How Did Porsche’s ‘Gulf Blue’ Get Its Name?

Gulf Blue is one of the most iconic Porsche colors of all time, but where did it get its name? It’s not from the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, as one might guess. Rather, it bears the same name as the iconic light pastel blue of the Gulf Oil-sponsored Porsche 917 race cars that dominated the motorsports world in the early 1970s. The cars, outfitted with tangerine orange stripes and the iconic Gulf Oil logo, were fixtures at big international races of the day like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Gulf Oil Corporation ceased to exist as an independent company in 1985, when it merged with Standard Oil of California (SOCAL), with both re-branding as Chevron.

While Gulf Oil may be gone, its racing heritage lives on in the form of Porsche’s popular Gulf Blue paint color.

By Gary Mollohan