Introduction.
Part 7 of my work for #NEWGROUPCBLAST, an Instagram thread spun up by Oct8n in October 2018 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the great Group C/GTP sports-prototype era of motorsport and in anticipation of the the new 2020 prototype regulations.
Unmistakable.
This is what might have happened if a few things went slightly differently in early 1990's sportscar racing.
The Martini team was organized effectively as an alt-factory team, which gave Ferrari the opportunity to play multiple strategies in the Group C championship. Martini's “LM” evolution of the F94 was optimized for the top speed battlegrounds of Le Mans, Spa, and Monza. A more conservative aerodynamic approach (coincidentally similar to Joest's) favored more cooling airflow through the larger, smoother sidepods, and moved engine air intake to the roof. For further drag (and downforce) reduction, the nose wing was trimmed out, dive planes removed, and extra fairings added around the front-well side outlets. The single dual-element rear wing was dropped nearly to rear-deck height, and of course those rear-wheel covers mean serious top-end speed.
For this Martini livery, I wanted to capture the drama and richness that the prominent use of dark-blue and red brought to the 1971 Le Mans car #21 (chassis 917-042). Modernized on the F94, angular color blocking and fragmented patches of striped bands bring a dynamic play across the car's surfaces without simply being a continuation of the typical flowing Martini stripes. Distinctive, yet unmistakably Martini.
"Andiamo!"
To be continued....
