For the 1970 24h of Le Mans, the Martini Racing Team tasked Anatole Lapine, the newly installed chief of the Porsche Design Studio, to conceive a memorable livery for the 917 Langheck (long tail). He didn’t have to look far for inspiration: His secretary wore a dress with purple and green psychedelic swirls.

Lapine first created a scale model study with the Hippie livery and the final paint job was applied in the yard of Porsche’s rented garage in Teloché, a small village on the outskirts of Le Mans.

In between practice sessions, some 1,500 spray cans of green and purple paint were used to create the famous Hippie livery.

Complementary colors (colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel) work well because of their inherent contrast. The Gulf Racing colors of light blue and orange are another great example of complementary color application. The Hippie livery certainly made its impact and raced into the hearts of Porsche fans all over the world.

• Based on an original painting by Nicolas Hunziker