Type 33 Green

Type 33 Green, the national green of a British single-seater

The color refers to the Type 33 formula car, with which Team Lotus ruled in the middle of the 1960s. At a time when teams were still painted according to nationality, a British entry meant a dark green, and that is among the most quoted tones of European circuit racing of all.

The subject of the shade

The Type 33 followed on from the monocoque Type 25, and Jim Clark took the world title with it in the 1965 season. It was powered by a 1.5-liter Coventry Climax V8, the car was minimalist and low, and a yellow stripe ran across its nose and hood, cutting through the green. The pair of green and yellow was the color of the team rather than a sponsor livery, as full-surface advertising finishes only arrived in formula fields at the end of the 1960s. The dark tone of the green moreover changes its character markedly with the light in period photographs, from almost black to bottle green.

Where the shade fits

• bodies and noses of single-seaters of the first half of the 1960s
• British circuit cars painted in the national green
• a ground under the yellow and white stripes of period team markings
• accessories for pit scenes, transport crates and wheel stands

Who the shade serves

It aims at modelers of historic formula cars and British circuit cars for whom modern bright greens are not right. The British green stayed with the team even after the winning season and gave way to sponsor liveries only at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. The shade is derived from the name of the car rather than from a standard number, so it is not tied to a particular chart, and take the sensitivity of a dark green to lighting into account when comparing it with photographs.