British F1 Chassis Green

Number Five British F1 Chassis Green, the green of the frames of British formula cars

The shade is not meant for outer surfaces but for what lies beneath them. British formula stables painted frames, brackets and load-bearing parts with a tone that differed noticeably from the painted body, and it is exactly this position of green that the shade stands for.

Where the shade comes from

Green has been the British national racing color since the days of the Gordon Bennett Cup and it holds through Bentley, Vanwall, Lotus and BRM. On the cars, though, it was never in a single tone. The body was given a green that was meant to be seen from the grandstand, while the weldments of a frame, the mountings of the axles and the bulkheads carried a calmer and less conspicuous tone, because beneath the bodywork they were not meant to draw attention to themselves. A modeler recognizes it the moment the cover is taken off a finished model: a uniform green across the whole car looks like a toy, two differing tones like a machine. The difference is best seen with display kits that are sold with removable bodywork.

Where you will use the shade

• Frames, bulkheads and brackets of open-wheel cars in 1:20 and 1:12
• Load-bearing parts of the cars of British stables on models with an exposed engine
• Details of a chassis where the green is meant to stay subdued
• A complementary tone beside a more saturated green on a body

Who the color is for

For builders of formula and sports cars who make their models with the machinery exposed and also deal with what is seen only once a part is swung open. It suits detail sets too, where an engine bay and the suspension are being completed. Vanwall and BRM both welded their frames of tube and sheet in workshops of their own, so the tone of the coat remained a matter for each stable.