Racecar liveries can sometimes be as iconic as the cars that wear them, whether by winning races and championships or simply by winning the hearts of the fans. Porsche is one such name in motorsports that has many, many iconic championship-winning cars over its decades of racing. From the 917s, rally-specials, GTs and 911s that raced in various formats, we had memorable liveries from brands like Rothmans, Mobil1, Gulf, Martini Racing, Brumos etc. Amongst the long list, one name stands out to me in particular – Coca Cola, my favourite beverage of all time.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t know about it until now since I don’t follow the history of motorsports. It allows me to enjoy these kinds of surprises even more. As it turns out, in the 1980s, Coca Cola draped their iconic red-and-white theme over Bob Akin Motor Racing Porsche race cars competing in North American championships. The Cola 935 won some podiums, including the 24 Hours Of Daytona. The next season, the team changed to a Porsche 962 to bear the #5 and the Cola livery which enjoyed much success. In 1986, it won the Sebring 12-hour race too.
A few decades on and a couple of token appearances later, a racing Porsche will once again don the Coca-Cola livery – the 911 RSR. Check it out:
Now, unfortunately, this is only a bit of a one-off special livery for a race called the Petit Le Mans. It is held at the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia, USA. This circuit and the nearby metropolis are significant to both brands – it’s the HQ of Cola and Porsche North America. In fact, Coca Cola was one of the many financers of the Road Atlanta racetrack back in 1970. This 10-hour race is the season finale of the IMSA SportsCar Championship and Porsche are leading in all the standings (of course). It also has a nod to the 50th anniversary year of the International MotorSport Association.
History lesson over, let’s get back to admiring this gorgeous red and white Porsche 911 RSR.
The Auto Loons 