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Most popular color for A/H 3000

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Marvin Gruber

Marvin Gruber

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Looking for opinions to best or most popular color for 3000. I am going to start a BJ7 soon. It was a red on red car originally. I like to put a car back the same as it was but red on red is too much. I thought well I will just change interior to black, then since I am changing that I might as well change ourside color as well. I do plan to keep it a Healey color. I know what color I am thinking about but would like to hear from the crowd

Marv
 
Most popular is probably blue/white outside.

I'd go black exterior and red interior if I was going to change one of the colors.
 
Hi Marv,

You are undertaking quite a set of decissions. Is there a limit to your choices of colors?

When completing my Healey rebuild in the late 1980s, I decided to stay with the my original black interior and Old English White for the exterior, as original. However, having run into a landslide on a back road in Arizona in 1964, I had the front shroud repaired and the car completely repainted (concerned with the common possibility of a paint mismatch after time). So, when the painter came up to me and asked if I wanted the Old English White on the car or the Official Old English White it finally made sense why people would ask what color I had on the car. It turned out that the original repaint was hand mixed in 1964 and a little darker then the Official color. My problem was I liked the slightly darker OEW and got many compliments on the color, however, I opted for the Official color to better assure a good match just in case.

I mention this story as todays paints are more accurately mixed then in the past and our perception of the color is personal. When selecting your color, make sure the painter mixes and sprays a small sample before making your selection. So too, interior colors are not consistent and vary from vendor to vendor and batch to batch. Ask for a small sample and don't go just with a picture or chart.

You will be paying quite an amount of $s and living with your decision for a long time.

Good luck,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
I would guess the most popular color was Healey Blue, followed by Colorado Red, then Ivory White. The blue with white coves is also popular, but became more rare toward the end of production, according to Clausager.

If you go with Healey Blue, the seats should be blue with white piping, and the carpet and top should also be blue. The same with blue over white.

With Colorado Red, you have choices of red seats with black piping, carpet and top; grey seats with red piping, carpet and top; or black seats with red piping and black carpet and top.

With Ivory White, you have choices of red seats with white piping, red carpet and black top; or black seats with white piping and black carpet and top.

Or, you could go with what you like.
 
My -62 is Colorado red, black interior with red piping and I love it. But I would also strongly consider the Healey blue with white inserts. But it all comes down to personal taste of course.
 
This is of course a personal choice. I elected to convert my Healey Blue to Colorado Red with black leather seats and red piping. It matches the first Healey I came in contact with as a teen. Had to go back there.
 
I'm surprised that there are not any Healeys - at least that I have seen - in this spectacular and stylish combination of original exterior and interior colors, although very nearly never seen together:

Healey Blue paint with a red interior. I'd likely also go with a red top and tonneau, or at least a red tonneau.

For potential future buyers, you will have used an original paint color and so the car doesn't need to be dismantled to the last nut and bolt to undo an odd-ball paint color, and someone with a "less developed sense of style" can easily change the interior to the dark blue that would be "normal" with Healey Blue paint.
 
I like your style, Reid! I haven’t seen your combination in person but I think it would be very attractive.
Lin
 
Aston Martin sage metallic green with biscuit leather interior and tan carpets . Green mohair top .
Soooooooo British :eagerness:
 
All sports cars are supposed to be RED!
Right?
Well Enzo Ferrari knew that and everyone seems to want a Ferrari at least once in their life.
​
IMG_2701.jpg.
 
How 'bout Florida Green w/ metallic gold beige coves and a red interior highlighted with tan piping.:banana:
 
Best.jpg HM Calendar 2004.jpg I feel the color choice is personal, however, I always look for a color that was not popular. Here's my 1959 BN7 in early BRG over OEW. It was always popular at car shows.

You can find this color at "AH Guide to Historic Colors" by Donald Pikovnik. It's BRG mfg code GN.25 on page 10 and 20.
 
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Johnny said:
View attachment 58855 I feel the color choice is personal, however, I always look for a color that was not popular. Here's my 1959 BN7 in early BRG over OEW. It was always popular at car shows.
Click to expand...

I'd call that one of the lightest BRGs I've seen (maybe it's just the pic).

Funny thing about BRG over OEW: Chuck Gowan, an active member in the SF Bay area in the latter 70s and 80s had his BJ8 painted that way, and it was the only one I had seen like that, at least up to that point. If he wasn't the first to paint his that way, he was one of the first.

I liked it and so I added OEW sides to my BRG BJ8 in about 1984-5. I sold that car in 1987 and it has gone through a few owners since then, but it's currently owned by Norm Dupuis, current president of the Cascade AH Club (Washington state) and cosmetically it is virtually untouched since I sold it over 30 years ago. The paint has held up well. It was fun to see my old BJ8 a few years ago, looking like the day I had sold it.
 
Dark British Racing Green, no question the best color !..........Mic drop......

65 Bonnet Top Lect.jpg


65 Front Top .jpg

65 Rear Right.jpg


65 Top View.jpg
 
When I was searching for the color of my first AH I really couldn't decide, they all looked so beautiful. One day I found a British website showing British car "models" and I came across this:

DSC00447.jpg
 

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I've alway felt that metallic Healey blue was THE signature color for Austin Healeys. Healey practically owns that color. It's seldom seen on other British sports car makes and to my eye, looks wrong when it does, with E-Types the possible exception.
 
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