60's TVR racers - were they sponsored?
Discussion
hi chaps,
I've had some white overalls embroidered with TVR for a while and for the Goodwood Revival this weekend my mate did the same and we sewed old patches on them to make them a bit Old School.
Now we know the TVR logo was wrong for the Revival 'period' but we got loads of comments about TVRs and nobody seemed to clock the mistake, so I think we got away with it
In fact, the number of comments we got restored my faith about the affection the British public have for TVR
So its got me thinking about what TVR might have had on their overalls.
I know about the DeWalt and Synergy link on the later cars but wondered if there were any even earlier sponsors of TVR who we might be able to get sew on patches for.
I don't suppose anyone knows do they?
All the photos I've found of the 60's cars appear to have no sponsorship on them at all.
Cheers,
IanB
I've had some white overalls embroidered with TVR for a while and for the Goodwood Revival this weekend my mate did the same and we sewed old patches on them to make them a bit Old School.
Now we know the TVR logo was wrong for the Revival 'period' but we got loads of comments about TVRs and nobody seemed to clock the mistake, so I think we got away with it
In fact, the number of comments we got restored my faith about the affection the British public have for TVR
So its got me thinking about what TVR might have had on their overalls.
I know about the DeWalt and Synergy link on the later cars but wondered if there were any even earlier sponsors of TVR who we might be able to get sew on patches for.
I don't suppose anyone knows do they?
All the photos I've found of the 60's cars appear to have no sponsorship on them at all.
Cheers,
IanB
Interesting one.
It's pretty much accepted that the first sponsorship livery on the cars themselves in F1 was Lotus with the Red and Gold 'Gold leaf' sponsorship in 1968.
Up to that point you tended to see advertising hoardings around the circuit and small stickers/signs from oil companies, tyre manufacturers, brake components etc in the pits and equipment but not widely on the cars. Less obvious liveries like the Gulf colours on the GT40s appeared in the early '60s but despise being distinctive they were not as 'in your face' as today's overt adverts.
After 1968 an on though it starts to be more common to see bigger stickers appear on the cars and then liveries like the one's seen in F1 and ones similar to the Gulf colours start to appear more commonly.
I think a company like TVR would have struggled to attract big name sponsors and I don't recall seeing any cars with sponsor logos. If you Google period images you'll see very little advertising on anything but the big team's cars but very little other than the manufacturers logo on the drivers and mechanics overalls so I'm guessing it came much later in the '70s and '80s.
I guess they may have had support in kind from Dunlop or BP perhaps and you'd possibly get away with patches from them but most pictures I've seen of mechanics have plain overalls.
It might be worth dropping Richard Sails (TVRCC Archivist) an email to see if he has any period images that may confirm any of this.
It's pretty much accepted that the first sponsorship livery on the cars themselves in F1 was Lotus with the Red and Gold 'Gold leaf' sponsorship in 1968.
Up to that point you tended to see advertising hoardings around the circuit and small stickers/signs from oil companies, tyre manufacturers, brake components etc in the pits and equipment but not widely on the cars. Less obvious liveries like the Gulf colours on the GT40s appeared in the early '60s but despise being distinctive they were not as 'in your face' as today's overt adverts.
After 1968 an on though it starts to be more common to see bigger stickers appear on the cars and then liveries like the one's seen in F1 and ones similar to the Gulf colours start to appear more commonly.
I think a company like TVR would have struggled to attract big name sponsors and I don't recall seeing any cars with sponsor logos. If you Google period images you'll see very little advertising on anything but the big team's cars but very little other than the manufacturers logo on the drivers and mechanics overalls so I'm guessing it came much later in the '70s and '80s.
I guess they may have had support in kind from Dunlop or BP perhaps and you'd possibly get away with patches from them but most pictures I've seen of mechanics have plain overalls.
It might be worth dropping Richard Sails (TVRCC Archivist) an email to see if he has any period images that may confirm any of this.
I think that upto that period the privateers (see for example David Piper) could make a good living from the start fees/win bonus offered by the circuit and event promoters. Bernie E. started by acting as a travel agent and then offered to share out the start fees. The factory teams were supported by and large by the factory, so TVR or the company owners, (or creditors.... of Layton Sports Cars, Grantura Engineering etc.)
After the Lilley take over, the main factory entry was perhaps Gerry Marshall in a dealer supported car. (At the start in Martin's car through his Barnet dealership?)
Trade sponsorship was less overt, but followed up by adverts in the papers on Monday (win on Sunday sell on Monday.)
Some of the early sponsorship in club racing was, as now, by the drivers contacts.
I think the recent Filby books have sections on racers in each year.
After the Lilley take over, the main factory entry was perhaps Gerry Marshall in a dealer supported car. (At the start in Martin's car through his Barnet dealership?)
Trade sponsorship was less overt, but followed up by adverts in the papers on Monday (win on Sunday sell on Monday.)
Some of the early sponsorship in club racing was, as now, by the drivers contacts.
I think the recent Filby books have sections on racers in each year.
if I could find a sew on patch - which I doubt. 
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