What Are Some Of The Best Liveries In Racing?

Is it just me, or are good racing liveries getting to be fewer and harder to come by? As I prepare to take off for a long overdue adventure to an IMSA race this weekend, I've been doing some thinking about liveries. And as we currently occupy an age of design minimalism which turned GM's logo into something taken from the pages of Goodwill's marketing books, the companies sponsoring these cars and the people creating the liveries seem uninspired. Except for a few exceptional ones, like Porsche's GTP cars in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship that have run a few cool throwback liveries for its 75th anniversary in motorsports this year.

Don't get me wrong, it seems as if liveries just haven't been as dynamic since the cigarette advertising days. The turn of the century has seemingly caused them to become even more dull as a result of lame minimalist design met with crypto-fake companies and AI-backed ventures plastering the sides of our favorite team's race cars. There about as unimaginative as the technology they're promoting. Even the John Player Special livery was minimal in coloring, but had more soul than some of today's current designs.

So I wanted to ask you fellow racing fans (whether hardcore or casual), what are some of the best liveries in racing?

The wealth and breadth of liveries runs deep over the decades of multiple disciplines of racing. I've found myself wholeheartedly enamored with AO Racing's Rexy and Roxy liveries sported on its Porsche GT3-R for the GTD Pro category of IMSA's Weathertech Sportscar Championship.

I remember the very first time I saw it running at Sebring the year it debuted. This amusingly bright green GT3 car (then running in GTD, seen above) with a toothy grin flying by Turn 1 turned out to be Rexy, AO Racing's cartoonish dinosaur livery. The story behind what they call the "Porsche GT3 Rawr" was even more delightful as team owner P.J. Hyett had worn a helmet for AO's debut at Rolex a few weeks prior with a dino-theme for his son on one side, and a fantasy unicorn for his daughter on the other. Rexy was born from the dinosaur inspiration, and Roxy, his magenta-liveried sister, would be created as a nod to Hyett's daughter. Both are incredibly imaginative and well executed compared to a lot of other creature-inspired liveries. Plus, you never miss either on track. And as much as I hate to admit it, the plushies they sell of the car's mascots are pretty damned cute, too.

My selection may be the most childish yet entertaining livery to have graced a race track, but frankly, it's been nice to see a team that's been willing to have some fun and not take the whole thing so damn seriously. And it shows with a championship win for the GTD-Pro category in 2024, a third-place overall in 2025, and a current standing of third overall going into Road America this weekend. 

So what say you racing Jalops? What are some of the best liveries in racing? We can journey through racing time together with your answers later in the week.