silver Arrows Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germany's dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55.For decades until the introduction of sponsorship liveries, each... )) |
Red | Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG... , Auto Union Auto Union Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony, during the Great Depression. The company has evolved into present day Audi, as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group.... , Veritas Veritas (Automobile) Veritas was a famous West German post World War II sports and race car company, located in the village of Hausen am Andelsbach, near Sigmaringen, Baden-Württemberg, later at Meßkirch and Muggensturm and moved finally to the Nürburgring.... , Borgward Borgward Borgward was a German automobile manufacturer founded by Carl F. W. Borgward . The company was based in Bremen... , EMW Eisenacher Motorenwerk Eisenacher Motorenwerk was an East German manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles based in Eisenach. EMW also entered Formula One as a constructor in 1953, but participated in only one race, the 1953 German Grand Prix.... , Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... , Audi Audi Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group.... |
||
| F | Blue (Bleu de France Bleu de France (colour) Bleu de France is the traditional colour of France. It was used by all French teams as a national colour used by the Kings of France in heraldry since the 12th century, but it is also a brighter version the blue colour of the present flag of France, the so called French tricolour... ) |
White | Delage Delage Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delage in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.-History:... , Bugatti Bugatti Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti.... , Talbot Talbot Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot... , Delahaye Delahaye Delahaye automobile manufacturing company was started by Emile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines. In 1900, Delahaye left the company.-History:... , Matra Matra Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family... , Panhard Panhard Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years... , Alpine Alpine (car) Alpine was a French manufacturer of racing and sports cars that used rear-mounted Renault engines.Jean Rédélé , the founder of Alpine, was originally a Dieppe garage proprietor, who began to achieve considerable competition success in one of the few French cars produced just after World War... , Gordini Gordini Gordini is a French sports car manufacturer. The firm was founded by Amédée Gordini nicknamed "Le Sorcier" .Gordini competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1956.... , Peugeot Peugeot Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion... , Ballot Ballot (automobile) Ballot was a French automobile manufacturer who made cars between 1921 and 1932.The Ballot brothers, Edouard and Maurice, founded their company in 1905. Before World War I they manufactured automobile and marine engines. The company was re-founded as Etablissements Ballot SA in 1910.Edouard... |
|
| GB | Green (British racing green British racing green British racing green or BRG, a colour similar to Brunswick green, hunter green, forest green or moss green , takes its name from the green international motor racing colour of Britain. Although there is still some debate as to an exact hue for BRG, currently the term is used to denote a spectrum of... ) |
White | Jaguar Jaguar Racing Jaguar Racing was a Formula One team that competed in the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2000 to 2004. It was formed from the purchase by Ford of Jackie Stewart's Stewart Grand Prix Formula One team in June 1999. Ford renamed the team Jaguar Racing as part of its global marketing... , Vanwall Vanwall Vanwall was a Formula One motor racing team that competed in the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall bearings produced at the Vandervell Products factory at Acton, London... , Cooper Cooper Car Company The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946... , Lotus Lotus Cars Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics... , Brabham, BRM, Bentley Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later... , Aston Martin Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire... |
|
| I | Red (Rosso corsa Rosso corsa Rosso Corsa is the red international motor racing colour of cars entered by teams from Italy.Since the 1920s Italian race cars of Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, and later Ferrari and Abarth have been painted in rosso corsa . This was the customary national racing colour of Italy as recommended... ) |
White | Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... , Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993... , Lancia Lancia Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more... , Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... , Abarth Abarth Abarth is an Italian racing car maker founded by Austrian-Italian Carlo Abarth and Italian Armando Scagliarini in Turin in 1949. Its logo depicts a stylized scorpion on a red and yellow background.- History :... , O.S.C.A. O.S.C.A. Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili - Fratelli Maserati SpA was an Italian brand of sports car automobiles, usually abbreviated to O.S.C.A., OSCA or Osca.- History :... , Officine Meccaniche Officine Meccaniche Officine Meccaniche or OM was an Italian car and truck manufacturing company, founded in 1899 in Milan as Societa Anonima Officine Meccaniche... |
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| J | White with red "sun" | Black | Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... , Nissan, Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation , , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by... |
