Inspired on the British Racing Green. In the early days of the Gordon Bennett Cup, Count Eliot Zborowski, father of inter-war racing legend Louis Zborowski, suggested that each national entrant be allotted a different colour.

Every component of a car had to be produced in the competing country, as well as the driver being of that nationality. The races were hosted in the country of the previous year’s winner. When Selwyn Edge won the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup race for England in his Napier it was decided that the 1903 race would be held in Ireland, at that time a part of the United Kingdom, as motor racing at the time was illegal in Great Britain.

America, Germany and France were already using the UK national flag colours of red, white and blue. As a mark of respect for their Irish hosts, the English Napier cars were painted shamrock green.