The use of liveries

conventional Martini livery on a 918

If you look up the word "livery" in the dictionary, you will find the following explanation: it is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body.

Personally I believe that a livery should not be placed on any type of car. Excluding targeted promotional sponsorship, it should only be used on cars that would others wise not stand out.

modern Martini livery on a 911

For instance, when used on a Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid it might look silly to some, for the 918 is already an exceptional looking car that most people will be seeing for the first time. However, in this case, the Martini owner Bacardi & Company of Switzerland wants to promote the Martini brand purposefully on the 918 because of the latters uniqueness.

On the other hand, having a livery on a car that already is common in the mind of the general public, say a Porsche 911, would make it look special. It might prompt one to say: "Hey cool, I like that!"

But then again, when used for other than for promotional sponsorship, liveries remain controversial, for it is quite personal. Some may like, others may not. So choose wisely when to use liveries.

For more on liveries on FulTrot, please click here.

Thanks for reading.

Photo credit: the Bacardi & Company of Switzerland, Porsche Club RS.