Styling Go Gulf or not to go Gulf?

[Flock]

Now my car is wintersleeping mode I spent more time on another hobby, racing with professional slotcars. All my cars have a Gulf livery (yes, i'm a nerd.)
Recently someone pointed out to me that my 500 is allready light blue, and why not put on the orange parts of the livery?

Now this is very tempting since I have my own company in producing also Fiat stickers and I do see the promotional site of such a livery. On the other hand...it transforms a little cute car in a very attention attracting 'thing on the road.' And I'm not sure if that is what I want (i'm almost 50 and am way past my...'look at me' period.)

What are your thoughts?

 

[AndyRKett]

No, just no, would look tacky. Also it's not a race car.

 

[Flock]

This is how clean it is at the moment. It is tempting because the base color is perfect, and stickers are removable. Just not sure how good the painting actually is. I know about bad paintjobs and stickers (fading colors, chips and cracks.) I'm about 75% on the NO part.

 

[smart51]

I wouldn't do it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't make up your own mind. If you were to vinyl wrap it, could it be peeled off again without damaging the original paint?

 

[Flock]

Normally it would, but than again....that's on normal quality paint jobs. I sell a lot to racing and restauration companies and those stickers go on porsches, aston martins, Formula 3 cars etc etc...but they are well aware of the risks and in 99% the car was recently repainted (professionally.) But I bought this one as it is, and not sure how and when mine was painted last time. So I could risk ripping off paint when removing the stripes (even with using high quality wrap.)

Perhaps I should get another cheap 500 and put a livery on that one to put in the showroom....driving mine is only locally and my customers are mostly not local.

 

[AndyRKett]

I would definitely be inclined to do something to advertise my business if I were you, just not Gulf livery

Stickers usually come off fairly easily with a little bit of heat and any glue left behind comes off with tar and glue remover usually without damaging the paint.

 

[giardini]

The Gulf livery is one of the best racing color combos ever, I can see the temptation but there's just no connexion there,
and crucially, nothing that screams... "ITALY !!!" (which IMHO is a must with a 500).
It's a bit like me being fond of the Tarzan image , still you do NOT want to see me in a leopard skin loincloth.

 

[the hobbler]

No, just no, would look tacky. Also it's not a race car.

Are you aware that there is a fair chance that Gulf nicked the colour scheme from another well-known manufacturer? Lamborghini tractors were originally painted light-blue with an orange stripe! How do I know? We have one (in original Lamborghini colours) that the workshop has just restored in the workshop that I work part-time in. I will concede however that the 'Lamborghini blue' might be a slightly darker hue than the 'Gulf blue'
However, back to the original question---I agree in that I think that it will look slightly 'tacky' to paint it in the Gulf colours---leave it just 'light blue' Just for interest---what "Fiat" stickers does your company produce?

 

[AndyRKett]

Are you aware that there is a fair chance that Gulf nicked the colour scheme from another well-known manufacturer? Lamborghini tractors were originally painted light-blue with an orange stripe! How do I know? We have one (in original Lamborghini colours) that the workshop has just restored in the workshop that I work part-time in.

Just to cover all bases, the 500 is not a tractor either.

Though I think Gulf had been using Blue and orange colouring on its logo's long before Lamborghini as a company (making cars or tractors) existed ?

 

[the hobbler]

Gu

Just to cover all bases, the 500 is not a tractor either.

Though I think Gulf had been using Blue and orange colouring on its logo's long before Lamborghini as a company (making cars or tractors) existed ?

Gulf started using the 'blue and orange' (at Gulf's insistence) when John Wyer started running the Gulf racing team in 1968---Lamborghini tractors were already coming out in their blue and orange. Gulf wanted to use the 'blue and orange' as it was the colours of "The Wiltshire Oil Company" which they bought in 1960. So to be honest, who was first in using 'blue and orange' becomes mired in pedantics. However, having said that, I grew up in the Gulf racing era and thought then, as I still do, it was a great colour scheme.

 

[Flock]

As far as I know there are a lot of varieties in the colors for all the major brands, and for the amateur scene it all depends on personal taste.

Just for interest---what "Fiat" stickers does your company produce?

Besides the usual stuff (better quality / slightly different replacements for most european brands) we specialize in customized decals. Last week for example we matched a striping in the colors/pattern for the interior of a Barchetta.

 

[the hobbler]

As far as I know there are a lot of varieties in the colors for all the major brands, and for the amateur scene it all depends on personal taste.


Besides the usual stuff (better quality / slightly different replacements for most european brands) we specialize in customized decals. Last week for example we matched a striping in the colors/pattern for the interior of a Barchetta.
View attachment 437808

Very interesting, and clever----I wonder whose tartan Fiat are using?

 

[Flock]

It's a modern tartan from a Dutch company. It's not original Fiat. Client is a Barchetta specialist. We do a lot of this sort stuff for specialists, almost anything is custom made and client specific (one-off's, not commercial large quantity.)

We always try to convince the client to let us test run the car to see if the striping doesn't affect the handling of the car. Sadly we never get them to believe that bullshit story so we have to settle for photo's off the lambo's and ferrari's.

For the high end cars a well known dealer trick is to put a temporary striping on a car (for example Gulf or Martini) to make it stand out. Lots of porsches look 'dull' but have 500HP under the hood. Sticking a race striping on it get's the attention of clients, who than buy it but want the striping removed because it's 'too much.' Also when a Fiat dealer has 15 modern standard 500's in a row, the one with the sporty (or cute) striping gets sold first. The investment for the striping (mostly under 100 dollar) is very profitable than.

I once tried to sell my wife's Ford Ka. We put a really cool striping on it to match the rims and interiour and it was sold within a day for a couple of grand more than comparible stripeless models.

So yeah, it's a business if you have the network.

 

[AndyRKett]

It's a modern tartan from a Dutch company. It's not original Fiat. Client is a Barchetta specialist. We do a lot of this sort stuff for specialists, almost anything is custom made and client specific (one-off's, not commercial large quantity.)

We always try to convince the client to let us test run the car to see if the striping doesn't affect the handling of the car. Sadly we never get them to believe that bullshit story so we have to settle for photo's off the lambo's and ferrari's.

For the high end cars a well known dealer trick is to put a temporary striping on a car (for example Gulf or Martini) to make it stand out. Lots of porsches look 'dull' but have 500HP under the hood. Sticking a race striping on it get's the attention of clients, who than buy it but want the striping removed because it's 'too much.' Also when a Fiat dealer has 15 modern standard 500's in a row, the one with the sporty (or cute) striping gets sold first. The investment for the striping (mostly under 100 dollar) is very profitable than.

I once tried to sell my wife's Ford Ka. We put a really cool striping on it to match the rims and interiour and it was sold within a day for a couple of grand more than comparible stripeless models.

So yeah, it's a business if you have the network.

My brother owns a place making camper vans, usually VW transporter models, when he builds his own vans he usually stripes the side like the classic 70/80s Porsches which said “Porsche” along the bottom of the doors, he uses his company name in place of Porsche but they really look cool and people will snap them up super fast. If he the exterior done before the interior has been kitted out the van is usually sold before he’s finished building it.

People then keep the stripes and it advertises his business