|
| USA | White, Blue lengthwise stripes ("Cunningham racing stripes"), Blue underframe | Blue | Cunningham Briggs Cunningham Briggs Swift Cunningham II was an American entrepreneur and sportsman, who raced automobiles and yachts. Born into a wealthy family, he became a racing car constructor, driver, and team owner as well as a sports car manufacturer and automobile collector.He skippered the victorious yacht Columbia... , Ford, NART North American Racing Team The North American Racing Team was created by Luigi Chinetti to promote the Ferrari marque in America through success in Gran Turismo motorsport.... , Shelby Carroll Shelby Carroll Hall Shelby is an American retired automotive designer and racing driver. He is most well known for making Mustangs for Ford Motor Company known as Mustang Cobras which he has done since 1965... , Chaparral |
|
| Blue (Imperial blue Royal blue Royal blue describes both a bright shade and a dark shade of azure blue. It is said to have been invented by millers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of which won a competition to make a dress for the British queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.... ), White lengthwise stripes, White underframe |
White | AAR Eagle, Ford, Shelby Carroll Shelby Carroll Hall Shelby is an American retired automotive designer and racing driver. He is most well known for making Mustangs for Ford Motor Company known as Mustang Cobras which he has done since 1965... , Scarab Scarab (constructor) Scarab was an all-American open-wheel race car and sports car constructor from the USA featuring cars designed and built by Tom Barnes and Dick Troutman for Reventlow Automobiles Inc, owned by Lance Reventlow... |
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National list
The following schemes have been adopted for various countries at various times:| Code | |Country | Body | Bonnet | Other Colours | Numbers | Illustrated example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Blue | Black on white |  |
|||
| AUS | Green | Gold | Blue | Black |  |
|
| B | Yellow | Black |  |
|||
| BR | Pale yellow | Chassis/Wheels: Green | Black |  |
||
| BUL | Green | White | Red on white |  |
||
| C | Yellow | Black | Black on white |  |
||
| CDN | Traditional colours are white and green parallel stripes | After the Canadian flag was changed in 1965 Red with wide lengthwise white stripes became popular | Black |  |
||
| CH | Red | White | Black |  |
||
| CS |  CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992... |
White | Blue/white | Underframe: Red | Blue |  |
| D | White | bare metal (aluminium Aluminium Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances.... , "Silver Arrows Silver Arrows Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germany's dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55.For decades until the introduction of sponsorship liveries, each... ") |
Red |  |
||
| DK | Silver-grey | National flag as a lengthwise stripe on bonnet | Red on white |  |
||
| E | Red | Yellow | Chassis/Springs: Red | Black on yellow or white on red |  |
|
| ET | Pale violet | Red on white |  |
|||
| F | Blue | White |  |
|||
| FIN | White | Two blue stripes on bonnet shaping a Latin cross | Black on white |  |
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| GB | Green | Scottish entrant Rob Walker used dark blue with a white noseband and Ecurie Ecosse Ecurie Ecosse Ecurie Ecosse was a motor racing team from Scotland. The team was founded in 1952 by Edinburgh businessman and racing driver David Murray and mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson, its most notable achievement was winning both the 1956 and 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team also raced in three Formula One races... also used dark blue; the Arrol Johnston team pre-World War 1 used navy tartan |
White |  |
||
| GR | Pale Blue | Two white lengthwise stripes on bonnet | Black on white |  |
||
| H | Front: White Rear: Green |
Red | Black |  |
||
| HJK | Brown | Black on white |  |
|||
| I | Red | White |  |
|||
| IRL | Green | Horizontal band of orange all around | White |  |
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| J | Ivory White | Red disk on bonnet | White on black |  |
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| L | Tricolor lengthwise stripe (red/white/blue) from front to rear | Black on white |  |
|||
| MAS | Yellow | White | Black on white/Black |  |
||
| MC | White | Red lateral stripe around car | Black on white | |||
| MEX | Gold | Different designs in royal blue (Not strictly an X on the bonnet) | Black on white (not red on white) |  |
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| NL | Orange | White |  |
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| NZ | Green and silver | Black and silver |  |
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| PHI | Red and Blue | yellow | ||||
| P | Red | Underframe: White | White |  |
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| PL | White | Underframe: Red | Red on white |  |
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| RA | Blue | Yellow | Chassis: Black | Red on white |  |
|
| RCH | Red | Blue | Underframe: White | Blue/red or red on white |  |
|
| S | Blue bottom, yellow top, three cross bands of blue on top of bonnet | White |  |
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| T | Pale blue with yellow horizontal band around body and bonnet | Wheels: Pale yellow | White on blue |  |
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| U | Pale blue with large red band around the lower part of bonnet | White on black |  |
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| USA | White with blue lengthwise stripes | Underframe: Blue | Blue on white |  |
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| ZA | Gold | Green | Black on yellow |  |
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