Porsche’s Rainbow Apple Livery Returns After 46 Years. It’s Racing This Weekend.
Photo by Hoyoun Lee on Unsplash
Porsche just pulled off something genuinely unexpected: it’s bringing back one of motorsport’s most legendary liveries, and it’s doing it right now. For the first time in 46 years, the iconic rainbow Apple Computer stripe pattern that graced a 935 during the 1980 IMSA season is back on official factory race cars. Two factory 963 GTP hypercars are wearing the design this weekend at Laguna Seca as part of the championship’s throwback event, and unlike most nostalgia moments in racing, this one actually matters.
This isn’t some one-off tribute car or a special edition road car. These are genuine, competitive weapons in the IMSA championship being fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport. The team has already won two of three races this season—the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring—which means that rainbow Apple stripe will be competing for overall victory against some of the fastest prototypes in the world.
The History That Makes This Actually Cool
The original Apple livery wasn’t some random corporate sponsorship handed down from Silicon Valley. It came through driver Bob Garretson, who secured backing from Apple cofounders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak during the early 1980s when personal computers were still a radical idea. The car raced in IMSA that season and also made the trek to Le Mans, where it retired after 14 hours with engine failure—a fact that somehow makes it even more legendary in retrospect.
The design itself is instantly recognizable: vivid horizontal stripes in green, yellow, orange, red, purple, and blue, with the classic Apple Computer script emblazoned across the front and side skirts. It’s the kind of livery that makes you stop and stare, which is exactly the point. The modern 963s carry an almost identical look, with one orange stripe swapped for a second red to match current design sensibilities, but the intent is crystal clear.
The actual historic car from 1980 has long since changed hands—it’s now owned by comedian Adam Carolla and has been re-livered in the scheme it wore during a different famous campaign. But the design has lived on in replicas and custom builds, gaining cult status among enthusiasts who appreciate the intersection of tech history and motorsport heritage.
Two Factory Weapons, Same Iconic Stripe
Porsche is fielding the Apple livery across two competitive entries. The No. 6 car will be driven by Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor, while the No. 7 will have Julien Andlauer and Felipe Nasr behind the wheel. These aren’t secondary or experimental cars—they’re front-runners in a championship that Porsche currently leads in the manufacturers’ standings.
Beyond the two Apple-liveried 963s, Porsche is also running a pair of 911 GT3 Rs in the GTD Pro and GTD classes. The GTD Pro car stands out with its own throwback charm: a dinosaur-themed livery nicknamed “Rexy” in green and white. It’s the kind of automotive fan service that works when it’s done with genuine affection rather than corporate checkbox-ticking.
Why This Moment Actually Matters
There’s a real tension in modern racing between historical respect and competitive relevance. Most throwback liveries happen during designated “heritage” races where they’re nice but ultimately decorative. Not this time. These Porsches are legitimate race-winners competing in one of North America’s most prestigious racing series, which transforms the Apple stripe from nostalgic relic into active symbol of continuity between two innovation-driven companies.
The timing is also sharp: Porsche is celebrating 75 years of motorsport history, and Apple is marking 50 years since its founding. The partnership between Stuttgart and Cupertino lasted only briefly in the racing world, but the visual legacy has endured far longer than anyone expected. The fact that Porsche could resurrect this design with factory blessing suggests there’s something genuinely timeless about it.
What’s particularly clever is that this isn’t Porsche trying to sell you nostalgia as a product. These aren’t special editions or limited runs. This is a championship-contending race team doing what it does best—racing hard—while wearing a livery that happens to reference an era when personal computing was revolutionary and Porsche was experimenting with boldly unconventional color schemes. The Apple stripe earned its place in motorsport history not through marketing spend but through sheer visual impact and historical significance.
The Stakes Are Real
With Porsche already on a winning streak and Laguna Seca serving as the backdrop, there’s a genuine chance these Apple 963s could take the overall victory. That would be a hell of a story—a throwback design winning an actual race rather than just looking good while finishing out of the points. For a brand that’s built itself on continuous innovation, there’s something perfect about honoring the past while actually competing for results in the present.
This is what motorsport heritage should look like. Not a museum piece, not a special edition that sits in a climate-controlled garage, but a factory race car wearing history on its bodywork while genuinely racing for wins. The rainbow Apple stripe is back, and it’s got something to prove.
- Porsche is running two factory 963 GTP racers in the iconic 1980 Apple Computer livery at Laguna Seca this weekend—the first time in 46 years the design has appeared on an official Porsche race car.
- The original Apple-sponsored 935 raced in 1980 with drivers Bob Garretson, Allan Moffat, and Bobby Rahal; the modern tributes carry the same rainbow stripe pattern with the classic Apple Computer script.
- Porsche Penske Motorsport has already won two of three IMSA races this season, making these throwback cars legitimate contenders for overall victory, not just visual tributes.
Sources: Carscoops · Road & Track · Motor1
