Hello and welcome to F1 Livery Histories
the channel where we take a look back
at the different paint jobs, racing
trims and sponsor decals adopted by
respective Formula One teams throughout
the eras.
Today we'll be taking a look back at
Formula One's first ever team of Asian origin.
A team which has realized success
in a wide variety of motorsport
categories around the world, be it
racing on two wheels or four.
Honda.
The Honda motor company was founded in 1948
by Soichiro Honda and began its extensive
contribution to the motorcycle industry
by designing and building its first bike,
the D-type, in 1949.
Over the course of
the next decade Honda would establish
itself as one of the world's premier
motorcycle producers.
In 1959 Honda first
entered the realm of motorsport,
competing at the Isle of Man TT.
Heading into the 1960's, Honda
began producing road cars, and would make
the decision to enter Formula One in
1964, becoming the very first
all-Japanese team to compete in the sport.
Honda's initial Formula one charger was
the V12 powered RA271 model, which
made its competitive debut at the
Nurburgring for the German Grand Prix.
This proudly Japanese team would race in
the colours of its country's national
flag, with white being the team's
backdrop shade, highlighted with a
red Rising Sun.
The following year
Honda would celebrate its first Formula
One win, as American driver, Richie
Ginther, steered the RA272 to victory at the
1965 Mexican Grand Prix.
In 1966 Honda
produced the RA273 chassis which had a
red stripe added to it sides.
At the 1967 Italian Grand Prix Honda would
debut the RA300 chassis, co-developed by
racing engineering company, Lola, which
took victory on it's very first time out
thanks to John Surtees.
The team's red racing stripe was now
situated on the top of the car and
surrounded the cars air inlet.
Heading into 1968 the team would run with the RA301,
once again co-designed by Lola,
which now came with two horizontal red
racing stripes with black outlines.
The team would also produce the 
RA302 model, which featured a V8 engine and
a magnesium-skinned chassis.
However, the
car would compete a Grand Prix level on
just the singular occasion, as in a
tragic case of events, the team's driver,
Jo Schlesser, was killed at the 1968
French Grand Prix as a result of a
severe crash behind the wheel of the RA302.
The adversities of the 1968 season would
mark the end of Honda's first foray into
Formula one.
It wouldn't be until the V6
turbo era more than a decade later that
Honda would make a return to the sport,
initially supplying engines to the
short-lived the Spirit Formula One team
in 1982, before going on to supply
engines to Williams, McLaren, Lotus and
Tyrrell, achieving a run of six consecutive
constructors titles as an engine
supplier from 1986 until 1991.
From 1992 until 2000 Honda would supply engines to
various teams on the grid prepared by
its automotive partner, Mugen.
In 1999 Honda
briefly considered a return to the
grid as a works team, testing the Dallara-
built RA099 chassis.
However, the project was abandoned
following the passing of the team's lead
designer, Harvey Postlethwaite.
Instead Honda would return once again as
a fully fledged
engine supplier, building engines for
both Jordan and British American Racing.
As it was, the Honda Motor Company was
set to make a return to Formula One
under a set of unseen circumstances, as
following the approval of new laws
prohibiting tobacco advertising, British
American Tobacco would transfer
ownership of its Formula One concern to Honda.
With such an event marking the
return of the famous Japanese
constructor, so begins our
retrospective on the inventive and
imaginative Honda Formula One team.
Much like the BAR cars of previous
seasons, Honda's first modern Formula One
car, the Geoff Willis designed RA106 came
painted in the company colours of Lucky
Strike cigarettes, as British American
Tobacco carried over its existing
sponsorship arrangements.
Lucky Strike was joined by fellow
sponsors Intercond and Rayban, along
with technical partners NGK, Michelin and
fuel suppliers, ENEOS.
Honda's company
branding featured distinctively on the
new car, seen on the rear wing of the
vehicle engine case as well as in the
form of a bright red Honda badge upon
the nosecone.
The team's title sponsor
would continue to add nuances to its
company branding at tobacco ban races
much like it had in previous seasons,
with Lucky Strike's "Look Left, Look Right"
motif once again coming to the fore.
At the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix Anthony
Davidson's test car would promote
Turkish fuel company Petrol Ofisi,
whilst at the final round of the
season in Brazil, Lucky Strike would
commemorate its exit from the sport with
a special set of liveries which bid
farewell to the Grand Prix world.
The team's return season would prove to be
highly successful as Honda finished in a
creditable fourth position in the
Constructors' standings.
The season was
capped off by Jenson Button's historic
win at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The following year Honda would run with the
first of its famous
Earthdreams liveries for the RA107,
a livery which was designed to reflect the
Honda Motor Company's environmentalist
business ethos.
The car raced without any
form of external sponsorship, instead
carrying a paint job which exhibited an
image of the Earth upon a black backdrop.
Along with its new car Honda would also
launch its own website, myearthdream.com,
a site which detailed Honda's aims of
conservation.
In 2008 Honda would
revitalize its Earthcreams delivery for
the RA108, which now came with images of
the planet featured on a white
background, along with earth colour
drivers numbers and a pair of racing
stripes which ran down the front of the car.
The team livery also presented some
small touches of red upon the front wing
and the air box which hinted that the
team's Japanese provenance.
Despite each of the efforts the team had
put into promoting its Earthdreams
campaign, the events triggered by the
global economic downturn of the late
2000's prompted Honda to announce its
withdrawal from the sport.
The team was
eventually offloaded to former Honda
team principal, Ross Brawn, who
named the entry to BrawnGrand Prix ahead
up the 2009 season.
Honda would remain absent from all to do with Formula 
One until 2015, when it returned to the grid
as an engine supplier, firstly with its
old acquaintance, McLaren, before going on
to partner both Toro Rosso and Red Bull
Racing.
Aside from its exploits in
Formula One, Honda has also successfully
competed in IndyCar, Touring Car, Sports
Car and rally competitions around the
world.
However, undoubtedly, the company has
created its biggest impact in the
motorcycle world, having to date claimed
a record 25 Grand Prix motorcycle racing
World Constructors' Championships.
With Honda once again making up a big part of
the Formula One landscape, here ends our
retrospective on the Honda Racing team.
