Cigarette sponsors on race cars: cool or not?

Just pulling some event coverage photos, and I see a car carrying the logo of a cigarette company. I realize it's paying homage to a historic race car, but I wonder, Is this cool with people today or not? Honestly, I was a little surprised to see that.

I'm indifferent. It's cool to do an inspired livery. It's cool to support companies that champion racing, but if it's not a product that'd i'd normally use, it's not going to influence me to start.

It didn't make me want to take a puff, either. Just a caught my attention.

I wonder how legal it is, even if its a tribute? I'd imagine most people would let it go, but I could see an overzealous enforcer taking issue with it.

Don't care. You're racing. Have any sponsor you want on your car.

I like seeing all the old liveries with the booze and cig sponsors. Back to a time when men were men.

I must admit to loving me some JPS livery. I have even considered it for my black civic DD.

Schnitzer NORML BMW

I personally love it on a vintage car. It's a reminder of where we came from and lessons learned through history, for better or worse.

Swank Force One wrote: Don't care. You're racing. Have any sponsor you want on your car. I like seeing all the old liveries with the booze and cig sponsors. Back to a time when men were men.

QFT

I actually miss old Tobacco and Booze liveries. They were simple, but stood out and usually you could remember that car more than the others

Beer and alcohol sponsors were everywhere and I got hooked on snack food. Maybe not being on a Racecar causes addiction.

Cigarette sponsors as a homage are cool with me, but I wouldn't be a fan of new cigarette sponsors. Alcohol sponsors bother me less, but theoretically, they should bother me more.

While I've pretty clearly voiced my opinion about advertising on my car for free.... I'm totally fine if someone wants to put cigarette ads on their car if it's part of the car's history.

It is historic racing, afterall.

Personally, they don't bother me. Shouldn't someone cue up the footage of Dick Trickle smoking in his stock car during a caution?

IMO, tobacco livery on a historic car is perfectly acceptable. For a modern car or tribute car, I wouldn't like it.

But, tobacco livery colors with a phony sponsor name, a lá TG's Peniston oil Co. would be the best ever.

alfadriver wrote: While I've pretty clearly voiced my opinion about advertising on my car for free.... I'm totally fine if someone wants to put cigarette ads on their car if it's part of the car's history. It is historic racing, afterall.

This is actually a club racing car in question. The livery just recalls a race car from years ago.

David S. Wallens wrote:

alfadriver wrote: While I've pretty clearly voiced my opinion about advertising on my car for free.... I'm totally fine if someone wants to put cigarette ads on their car if it's part of the car's history. It is historic racing, afterall.

This is actually a club racing car in question. The livery just recalls a race car from years ago.

That makes me wonder why someone would advertise for free, then.

Streetwiseguy wrote: I wonder how legal it is, even if its a tribute? I'd imagine most people would let it go, but I could see an overzealous enforcer taking issue with it.

Which is exactly what happened to the Targa Newfoundland.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-brew/targa-newfoundland-car-rally-targeted-over-logo-driver-205911426.html

Personally, I have no problem with it. Some of my favorite race cars have had tobacco sponsors. Some have had booze sponsors. It hasn't changed my smoking or drinking habits, but those companies helped those cars to exist.

F1 still has alcohol sponsors and I don't see a problem.

Seeing Johnny Walker on the side of a Force India car doesn't make me want to drink scotch. Put cigs, booze, pot, prostitution on the side of the car. Whatever will help out the budgets is fine by me.

Relying on banks, telecommunications, etc I think it part of why all this PC nonsense is happening in motorsports as well.

On a historic race car or replica thereof? It'd be whitewashing history not to. I personally couldn't care less what they put on the current ones, though I'd think the potential legal and PR issues would make it a bad move.

There have been ways around it.

I hope this is the car in question

I'm part of the IDGAF crowd. Cigarette ads never effected me racecar or not.

For historic reasons: tolerable

Otherwise, not cool.

I guess I am fine with it, because I grew up watching, heck people have E-cigarette cars. Then again, I don't blame these cars for making people smokers since it did not work for me. Didn't Paul Gentilozzi at one time have one of his skin clubs sponsor a champ car.

No, no let's rewrite history. Everyone knows racers would never smoke, or drink, or even swear.

Not a fan of smoking, but even a bigger non-fan of the puritanical bent our society is on. I could care less who sponsors a race car. It the immortal words of Larry the Cable Guy "What the hell is this, Russia? "