GULF HERITAGE
More than just a livery
TO MOST MOTORSPORT enthusiasts, a car in powder blue and orange livery says one thing: Gulf. The brand seems to have been around for ages – and indeed, Gulf was one of the original Seven Sister major oil companies, dating back to 1901 in Texas. This means the Gulf in question is not, as most people today think, the Arabian Gulf, but in fact the Gulf of Mexico.
Legend has it that when Gulf’s founders went to register their oil claim, they wanted to call themselves the Texas Oil Company, but another outfit had used that name only a matter of days earlier. Had it not been for that, Gulf would have been Texaco…
Ironically, it was Chevron-Texaco that took over Gulf in the 1980s, keeping control of the brand in the USA but allowing Gulf Oil International – a company from the multi-faceted Hinduja Corporation – the rights to the brand elsewhere around the world. Today, Gulf is a thriving operation globally, with lubricant businesses in more than 100 countries and almost 30 national fuel networks – the most recently launched being in China and Argentina. The aim is to double this within the next five years.
As might be expected, Gulf has a wide portfolio of lubricants, of which its automotive products form a significant but small part. The company’s motto – Quality, Endurance, Passion – sums up what today’s Gulf stands for.
Gulf has a number of firsts to its name. It was the first company to drill for oil over water and, more significantly, in 1913 in Pittsburgh, Gulf opened the first drive- in fuel station, thus shaping the world’s motoring habits to this day. Gulf has continued to innovate. A decade ago, Gulf registered its iconic racing colours as a trademark, the first oil company to be able to do so. Three years ago Gulf and Manchester United launched the first oil and fuel partnership for a Premier League football club (a move now copied by many others) and, last year, Gulf and Ford partnered to bring about the current Heritage Edition of the Ford GT – the first time an oil company and a major manufacturer had got together to launch a production road car series.
Gulf is unique among oil brands, because its reach has extended way beyond that of its core products. Gulf resonates with the public and has a cool quality that means companies want to license the brand for their products. Enthusiasts can find everything from furniture to fridges in powder blue and orange, as well as wide ranges of clothing from long-time partners Grand Prix Originals, the Classic Collection from the ACO which organises races at the Le Mans circuit, and much sought-after watches from TAG Heuer. There is also a large market for historic Gulf collectibles.
Back in the 1970s, Gulf even became a race car constructor. The car that won the 1975 Le Mans 24 Hours proudly carries the designation Gulf GR8, making Gulf the only sponsor ever to have its name on the official list of Le Mans winners.
That Le Mans-winning car is one of the jewels in the crown of the ROFGO Collection, which now encapsulates so much of Gulf’s amazing motorsport history in one place. The partnership with ROFGO for the Official Heritage Collection of Gulf is something about which both parties are extremely excited, allowing Gulf’s past to become a building block for its future.