By Rob Andrews
Photos: MRUK/Palmer – 2023

Last season we ranked the BTCC field in order of looks. At the time there were more cars and a greater variation in design. For 2023 however the championship has become an arena for three, four and even five car teams meaning that really there are only 10 main designs – and three of those are colour variations on one theme with Team HARD, so for this year instead of ranking the BTCC in order we decided to combine that series and the TCR UK championship and pick the 10 best.

Had things gone to plan for 2023 there should have been one simple winner – the Jamie Tonks Black and Gold Hyundai Elantra that was to be run by Area Motorsport – but the main sponsor pulled the plug at the last minute leaving the car shoved on the sidelines. There is a chance it will be back this year, but not in what were stunning colours…….

Ten – Dan Kirby – Zest Racecar Engineering

Between the BTCC and TR UK there have been 12 examples of the Cupra Leon on the circuits so far this season, and for the most part they have been fairly bland. In the BTCC the six Team HARD cars are doing their job efficiently. With the same black and colour design (the colours being blue, red and orange) at least we can pretty easily work out who is who, but it doesn’t crack the top 10. In TCR UK almost all of the cars have been white with a few stripes. George Jaxon has departed the series after a single round, so we can’t count him. His two liveries (one for pre-season and another for Snetterton) would have made it here, but the award goes to series returnee Dan Kirby. Initially a rushed white design was used first time out, but by Croft it was shifted to a pleasing red, white and black scheme that’s pleasing to this eyeball.

Nine – Speedworks Toyota

A variation on a thee that has been the basis of the Toyota corporate racing colours for many a year. The Speedworks Corolla began life with a pasty livery that wasn’t quite Greggs if we’re honest, but When Tom Ingram took his Ginsters look away the expanding squad with a bit of Toyota backing have gone full Gazoo to sit alongside the WEC and WRC machines. SImple and easily identifiable as a brand it does the job asked of it.

Eight – MPH Audi

Apart from a few wheel arch flashes swapping between blue and silver the MPH Generation One Audi RS3 LMS TCR machine is almost identical to 2022 with the black base setting off those two colours. And why not? It worked last season, and even with an increased grid size the colours stand out. It’s standard Touring Car with a bit of simple pizazz with the silver insets in areas where there would normally be shadow brightening things up a bit.

Seven – Scott Sumpton – Restart Racing

Another TCR machine. If you’re a Honda fan this is the best looking of the bunch. The Restart Racing pink tinged Type R is a standout. There’s nothing wrong with the Chris Smiley new FL5 Type R design – which was on the cusp of the top 10 due to it’s striking simplicity of white and grey – but this is just….. more. Add in the matching helmet and race suit and the young charger in his second TCR campaign is one of THE eye catchers in the field.

Six – West Surrey Racing

It’s a hard task to go wrong with the BMW M-Sport colours. They are a classic. The M1 Procar. The IMSA 300 CSL. An overspill of heritage that has to be matched every year. The 330 has looked good in each season it has raced in the BTCC,  but the white base tops the black every time if it’s a factory colour you’re after. The highlight blue and the black stripes enhance the overall look – not too busy, but busy enough.

Five – Callum Newsham – JH Racing

It’s a spin on a theme from the 2022 Golf GTI that Newsham (son of BTCC race winner Dave) ran all of last year. Having switched to an i30 for this year has given him a better chance of a race win, but he’s also a in a bit of a stunner. Yes, red and white sounds boring, but that deep, fruity, semi-metallic ruby does make an impact. It is the best shade of red in all of Touring Cars.

Four – NAPA Ford

Too much of a good thing? Last year the two cars of Ash Sutton and Dan Cammish topped our livery ranking. It was fresh and sorted with complimenting – well known- colours. They had a bit of a ‘pop’ about them, and that has not gone away. Comparing 2022 to 2023 you could argue that the overall deign is a bit better, but there are a couple of things preventing it claiming the top spot – one being that others have put together a more striking paint scheme, the other is that having four cars reduces the impact. Fans do have to take a second or third glance, and as for the photography side? Total nightmare. If only two of the cars had run a reverse livery…..

Three – MB/Laser Tools Racing

It’s clean and shiny. The Laser Tools brand has been in and around the BTCC for a long while and yes, it’s white and blue. The last couple of seasons has seen the brand adorn the Q50, with a few too many flashes of red or different shades of blue. The Jake Hill scheme for this year is so simple, following the lines of the car, but it’s the mirrored blue of the logo across the doors that has you taking a second look to check the colour that catches the eye the most.

Two – Essex and Kent Motorsport

In a conversation earlier this year the Veloster that Brad Kent is racing this year, which elder brother Lewis raced last term came up. It still carries orange – which has been a steady colour for the team since entering TCR in 2018, but the black machine with the darker metallic shade is very different to the i30 of old. It was described as being like an oval racer. Individual. Non-Corporate. A throw across to a form of racing where personal expression can trump sponsorship dough. For the most part in the meantime however TCR UK is not at that point like the BTCC is, and because of that liveries that look good in the flesh – as opposed to being noticeable on TV (even if they are crap) are still an option. And this is a good one. Plus, if you open the driver door it becomes a bit Top Gear as the Essex Bodies logo becomes Sex Bodies….

One – Area Motorsport – Winfield/Sargeant/Files

A single (ish) livery across two cars. And contrary to what is said above, it works because of corporate colours – those of Hyundai. If we’re honest here for a moment quite a few TCR cars are the colour they are because of budget. White or black bases are often due to the plain colour that they arrive with, a few striped and coloured panels are used to break that up. The Elantra (which would be joint second if the Tonks example was on track) came with the pale blue in that way – but it just looks awesome – on that and the Bruce Winfield i30.  Both are the best coloured machines in UK Touring Cars for the moment in our opinion.