Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
#1 Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
It has suddently occurred to me that with the car in this condition and ready for re-painting ..........
........... I'm no longer restricted to Cream, which whilst I love the look is VERY impractical under the bonnet as regards keeping clean - everything shows up black on white.
The one colour that stands out in my personal favourites is the metallic Opalescent Gunmetal.
Are there any ardent proponents of that colour who would share their living-with-it experiences ?
Interior is red.
........... I'm no longer restricted to Cream, which whilst I love the look is VERY impractical under the bonnet as regards keeping clean - everything shows up black on white.
The one colour that stands out in my personal favourites is the metallic Opalescent Gunmetal.
Are there any ardent proponents of that colour who would share their living-with-it experiences ?
Interior is red.
Rory
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
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#2 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Or, as you are willing to go with an unoriginal paint scheme, change the under bonnet area to black a la Ferrari or Astons of the period.
Steve
'65 S1 4.2 FHC (early)
'65 S1 4.2 FHC (early)
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#3 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
bitsobrits wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 5:01 pmOr, as you are willing to go with an unoriginal paint scheme, change the under bonnet area to black a la Ferrari or Astons of the period.
S2 FHC Light Blue
S2 OTS LHD - RHD full restoration
S2 OTS LHD - RHD full restoration
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#4 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
I believe the Gunmetal was an original colour offered by Jaguar at that time, and that the Geneva car 9600HP was indeed that shade.bitsobrits wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 5:01 pmOr, as you are willing to go with an unoriginal paint scheme, change the under bonnet area to black a la Ferrari or Astons of the period.
Rory
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
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#5 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
PM Simon P if he doesn’t answer directly as his car is opalescent gunmetal
Geoff
Geoff
S2 FHC Light Blue
S2 OTS LHD - RHD full restoration
S2 OTS LHD - RHD full restoration
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#6 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Hello,
Obviously I am slightly biased, but mine is Opalescent Silver Grey (which is a darker tone than it sounds), with Oxblood Red interior with alloy dash, an FHC. Colour offsets chrome really well. Very understated.
Regards, Chris.
Obviously I am slightly biased, but mine is Opalescent Silver Grey (which is a darker tone than it sounds), with Oxblood Red interior with alloy dash, an FHC. Colour offsets chrome really well. Very understated.
Regards, Chris.
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#7 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Mine is Opalescent Silver Grey too which is a lovely colour. It should have a Green tinge to it. Be careful if you go for gunmetal - I’ve seen too many cars with too much metal flake in it which just doesn’t look right.
Angus 67 FHC 1E33656
61 OTS 875047
61 OTS 875047
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#8 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Robbie 1962 3.8 Coupe OSG 1962 OTS ODG
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#9 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Randall Botha
'64 3.8 fhc & '51 Mk 7
'64 3.8 fhc & '51 Mk 7
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#10 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Go for the gunmetal, Rory ! BUT..... make sure it is the genuine formula with just a hint of pink about it . The reason I say this is that a friend of mine bought a so-called gunmetal OTS , which in fact was painted in an Audi colour which exactly matched the tarmac we have in the UK. We picked it up, and on the 20 mile or so journey home, he had 2 cars pull out from junctions in front of him because the car had merged into the background despite bright sunny conditions
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#11 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Mine came from the factory OSG paint, light grey hide. It was a very good looking combination, and if I ever felt the need to do a bare metal resto., that is where I would go, despite my car wearing Carmen Red for around 40 of its 55 years. As it is, a 2+2 like mine isn’t worth full restoration unless it has a valuable provenance.
In my opinion the best interior colour for an E-Type is ‘not black’. Some of the best looking E-Types have had distinctly non standard colours. Anyone remember Tweety?
In my opinion the best interior colour for an E-Type is ‘not black’. Some of the best looking E-Types have had distinctly non standard colours. Anyone remember Tweety?
Chris '67 S1 2+2
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#12 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
It's the best E Type colour.
Full stop.
Andrew.
881824, 1E21538. 889457. 1961 4.3l Mk2. 1975 XJS. 1962 MGB
http://www.projectetype.com/index.php/the-blog.html
Adelaide, Australia
881824, 1E21538. 889457. 1961 4.3l Mk2. 1975 XJS. 1962 MGB
http://www.projectetype.com/index.php/the-blog.html
Adelaide, Australia
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#13 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Keep it up lads, I'm going to have to go and learn the differences between OGM and OSG.
Rory
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
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#14 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
OGG owner here
I've ridden around in mine for eight years now and I still think it looks fantastic. To be fair I think all the metallic greys suit the car well, and the subtlety of the differences betwixt them will be lost on the man in the street.
