It may have been two seasons ago indigenous liveries became compulsory to run when the Repco Supercars Championship made its traditional trip to Darwin, but in 2008 Triple Eight Race Engineering kickstarted the trend in the name of charity.
Then known as Team Vodafone courtesy of its long-term deal with the telecommunications giant, Triple Eight was in the midst of a golden period featuring star drivers Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes where it enjoyed factory support from Ford.
Enlisting Aboriginal artist Raymond Walters Japanangka to design the livery, it mixed earthy tones and characteristic circles that are a common feature in indigenous art
Brown, white and red featured behind the Vodafone branding on the sides, spoiler endplates, lower air dam plus the bonnet was the artwork. Matched with the normal silver accents, it was a well remembered livery and has since turned into a sought after 1:18 scale model.
As for the charity aspect, the livery was designed to highlight the work of Red Dust Role Models to aid the disadvantaged youth in the remote areas of Australia.
The livery was only used during the 2008 round at Hidden Valley in 2008, a meeting to prove crucial in the history of Triple Eight as it was there Ford announced it had ended factory support for the team and Dick Johnson Racing for 2009.
Of course, Triple Eight changed allegiance to Holden in 2010 and continues to be aligned with General Motors to this day.