Step on it With The Puma Speedcat Trainer
With motorsport at its very core the PUMA Speedcat trainer was originally released back in 1999 for Formula 1 drivers in collaboration with Sparco.
If you knew your GTi's from your WRX Turbo's & spent countless hours hanging around in your local Matalan car park in the early noughties as part of your local 'cruise' scene, you will remember how motorsport intertwined with what people were wearing on the streets. The PUMA Speedcat trainer was a great example of this era. Worn with slightly bootcut Prada jeans, Armani beanie hats & Stone Island knitwear, the UK's homegrown 'car modding scene' was like a catwalk of designer gear, paint can exhausts, body kits & big bumpers. If going to a cruise on a Wednesday evening in Milton Keynes wasn't your thing, you will still probably remember how big the slim line trainer silhouettes like the Speedcat were. The Sparco connection and the whole Max Power era of a scantily clad glamour models & motorsport performance had created its own speed fuelled street style. Recently celebrating its 25th anniversary the PUMA Speedcat now arrives at 80s Casual Classics with all its early noughties nostalgia.
Above: The PUMA Speedcat OG trainer in all time red/white now available from 80s Casual Classics.
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Originally released back in 1999 for F1 drivers in collaboration with Sparco, the Speedcat was inspired by an earlier motorsport design by Stefan Bellof from the 1980s. Designed for the PUMA Formula 1 Team, the Speedcat featured premium calfskin & kangaroo leather uppers with a fireproof lining. Launched as part of a general release in 2000 in an updated low version, it was this particular version that became a style icon among the speed junkies of the UK's modding scene. F1 Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher was also a big fan with the Speedcat becoming just as popular on the streets of Stockport as it was at Silverstone. The performance driven 'driving' silhouette also started PUMA's very own Motorsport division which would go on to provide some of the worlds most successful racing teams from Ferrari to Red Bull Racing. The Speedcat family also featured other motorsport inspired silhouettes like the Future Cat & the Drifcat to name a few.
Above: The PUMA Speedcat OG trainer in all team royal/white now available from 80s Casual Classics.
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Now revived in the original low version, the Speedcat features the signature streamline profile with 'ultra suede' uppers and a T-toe construction to the front. PUMA's iconic formstrip and toe cap cat embroidery remind us of the late 90s silhouettes' motorsport heritage with Softform+ cushioning underfoot for superior comfort. Available in a selection of OG inspired colourways such as team royal & all time red the OG racing trainer is finished off with embroidered PUMA branding to the lateral sides and tongue. Shop the latest PUMA trainer arrivals now at 80s Casual Classics.