Colour choice....what is right

[Red Kite]

267 has an Eagle sticker in the windscreen......

[andrewh]

yes I spotted that. they were both stunning cars

[christopher storey]

I'm with the choose whatever pleases you camp. I do like the idea, however, of a matching pair, so perhaps OSB

One word of warning about Gunmetal. A friend of mine had a Gunmetal ( actually probably an Audi colour ) OTS, and people were forever turning out of junctions in front of him because the colour merged with the road surface

[andrewh]

yes matching colour would be good, and I adore OSB but I think it has to be a different colour. I recall your comments about the Gunmetal car before on road issues so something to think about.

here is a picture as she is today, originally white though

[SteveG]

Andrew,

For my two penneth worth I think you should paint and trim a car in any colour you like, after all it's your vehicle and you have to look at it and drive it.

My 2+2 was originally painted Dark Blue, non metallic with beige interior. When I bought it, it had been changed to red with a red interior. It had not been done well and I assume was hurriedly re-sprayed by a previous owner in the late 70's to sell on. The interior was mostly red but had some of the original beige left over, most notably carpets and centre console covering. All in all a bit of a weird combination. I am not particularly a fan of dark blue only because of it being a flat colour and the beige interior is way too light for my tastes, a bit like magnificence in magnolia! My plan therefore is to change to ODB with grey interior, I know ODB was not available for that year but figure it's still a Jaguar colour so I am not changing too drastically. Originality is lovely in a genuine few owner non restored car but once parts are changed or restored significantly, this originality is lost along with much of the historical significance or any rarity value. Let's face it, these cars were fairly numerous, many were butchered, not well maintained and have been subsequently completely restored and there remain a number on the roads today. If we were talking Lamborghini Muira or Ferrari 275's I feel the answer and any subsequent worth by deviation from 'original' may be different!
Congratulations with your purchase.

[richard btype]

Andrew

Firstly congratulations on the addition, has this come in from the states and is it sound structurally?

I beat myself up enormously for months on this subject when trying to decide what colour I should repaint my Lotus Elan Sprint. The original colour was Lotus Yellow but came to fancy Pistachio after following one for miles coming out of Goodwood revival one year!

In the end I messed around painting up three models (with black also being an option) I finally remained with yellow even though it is probably the most common after Lotus Red (gold leaf colours).

Now pleased however that I did - not easy to give an unbiased opinion however on the 62 Primrose as this is one of my favourite colours probably heightened by the e type used in one of those Emmanuel films way back in the 70's...

[andrewh]

thanks chaps. I will have to check on whether Primrose was available in 62 or not.

The car is coming in from California and I do hope it is rot free, or mostly rot free! I will report back once I get it home and all stripped down. Want it done for this time next year. That is quite a task?

[trondvo]

I would say that it depends on the original color, there are some I could not live with but e.g. if you like the original color but love red I would still go with the original.

When your car was in its glory days this is how it rumbled around. It is a ticket to past times, make that ticket as genuine as possible. I like that thought, just turn the time back in your head, put an early Beatles track on the mp3 (hide a mini tuner/amp in the radio console) and cruise back to the roaring sixties.

"Just my 2 cents" but any color the owner like will be fine!

[richard btype]

Good thread this Andrew, I was delighted when first offered my FHC and noticing from the JHDT certificate that it was manufactured in O gunmetal with red interior for that was my first choice (although the last owner painted it in O silver grey a lighter and more cheery shade).

So all good, but then chassis no 15 was on display at this years London Classic - in a colour scheme I have never seen before on an etype - Pearl grey with a light blue interior and chrome wires. I kept finding myself being drawn back to this car during the show and have really fallen for this scheme. Then by chance I had the opportunity to briefly drive this very car a month or so back and just enjoyed the very light/fresh nature of the car from both inside and outside!

So with my restoration drawing nearer i'm seriously debating this very subject, my inclination however might be to restore 403 as per factory spec as I'm a bit of a traditionalist (clearly going against the grain) sell her, then try and find a pearl grey car… However that is my own preference and agree totally that the owner should decide what best suits...

You mention about the coloured wheels, there is a photo of 9600 HP (around the time of the launch) during a test on the continent, although its a black and white photo it looks to me that the car was fitted with black wheels and looks nice. In a perfect world would have a set of chrome, silver painted and black painted as each set the car off in very different ways….

[Nickleback]

Hi Andrew,

Let me start by saying it's your car, paint it what you want, when you want and with whatever interior trim you want with it. - Live the life, live the dream, you are only here the once !!

Factors that may effect that decision (not neccessarliy in the right order but are your view ?):

Favourite colour / year of availability ?
Originallity ?
Your partner ?
Model - OTS, FHC, Year. ?
Resale ?
Patina ?
Complete or partial rebuild and to what level ?
Family inheritance ?
History ?
Country of origin ?
Paintshop matching ?
Cost ?
Climate, sunny or not sunny ?
Concours or not ?

Blimey, I'm even questioning my own decision

Just my own "Two-penneth"

Whatever you choose, be happy

[malcolm]

I wouldn't even worry about whether the colour is right for the year, unless you're going to be entering concours competitions.

[Quattrofrank]

I`m in the same dilemma, but is not going for concours at all. But this makes it even worse because there is millions of colors to choose from.
Does anyone have pictures of e types painted in non 60`s jag colors?
I`m really in love with the bmw marrakech brown but wonder how this would suit a e type

[malcolm]

Looks good to me, but would need to get the interior trim right. Maybe a sand/beige trim?

[Simon P]

Painting any car brown is a crime......



Simon - Owner of a formerly Sable E-type

[Mark Gordon]

"Painting any car brown is a crime......"

This is a good case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. A couple of years ago, Jeep was running an ad in the US which showed one of their models in an exterior color that was about the same as that brown. I thought that it would really look good on an E with an off white interior and brown piping. As others have said in the past, it's your car; paint it the color that pleases you whether it is original or not (unless you want to show it in concours). No matter what combination that you choose, some will approve and some will not. Their opinions really don't matter as long as you like it.

[JagWaugh]

"No matter what combination that you choose, some will approve and some will not. Their opinions really don't matter as long as you your wife like chose it."

ftfy.

[Mark Gordon]

[Moeregaard]

When I painted 1E30036 in 1993, I used the BRG that Jaguar used on the 1990 XJ6. It has a lot of blue in it that becomes apparent in the evening light. Nobody criticized me for this and I think the colour suits the cars lines quite well. The only shades that don't suit classic-car lines (to my eyes anyway) are the very bright whites. In this instance, the warmer colours seem to work better.

[jivili]

FWIW I would argue that there are enough good people out there restoring their cars to factory spec or to the gunmetal with red interior that seems so popular at the moment,that there is room for a few of us to choose the colours we really want
My Inspiration......



And the nearly finished project which I love and am so glad I followed my heart and not my head
It makes me smile and that is why I bought it in the first place

[Herzeg]

Only question is .....

Is there a pint and a half of milk in everyone who sits in it?

John