Minolta Blue

Minolta Blue, the blue of the Japanese sports prototypes

The shade is named after the Japanese maker of photographic equipment, whose name belonged in racing among the well remembered sponsor brands. The blue and white combination with this logo is connected mainly with the Japanese closed prototypes of the late 1980s, where the blue formed the main color of a body.

Where the livery appeared

Minolta supported the sports prototypes entered by a Japanese team in the home endurance championship and in the twenty-four hour race at Le Mans. These cars belong to the classic era of closed prototypes with a long tail and a massive rear wing, and their blue and white livery is one of the most recognizable among the Japanese schemes. After the later joining of the firm with another maker, the name appeared on motorcycles of the top road class as well, where blue remained the load-bearing color.

Where you will use the shade on a model

• Bodies of closed sports prototypes of the Japanese series
• Rear wings and side pods in the main color of a livery
• The blue fields of schemes where white forms the contrasting counterpart
• Fairings of road racing motorcycles

Who the color is for

It is meant for builders of Japanese racing machinery, where the whole impression of a model rests on the faithfulness of the sponsor colors. Endurance prototypes of that era have large continuous surfaces, so the main color decides the look of a car more than the individual decals do, and with this livery the blue is exactly that decisive surface.