Car's personality different based on paint color?

[Healey_Z]

I'm looking at the first pictures of my now British Racing Green (BRG) BJ7 with the wrappings off and I have to say that it has a completely different look than when it was a two tone red/black.

The red/black looked distinguished, like take me out for a spot of tea. While the BRG makes it look like an old race car out of a barn that is telling me to go find some twisty turns and let it rip.

Perhaps it is all in my head, but perhaps those that have changed colors had the same thought?

I will have good pictures to post tomorrow.

 

[anthony7777]

healy-z, i went to encina h.s. a long,long time ago. so ya mean your car isnt yet "talking" to you?...not to worry it will, ah... by the way you will also soon have some passengers for whom the car will not perform, yuk..yuk..yuk, youll see... p.s. i also own a bj7, black over black..red interior.. its name is 'THE BEAST".

 

[John Turney]

Of course these cars (or any old British car, for that matter) has personality. They have feelings, too. I find they run better after a good cleaning. They feel appreciated then.

 

[Randy Forbes]

Mine was silver when I bought it, then white for a while, and now a deep metalic burgundy.

The car was also used for different things during those different colors, so it most certainly exhibited different characteristics.

Each time, it was like getting a new (relatively speaking) car.

All the same car:

Silver (w/DMH @ Bend, Oregon, circa 1977)

White (Sunday drive in Lafayette, Louisiana, circa 1986.)

Porsche Wine Red Metallic (currently Holland, Ohio)

 

[Healey_Z]

Randy,

Very nice and I like your approach of refreshing the car vs. selling and replacing.

Ken

 

[nevets]

I agree, color is a major influence on how a car is perceived. The term "arrest-me-red" comes to mind. I think 2-tone Healeys project an up-market "town & country" look, and as you say it's hard not to connect BRG with racing. I find it interesting that the Healey signature color is metallic ice blue, which to me doesn't seem very classic or British, but just looks so right on a Healey.

a few perfect car colors according to me:

Austin Healey - metallic ice blue (one exception being my car)
Bug eye - don't-know-what-it's-called leafy green
any MG T series - old english white
MGA - red
TR4 - BRG
TR3 - black
E-type - midnight blue (like the one in MoMA)
Lotus Elan - BRG (like JC drove)
Aston Martin - silver (as in Bond, James Bond)
anything Italian - red or fly yellow
anything German - silver

 

[Keoke]

Well seem like some foks just have a hard time making up their mind---Keoke-- :laugh:

 

[Healey_Z]

nevets,

I like your list and when I read the car on the left, the picture with the color you listed on the right popped into my head.

Even though I know they were using metallic colors on cars in the 60's, I don't like using them on my cars from that era.

Really though, you need to pick some pretty out there colors to make a vintage Austin Healey, Jaguar, Austin Martin, Ferrari, etc look bad.