Blue & Orange – The History of Gulf in Motorsport
By Michael Cotton
There are very few non-manufactures whose involvement in motorsport have been so great that they warrant their own historical account—Gulf Oil being the clear exception. For more than 70 years Gulf Oil has played a major role in international motorsport, not just as a sponsor, but as an active participant as well.
In Blue & Orange author Michael Cotton traces the history of Gulf’s involvement in motorsport starting in the ’30s with commissioning Harry Miller to build a mid-engine Indy car. Gulf went on to sponsor cars and series for the next 30 years before starting its historic association with John Wyer and the Ford GT40, Porsche 917 and Mirage projects. Cotton traces the history and development of all these famed projects, while exploring Gulf’s role in Steve McQueen’s “Le Mans” movie, as well as their support of the McLaren Can-Am, and later, F1GTR projects and even the recent Audi R8 effort. Having been researched and produced with the full support of Gulf, this book is a very in-depth (though perhaps not critical) look at Gulf’s significant contribution to motorsport. Laid out in a bold “seventies style” that may or may not be to everyone’s liking, this 208-page book is produced to very high standards and will be a must-have for any historian or enthusiast interested in the cars that wore the blue and orange.
Available from: Coterie Press $69.95 www.coteriepress.com
