If 1980's TV & Film took over Formula 1...
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| Coming to a track near you in 2026 |
The F1 news cycle was busy filling it's pages with the announcement that Audi will partner with Sauber from 2026 onwards. There was much excitement despite it being so far away and the internet was awash with images like the one above of a concept livery for the team.
This got us thinking over at Dirty Side headquarters.
What liveries would we like to see on F1 cars?
Being men of a certain age we were instantly drawn to the idea of what if 1980 TV & film replaced all the constructors?
What would that grid look like?
We sat down and came up with our favorite 10 shows and films from the 1980s and have created a livery based on each.
If you are a child of the 80s maybe just look at the pictures first and try to spot all the elements within each one.
For those of you not familiar with them, we've got a little write up on them and a cheat sheet for the elements.
Here, in no order other than alphabetical, is our 1980s F1 Grid.
1 - The A-Team
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| Pity the fool that tries to beat this car |
This had to be one of our favorite shows in the 80s. From Hannibal's cigar, to Face's charm, Murdock's madness, and BA's bad attitude, the A-Team had it all.
If you trapped the A-Team in a paddock garage with a few simple tools, chances are they would not only create this car but also deck it out with all manner of weaponry. Mind you, you'd have to find them first.
Livery here features the A-Team logo, and then a tipping of the hat to each of the gang. Some bling for BA, pilot wings for Murdock, the Corvette logo for Face man's ride, and the slogan of Hannibal.
There is also the color scheme of their van along with the van's badge and wheel rims.
These guys should have many tricks up their sleeves to do well in the constructors championship, just don't expect BA to willingly fly to any races!
2 - Back to the Future
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| Going way more than 88mph |
First of the movies on our grid. Back to the Future is just an amazing film which was followed up by two great sequels.
The livery here is trying to pack in a little bit from each instalment of the trilogy.
You should be able to find the flaming tire tracks, the Delorean engine cover, Hill Valley signage, hover board logo, a steam train, the clock, Mr Fusion logo, Sports Almanac logo, Fantastic Story banner, time circuit, and of course the Flux Capacitor which, as we all know, it what makes time travel possible. Finally we have the Delorean wheel rims.
Think the time circuits would have to be disabled on race weekend though as it could facilitate cheating!
3 - Dukes of Hazzard
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| No doors |
Running over to a car and vaulting in through sealed doors before blazing off in a blur of spinning wheels and dust was every boys dream in the 80s. There is a chance that those dreams also featured Daisy Duke but we'll try to stay on track here.
On this livery you'll find the number 01 & rims from the boy's charger, banner for the Boar's Nest, logo of Cooter's Place, Sheriff Rosco's badge, the seal of Hazzard County, and the bull horns from Boss Hogg's Cadillac.
Not sure if they will win a race, but pretty sure if they look like they are about to crash into a barrier they will probably just inexplicably jump over it.
4 - Ghostbusters
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| He just popped in there |
Next up is another film and it's an absolute belter!
Ghostbusters is just awesome. Fact.
The livery here features the iconic logo of the guys, their phone number for when you know who you're gonna call, the striped cover of a ghost trap plus it's indicator light, terror hound head, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, a photon beam chasing Slimer, and the rims from Ecto-1.
These guys are gonna be laughed off as a joke of a team, but we have a funny feeling they may just save the day in the end.
5 - Knight Rider
If Ecto-1 was an iconic car then the next one on the list must be one of the most iconic cars of all time.
Knight Industries Two Thousand or K.I.T.T.
We could have tried to add Michael's chest hair somewhere but we decided to keep this to KITT.
As you can see we went with a selection of dashboard buttons, KITT's voice synthesizer, and of course his scanner.
Oh, and for this one the ground is replaced with the surface he drives over in the opening credits.
Expect a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist! Talking of a man, will Team Knight Rider even need a driver? If KITT can compute every possible outcome then I think we are looking at a title contender.
6 - Magnum P.I.
From futuristic technology to a moustache and a cheesy smile.
Magnum P.I. was a private investigator in Hawaii who wore flowery shirts & aviators while driving his Ferrari around (well, not his but Robin Masters') and goofs around solving cases & annoying Higgins.
This over the top livery features palm trees, aviators, Detroit Tigers logo, the classic parrot shirt pattern, and the symbol for pi (see what we did there).
Team Magnum will be all about the fun and partying after the race and probably won't care what happens on the track.
7 - Miami Vice
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| No overalls, just t-shirts & suits |
From loud shirts to smooth suits, we have the Miami Vice team up next.
Gonna have to be the coolest car on the grid with the most epic music.
The car rocks tributes to their Ferrari Testarossa in the form of the main color, side grilles, and wheels. Logos are for Armani, Jan Hammer, and the brand of Yacht that Crockett lived on. Finally we have the Miami Vice logo and the Miami skyline.
Even if they don't win they are gonna look smooth.
8 - Smokey & The Bandit
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| Ten Four Snowman |
At the beginning of the season it will feel like there is a long way to go and a short time to get there but that won't bother the Bandit.
Another epic car from the movies in the form of the Bandit's Pontiac Trans Am.
Likely to be one of the quickest on the grid and able to pull off apparently unachievable targets.
The livery sports the firebird logo, artwork from Snowman's truck, banner for Buford T Justice, Sheriff's badge, Pontiac wheels, and artwork for the Eastbound and Down song.
If the team are in danger of losing a race then they may just unleash a convoy of trucks to block the other teams.
9 - Taxi
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| Try flagging this one down |
Long before Christopher Lloyd was travelling through time or Danny Devito was finding out Arnie was his twin, the pair teamed up on the sitcom Taxi.
A yellow livery has us dreaming back to the Jordan days but here it's the iconic yellow of a NYC taxi.
Livery sports the classic checkered stripes, fare details, Taxi grille, Sunshine Cab logo, and NYC skyline.
Not sure they will win many races though if they keep stopping to pick folk up!
10 - Transformers
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| Race car in disguise |
The only cartoon on the list but it's one synonymous with the 1980s.
From the moment Optimus Prime and his transforming gang of robots in disguise arrived in cartoon form they were also spawning toys, cartoon movies, and then much later they got the full on CGI treatment.
This livery pays tribute to the original line up and the best (in our view) characters from both Autobots & Decepticons.
Main body color is from Optimus Prime as is the decal from his trailer. Then we have the Decepticon logo, Jazz's decal, Starscream's plane canopy, Hound's logo, Soundwave's walkman buttons, Shockwave's face, Bluestreak's Datsun badge, Megatron's gun scope, and of course Optimus Prime's head!
Oh, also went with the medium tires so that the yellow can be seen as a Bumblebee tribute.
Think they will be faster in car form, but it would really create a show if they transformed during a race!
That concludes the blog....well, nearly.
Of course we couldn't!
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| Did you know we interviewed Villeneuve? |
Well, there you have it, our 1980s F1 livery line up plus a little self-indulgent one.
Hope you enjoyed these.
If you want to suggest an alternative grid theme feel free and we'll see what we can do as making these was super fun and we won't need much encouragement to do some more!
If you want to try your own and have Photoshop or GIMP then the template we used is very generously a free one from here https://felixdicit.com/make-2022-formula-1-livery-free-template/
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