This weekend’s London ePrix marks the final race of the 2025–26 Formula E season and the swan song for its Gen3 car. With the two-time champion Porsche 99X Electric set to be retired as the fourth-gen car takes its place next season, Porsche’s factory team will send it off in a throwback paint scheme based on the Rothmans-sponsored cars that raced Le Mans and Dakar in the 1980s.

“In 2026, Porsche celebrates 75 years of motorsport, a history that began in 1951 when the Porsche 356 SL took a class victory at Le Mans,” proclaims the company. “As the 99X Electric contests its final races this weekend, the brand will mark its motorsport anniversary with a historic livery.

“The design draws on the colour scheme and styling of various successful Porsche race cars from the 1980s. These include the Porsche 959, which won the 1986 Paris–Dakar Rally. For track racing, the Porsche 956 and Porsche 962 C achieved the greatest successes. The two white-and-blue Group C sports prototypes each claimed two overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1982 and 1983, and in 1986 and 1987 respectively.”

Rothmans International was a close partner of Porsche in the 1980s, sponsoring its factory sports car and rally divisions. The latter included the WRC as well as raids.

René Metge scored his second and third Dakar victories in Rothmans-liveried 953 and 959 cars in 1984 and 1986. The latter remains a prominent part of Porsche’s lore such that the Porsche Museum happily lent it to the M24 Museum for its opening months earlier in the summer. His children Élodie and Jonathan Metge also planned to run this year’s Africa Eco Race in a replica of his 959 to commemorate the 40th anniversary before switching to his 1981-winning Range Rover.

Porsche fielded three 959s at the 1986 Dakar: Metge and Jacky Ickx finished 1–2, while team manager Roland Kussmaul was sixth overall in an assistance car. The factory rally program closed up shop after that to focus on sports cars. All three cars remain in Porsche’s collection.

The Formula E throwback livery obviously doesn’t have Rothmans logos, both because the company is defunct and due to current anti-tobacco marketing laws. Pascal Wehrlein hopes to score his second FE title in it, sitting third in the standings with just five points between him and leader Jake Dennis (who also races a Porsche 99X). Nico Müller is eighth in points.

Just as pertinent, Porsche FE trails Jaguar in the teams’ championship by 14 points going into the final round.

Featured image credit: Porsche AG