The attraction of the opalescent colours is that the way the light plays off then emphasises the curves of the bodywork, and with gunmetal, particularly in strong sunlight (of which I imagine you have an abundance where you live ), the car essentially renders down three colours: silvered highlights which tone with the chrome trim items; the grey itself which provides the colour and serves as a transition zone; and then the dark shadow areas which tone with the tyres and rubber trim items. Very harmonious and very attractive. There's also something wonderful about the way the reflections make the bonnet melt into the sky when you're sat behind the wheel driving during twilight on a clear summer's evening.
Personally I haven't found that the colour serves as a 'numpty magnet' any more that any other colour - as anyone who's ever tried riding a bike whilst wearing hi-viz yellow will tell you, you could be trailing red, white and blue smoke like the Red Arrows and still people will take it upon themselves to pull straight out in front of you!
So basically it gets (and continues to get) the thumbs up from me. And as an aside, as it's quite an understated colour, you might want to consider stove-enamelled wheels, which are a bit less shouty than the polished chrome/stainless equivalents and therefore harmonise a bit better.
Simon
I've ridden around in mine for eight years now and I still think it looks fantastic. To be fair I think all the metallic greys suit the car well, and the subtlety of the differences betwixt them will be lost on the man in the street.
The attraction of the opalescent colours is that the way the light plays off then emphasises the curves of the bodywork, and with gunmetal, particularly in strong sunlight (of which I imagine you have an abundance where you live ), the car essentially renders down three colours: silvered highlights which tone with the chrome trim items; the grey itself which provides the colour and serves as a transition zone; and then the dark shadow areas which tone with the tyres and rubber trim items. Very harmonious and very attractive. There's also something wonderful about the way the reflections make the bonnet melt into the sky when you're sat behind the wheel driving during twilight on a clear summer's evening.
Personally I haven't found that the colour serves as a 'numpty magnet' any more that any other colour - as anyone who's ever tried riding a bike whilst wearing hi-viz yellow will tell you, you could be trailing red, white and blue smoke like the Red Arrows and still people will take it upon themselves to pull straight out in front of you!
So basically it gets (and continues to get) the thumbs up from me. And as an aside, as it's quite an understated colour, you might want to consider stove-enamelled wheels, which are a bit less shouty than the polished chrome/stainless equivalents and therefore harmonise a bit better.
Simon
1969 S2 FHC - 1R20258
1993 Lancia Delta HF integrale Evo II
1993 Lancia Delta HF integrale Evo II
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#15 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
I agree about the metallic silver-grey . My other car is this colour and I now have to drive it with the daytime running lights on due to several heart-stopping incidents where people have pulled out of side roads right in front of me
Mark
1968 series 1.5 roadster
1968 series 1.5 roadster
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#16 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
I had resolved never to get into any discussion about colour preferences as they are never anything but expressions of subjective opinion.... But FWIW my car's original paintwork was OSG but unquestionably of a lighter, warmer shade than, say, Angus's. TT Classics reproduced the colour from the inside of the fuel filler door and here it is. To my (entirely subjective) eye it stands out in a rather magical way, and I love it....
Jeremy
1967 S1 4.2 FHC
1967 S1 4.2 FHC
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#17 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Oh... Advantages of this colour: doesn't show the dirt and dust. Disadvantages: it's a b****r to touch up when you get a stone chip on the nose...even if the stone isn't a small rock that actually dents the metal (yep, it was loud too). The colour may match but the metal particles won't settle in the same way so it reflects light differently. Angus said it was my fault for driving the thing...shoulda known better....
Jeremy
1967 S1 4.2 FHC
1967 S1 4.2 FHC
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#18 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Have to say Jeremy, posting a picture of your car on your front drive is a bit ostentatious!
Angus 67 FHC 1E33656
61 OTS 875047
61 OTS 875047
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#19 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
It's just our weekend cottage Angus
Jeremy
1967 S1 4.2 FHC
1967 S1 4.2 FHC
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#20 Re: Calling all Opalescent Gunmetal owners
Does it match the colour of the overdrive casting you have squeezed into your FHC and for which some of us are still awaiting pix to encourage/discourage attempts at the same alchemy? As you can see, I've been taking mine to bits and still haven't found any MOD DNA.
I'm not too bothered though, as the 4.8L engine going in might not do the overdrive any favours..
OSG does work well with Minilites though...
1E75339 UberLynx D-Type; 1R27190 70 FHC; 1E78478; 2001 Vanden Plas
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