Our 7 Favorite Mustang Race Car Liveries
Whether it's a simple stripe (or two), or a well known sponsor, some Mustangs have a racing livery that is instantly recognizable. From the first GT350's to IMSA racers to drift cars, we pick out some of our favorites.
When Sitcom Stars Went Racing
The 90's was a cool era. Mostly stock cars were still doing events like the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. And eager Hollywood stars could hop in a ride and race. Thats why we love this Saleen livery from 1997. Tim Allen - from Home Improvement fame - partnered up with Steve Saleen for a Daytona 24H entry.
The livery itself is iconic for those of us who wanted to cheer on the 'regular guy' hucking around the race course with the pros. And we learn from NascarMan that Allen finished a respectable 9th in class. Nothing like getting wheel time!
Photo courtesy of NascarMan
Hertz Probably Had Second Thoughts About This Livery
In 1965, big things were happening for the Mustang. Shelby was out dominating road courses, but he didn't stop there. According to Mecum, Ford and Shelby wanted to poke Chevrolet in the eye one more time. They wanted to take over the Hertz rental fleet.
Hertz formerly had the Corvette as their performance rental car option, but when the GT350 Took over, they had a genuine rental race car on their hands. Stories of swapped motors and thrashed rentals are the kind of folklore that we enthusiasts live for, and that's why this livery is an icon.
Photo courtesy of Mecum
Support From Within
Many Ford fans are familiar with both Autolite and Motorcraft. Though in the 80s Ford wanted you to know about Motorcraft. Their in-house parts company has supplied many enthusiasts with oil filters and car parts since then, with a memorable marketing push from the IMSA Camel GT days.
Team Roush raced in IMSA with the Motorcraft banner, and Motorcraft is still on the side of Mustang race cars to this day, although they are going around ovals, rather than zipping around road courses. This car is no stranger to ovals, however. According to 3DOG, chassis 013 as seen here won its class in the 1986 Daytona 24-Hour race.
Photo courtesy of 3DOG
Mustang Takes Over Down Under
Australia's Ford Vs Holden (Chevrolet) rivalry is as intense as the Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers. So when Ford decided to enter the Mustang into the V8 Supercars Series, it was met with big anticipation. Even if in 2019 there was some uncertainty to the look, according to Supercars.
Racer Scott McLaughlin was the trusted pilot to bring this car to victory, which he piloted to championships in 2019 and 2020. His success with Penske Racing in V8SC is what spurred his ride in IndyCar, with the same Shell livery we see on his championship-winning Ford Mustang.
Photo courtesy of Supercars
Ken Block's Hoonicorn Is Beyond Cool
OK, we'll admit it's not a race car by the Webster's definition, but Ken Block's Hoonicorn Mustang has raced up and around some incredible twisty obstacles, roads, buildings, airport hangars, and more.
As pointed out by NewAtlas, this version of Block's ever-growing list of drift cars has 845 horsepower via a Roush Yates V8. And that livery? Well, with a partnership with Monster, and Block's wild driving style, the livery had to be wild, too.
Photo courtesy of NewAtlas
A Force To Be Reckoned With
John Force has over 16 NHRA championships to his name, many of which are in a Mustang. Many of those mustangs have the iconic white/green/red livery from Castrol. Though, you might only see a blur, as Force's funny cars have always been incredibly fast.
As one of the fastest Mustang race cars in existence, the drag racing cars of John Force have been made into model cars, and also hung up on walls as posters. You can't beat that kind of iconic livery.
Photo courtesy of NHRAman
Simple is often the best.
White with two big blue stripes. It's not something unique to the Mustang. It's actually the known livery of American racing cars abroad, but this is arguably one of the most iconic Mustang looks, pretty much ever.
When Carroll Shelby got his hands on the Mustang GT and created the GT350, maybe he didn't know the legacy those cars would create. Or after making the Cobra, maybe he did. Either way, the most instantly recognizable color combo is found here on the GT350R via BusinessInsider. And it almost seems wrong to have it any other color. Unless of course, you're trying to swoon the folks at Hertz.
Photo courtesy of BusinessInsider
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