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There are color-to-car combinations that everyone knows and loves. Think Lamborghini and yellow. Or a classic Ferrari in eye-popping red. Well, there’s another color that has such a stark national association that the country is in the hue’s name. I’m, of course, referring to the iconic British racing green (BRG) and its popularity with Jaguars, Aston Martins, Bentleys, and other sacred UK marques. Interestingly enough, the verdant shade has an origin in Ireland and racing.

What do you get when you mix a rich American, the Emerald Isle, and international motorsport? You get British racing green

American tycoon and sports enthusiast James Gordon Bennett Jr. was a driving force behind popularizing auto racing in Europe. I know, an American getting Europeans excited about motorsport? Just hang in there, we’re getting to it. 

At the beginning of the 20th century, Bennett Jr. organized a race through the French countryside to kick off the first Gordon Bennett Cup. It was a veritable Olympiad for automotive racing. 

Rather than stick with custom liveries and paint schemes, Count Eliot Zborowski recommended that the colors compliment a color from the participating nation’s flag. Every participating country was to field a car built in that country with a corresponding color to help identify that vehicle.

American cars chose red, Italy chose black, Germany chose white, and France selected blue to display their national cars. That left Great Britain out of the mix when it came to the national colors of the Union Jack. Instead, the British racing initiative chose a shade of green to do battle in the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup.

However, the establishment of the painfully sluggish national speed limit in Britain indicated a dry spell for the nation’s racing interests. Consequently, the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup was held in Ireland rather than England, Scotland, or Wales. As a tribute to their Irish hosts, the British race cars received a darker shade of green to celebrate Ireland’s lush verdancy. Today, derivations of British racing green grace the country’s popular cars from the MINI to high-performance Jaguars and Aston Martins.

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Staff Writer

Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman joined the MotorBiscuit team as an Autos Writer in 2022. An admitted petrolhead and an avid motorcyclist, Erik has owned everything from classic cars to motorcycles to modern driver’s cars. Erik also has extensive experience with military and emergency vehicles, ranging from ambulances and fire engines to MRAPs and M-ATVs. Erik is an eager car and motorcycle reviewer with experience covering everything from sports cars to pontoon boats and jet skis.

Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations (IRG) from the University of Texas at Austin and has studied Chinese, Energy, and European Politics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Erik’s background is unorthodox; he is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat veteran, water survival practitioner, and a former firefighter/EMT. Additionally, Erik is a regular volunteer and former instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC).