【Hundred Questions】What is the reason why sports cars are often painted with red paint? If there is no Honda Soichiro, there will be no red cars?

table of contents
●When you think of red, you will think of Ferrari! But its corporate color is actually yellow
●The psychological effect of red is consistent with sports cars
●Japan used to prohibit vehicles from using red paint
●Red has been a special color since ancient times

When it comes to red, you will think of Ferrari! But its corporate color is actually yellow

The sports car body that comes to most people's minds is "red". When it comes to car manufacturers related to red, one has to mention the supercar synonymous with Ferrari.

However, Ferrari's corporate color is yellow "Giallo Modena", which originated from Modena, Italy, where Ferrari's headquarter is located. It is said that 80% of Ferrari's sales cars are "Rosso Corsa", and Rosso Corsa later became the representative color of the Ferrari F1 team "Scuderia Ferrari".

In the past, racing competitions used "national representative colors" to limit the body colors used by teams from various countries. Countries are distinguished by different colors, the UK is green, France is blue, Germany is white (later changed to silver), and Japan is white (later changed to ivory) with red dots.

The national representative color of Italy is red, so Ferrari and other Italian teams are painted in red. The "Racing red" used in the competition is translated into Italian as Rosso Corsa.

Since then, Rosso Corsa has become the representative color of Italian racing.
Ferrari continued to use Rosso Corsa after the national representative color was abolished, so when everyone hears Ferrari, the red body will naturally appear in their minds.

The psychological effect of red is consistent with sports cars

We already know that the representative color of Ferrari evolved from the national representative color, but countries other than Italy also use red as the classic color of sports cars.
The body colors of "GR Yaris", "GR Supra", "GR86" and "GR Corolla" launched by the Japanese Toyota sports car brand "GR" are all red. In addition, domestic sports cars such as Nissan Fairlady Z, Nissan GT-R, and Mazda Roadster also have red exteriors. It can be seen that red is a very important color for sports cars.

Another reason red is such a popular color for sports cars is that it has a sensory effect that cannot be quantified.

Red is the color that excites, creates lively impressions, arouses emotions and stimulates the fighting instinct. For those who want to have a sense of excitement, red is very suitable.

Japan used to ban vehicles from using red paint

In the past, red paint was banned in Japan because it could not be distinguished from emergency rescue vehicles.

However, Honda founder Soichiro Honda insisted on making Honda's first sports car "S360" red, and successfully obtained permission from the Ministry of Transport. The "S500" that succeeded the S360 also has a red exterior.

Soichiro Honda said that he wanted to use red to make small cars more conspicuous. He also believed that "red is the basis of all designs" and showed everyone his insistence on red. In addition, the Cub F, cultivator and generator, which are the growth opportunity of Honda, are also red.

It is said that since Honda launched the red car models, other automakers have also begun to follow.

Red has been a special color since ancient times

Ancient Egypt used red as a special color representing vitality and victory, and they would paint their bodies with red clay to celebrate; ancient Rome also used red on the clothing of gods.

Red is also an indispensable color for celebrations in Japan, and the national flag and red and white curtains are all representative symbols. Red also represents the meaning of the sun, harvest, and demon removal. For the Japanese, red has a special meaning.

Red has been favored as a special color since ancient times. Although white, gray and other body paints are more popular now, I believe that the popular red vehicles will continue to exist in the future.

Original source:Why are there so many red sports cars? Without Soichiro Honda, would there have been a red car?
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