The iconic Gulf Oil Livery paint scheme has seen its fair share of uses on a wide swath of vehicles. From bespoke supercars to even something as functional as an F-150 pickup, the powder blue/orange paint scheme has proven to be a very adaptable color scheme. The latest automaker to jump into the act is McLaren, with the British supercar company unveiling a special 720S entering the Gulf lifestyle.
Seeing Is Believing
The 720S in question celebrates the recently renewed partnership between McLaren and Gulf Oil, with the 720S being the road-going counterpart to the track-only MCL35M Formula 1 racer that will be making its debut this weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix. The exterior changes here are largely limited to the paint. The 720S retains its aggressive good looks and the high caliber engineering designed to make it go as fast a possible. On the other hand, the interior has received more than its fair share of tweaks, with stylists adding blue and orange contrast stitching, Gulf logos on the headrests, and even Gulf logos painted on the carbon fiber side sills.
A custom steering wheel rounds out the changes, with the traditional red center mark being replaced with an orange-hued one and subtle pinches of blue on the carbon fiber spokes. This allows this particular example of the 720S to stand out to curious observers. We think that this particular Gulf Oil adorned vehicle is right up there with some other high dollar examples of the breed, including a vintage Porsche 959 that made its global appearance several years ago.
It Took How Long To Paint?
The real newsworthy item here is not the paint itself but rather how quickly McLaren applied it to the car. McLaren claims that all of the 720S was painted entirely by hand, with the company claiming that these high skilled artisans could get the entire car done in 20 days. This is partially due to McLaren teaming up with Dutch paint firm AkzoNobel. Other unique touches include orange brake calipers and citrus-hued wheel lips.
But while the Gulf Oil livery is playing a key role here on the 720S, this is not the first time that McLaren has offered the color scheme to buyers. The paint combo is an available choice for customers who choose to go through McLaren’s MSO (McLaren Special Operations) division. Each of their prior offerings is produced in extremely limited numbers. The most recent example was a Gulf-hued Elva (we recently had the chance to check out the Elva ourselves), as well as a 675LT that appeared a few years ago.
A Storied Partnership Embodied In 720S
McLaren and Gulf Oil had a long and storied history together long before they renewed their partnership with the two firms, first joining forces in the 1960s with the Le-Mans winning F1 GTR being the most noteworthy project of the original tie-up before they went their separate ways. This time around, Gulf Oil is the official fuel supplier for both McLaren street and road cars, so look for the iconic blue and orange to make its way to more cars soon, perhaps even on the Artura, to help the hybrid supercar up its street cred.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.