Martini Racing exhibition from 15 February to 4 May

The Louwman Museum in The Hague is presenting a retrospective exhibition of the legendary Martini Racing team from 15 February to 4 May 2014.

Martini Racing is instantly associated with a passion for motorsport, engineering, innovation and design. The name Martini Racing, the team and the livery have contributed to an unparalleled reputation in motorsport, not only because Martini was one of the first sponsors in the history of the sport, but also because in its more than 45 year history Martini Racing played a dominant role in all major racing events. The list of achievements is exceptionally long and includes victories from Le Mans to Formula 1 and from rallying through to the German Touring Car Championship (DTM).

The history of Martini Racing began on December 27, 1970, when the Porsche 917 was presented for the first time at the World Sportscar Championship in 1971 at the German Hockenheim circuit. This car featured the official Martini Racing colors, consisting of a combination of dark blue, light blue, and red stripes on a silver background. This color combination defined the look of all major international motorsport events for many years.

Since its introduction, Martini Racing branding has appeared on the cars of the most important manufacturers in motorsport: Porsche, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lotus, Brabham, Lancia and Ford. The Martini Racing team was always ahead of its time and played a leading role at all motorsport events,

The history of the racing team includes many highlights. Martini Racing dominated the so called endurance races for years between 1970 and 1986 and achieved many victories, including the first Le Mans win in 1971 by Gijs van Lennep. Between 1982 and 1992, Lancias from Martini Racing won the World Rally Championship no fewer than seven times, and the Alfa Romeo 155 DTM was the queen of the Touring Car Championships. In Formula 1, however, the team could not stand up to the competition.

Cars on show

The overview exhibition consists of five endurance racers; Porsche RSR (1974), Porsche 935 (1977), Lancia Beta Montecarlo (1981), Lancia LC1 (1982), Lancia LC2 (1983-86) and two Formula 1 cars; Tecno PA 123/6 (1973) and Brabham Alfa (1976/77). There are 6 rally cars; Porsche 911 SC Safari (1978), Lancia 037 (1983), Lancia Delta S4 (1985/86), Lancia ECV2 (1988), Lancia Delta HF (1992), Fiat 500 (1993) and 2 entrants in the Touring Car Championships; Alfa Romeo 155 V6 (1995) and Porsche GT3 R (2013).

With thanks to..

The Martini Racing overview exhibition is organized in collaboration with Museo Nazionale dell Automobile Torino, Museo Storico Alfa Romeo Arese, Collezione Lancia Torino, Porsche Museum Stuttgart and with the cooperation of several private collectors.