Rothmans International, founded in 1890 and later controlled by the Rembrandt Group, became one of the most prolific motorsport sponsors of the 1970s and 1980s. The company had sponsored the British Olympic team in 1972 and became deeply involved in rallying and circuit racing as part of its international marketing strategy. From 1982 onwards, Rothmans committed to supporting Porsche's factory sports car effort in the World Sportscar Championship and its centrepiece, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The partnership's most celebrated achievement came immediately at its outset. At the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rothmans-backed Porsche 956s finished first, second, and third — a complete 1-2-3 sweep that announced the 956's total superiority over the Group C field. The 956 and its successor, the 962, were engineered to take advantage of the Group C regulations' emphasis on fuel efficiency alongside outright performance, and Porsche's flat-six turbocharged engines proved exceptionally well-matched to the demands of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Rothmans Porsche went on to win Le Mans again during the 1980s, accumulating a total of four victories under the sponsorship arrangement.
In addition to Le Mans, the Rothmans Porsche programme competed across the full World Sportscar Championship calendar. The partnership secured the 1985 World Sportscar Championship before Porsche officially withdrew from the championship in 1987. The Rothmans white, gold, and blue livery applied to the 956 and 962 became synonymous with Porsche factory effort during this era and remains among the most reproduced historic racing liveries.
Rothmans extended its Porsche partnership into rallying. In 1984, Porsche developed the 911 SC RS rally car specifically for a Rothmans-backed programme. David Richards and his newly formed Prodrive operation ran the car. Porsche had already benefited from associated Rothmans goodwill in rallying when Rothmans-sponsored Walter Röhrl won the 1982 World Rally Championship with an Opel Ascona 400. After Porsche's exit from rallying following the abolition of Group B in 1986, Rothmans transferred its rally sponsorship to the Subaru programme, also operated by Prodrive.
Rothmans and Porsche also collaborated on a one-make single-seater series. The Rothmans-Porsche Challenge Cup was a Porsche 944 competition founded by Jack Christie that ran from 1986 to 1991. Canadian team Pfaff Motors entered the inaugural season in 1986, with Scott Goodyear winning the championship for the team in 1988. The series provided a well-funded developmental ladder and kept the Rothmans name visible in domestic racing markets.
Rothmans maintained parallel high-profile sponsorships throughout this period. From 1985 to 1993, the company supported the factory Honda team in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, and from 1994 to 1997 it sponsored the Williams-Renault Formula One team — with Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve winning drivers' titles in 1996 and 1997 respectively under the Rothmans banner. The Porsche programme thus occupied the earlier chapter of an exceptionally wide-ranging motorsport portfolio.
Rothmans International was acquired by British American Tobacco in 1999, ending the Rothmans name as an independent entity.
The Rothmans Porsche partnership is remembered as the high-water mark of Porsche's Group C programme and as one of the most visually coherent factory racing identities of the 1980s. The white and gold 956 and 962 in full Rothmans colours remain iconic reference points for the era of turbocharged endurance racing that preceded the collapse of Group C in the early 1990s.