Most popular color for A/H 3000

[HealeyRick]

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'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.

I don't know if it's the most popular, but I agree with nevets that Healey Blue has to be the signature Healey color Something about that metallic color just highlights the curves of the Healey perfectly (and I may be a bit prejudiced, too). As far as Reid's color suggestion goes, I think it could be striking on a 2-seater like this Cobra, but probably that red would be way too much on a 4-seater.

 

[Healey Nut]

Im rather partial to BRG & Colorado Red with OEW but possibly Im a little biased

 

[Marvin Gruber]

I am leaning pretty hard to another healey blue car. I did this one two years ago.
Marv

 

[Editor_Reid]

Im rather partial to BRG & Colorado Red with OEW but possibly Im a little biased

I know you didn't mean BRG and Colorado Red on the same car, but a BRG Healey with a red interior is another great option. Few people realize that red is a neutral color - "a color that goes with anything" - and red interiors on almost any color exterior offer an extra degree of stylishness. A default black interior, while always inoffensive, is often a missed opportunity.

These are sports cars! Don't just aim to avoid offending the style-challenged - make a statement!

 

[Rob Glasgow]

I agree with Reid. A few years ago, I restored my BT7 Ice Blue over White with the standard dark blue with white piping interior. While I still love that traditional look, I think if I was to do it again, I would do a solid red interior. Well it will need another fresh up in 50 years so I'll do it then.

 

[Randy Forbes]

From a personal observation. When I embarked on the restoration of my 100/6 33 or 34 years ago, I was living in Lafayette, Louisiana (population approx 110,000). I knew of most of the other Healeys in the immediate area, numbering seven (7) and six (6) of them were Healey Ice Blue or Blue over white! The outlier was Mike Foote's OEW BT7 MKII. My car was also white at that time.

Since I was not doing a faithful restoration anyway, opting for lots of go-fast mods (remember, these were still $4k-$6k cars during pre-1989 days) I didn't feel like the world needed ANOTHER Blue over OEW Healey! I opted for a Porsche color from the early 70s that I liked: Wine Red, and complimented it__years later__with a Biscuit interior. Nope, not original Healey colors at all, but I get compliments specifically on the paint/color from people that otherwise wouldn't look twice at a car. I KNOW it's thanks to the impact the color has that I've won the awards that I have at the shows it's been in (all Popular Choice voting).

If I was doing the same restoration today, I WOULD be faithful as far as specification goes, but I'd either do black/red interior (such a striking combination on a 2-seater) or Pacific Green over Florida Green. The PG/FG would also be striking__and certainly not something you'd see coming and going__but I would struggle to come up with the perfect interior color(s) to compliment it; IF BN6L/942 gets painted again during my ownership, it's a safe bet it'll be black over red/red & black interior!

In the meantime, Porsche Wine Red it is!

 

[nevets]

It took me awhile to come around to a red interior. I like the red interior on my Healey even though I initially wanted black. I agree with Reid, red makes a splashy statement on a sports car, plus red leather seats really age well, retaining their pop while mellowing nicely over time.

 

[dougie]

It took me awhile to come around to a red interior. I like the red interior on my Healey even though I initially wanted black. I agree with Reid, red makes a splashy statement on a sports car, plus red leather seats really age well, retaining their pop while mellowing nicely over time.

I agree, a red interior on the right car is fabulous....I've never liked a blue exterior on a car, but the DB4 GT pulls it off and with the red interior it's killer.....

 

[AUSMHLY]

Any color that makes your car smile.

 

[Healey Nut]

I agree, a red interior on the right car is fabulous....I've never liked a blue exterior on a car, but the DB4 GT pulls it off and with the red interior it's killer.....

Dougie its a DB4 GT Aston , you could paint it candy ass pink it would still be killer .
Mine gives me goosebumps every time I hit the start button .

 

[healeyblue]

From a personal observation. When I embarked on the restoration of my 100/6 33 or 34 years ago, I was living in Lafayette, Louisiana (population approx 110,000). I knew of most of the other Healeys in the immediate area, numbering seven (7) and six (6) of them were Healey Ice Blue or Blue over white! The outlier was Mike Foote's OEW BT7 MKII. My car was also white at that time.

Randy,
I took this pic of Mikes old BT7 today when I delivered the car back to the current owner. He only has a couple interior panels left to put in and he is putting on new tires and chrome rims too. He will be selling this in the future because he has his mind on getting a Mustang but does not have room for more than one play car.
Jim

 

[4tecdog]

The original finish on my 65 bj8 was Florida green as stated on the original documents and I found evidence of the colour on top of the chassis under the gearbox. Apparently the first owner gave the car as a present to his new wife and at the time Healey's were hard to obtain in the UK so he had to have what was available and his local dealer could only get a Florida green one. Needless to say she hated the colour (divorce must have come to mind !!) Anyway he immediately had the new car resprayed in black, the red was added in later years. I love the present combination but if I ever have a complete respray I might be tempted to go back to original, the way she should have been.

 

[Randy Forbes]

Randy,
I took this pic of Mikes old BT7 today when I delivered the car back to the current owner. He only has a couple interior panels left to put in and he is putting on new tires and chrome rims too. He will be selling this in the future because he has his mind on getting a Mustang but does not have room for more than one play car.
Jim

Thanks Jim, I appreciate the update! Gives me the warm & fuzzies knowing that you're taking care of a car I knew so long ago

It looks great in that color combination (hope he does a red top too )!

 

[healeyblue]

Nope sorry. The top is black. The current owner just joined up here. He is CLB62.

 

[CLB62]

Thanks to Jim (healeyblue) for all of the great work he's done to my car. Thanks Randy for the original pic of my car from 1999 right before Mike put it into storage.

It's almost done...got the rear seats left to sew.

I like the white with red coves exterior with red interior / black piping. Also went with black carpet to make those seats pop!





Sorry Randy, the black top will have to do...btw, is that brown rear seat the same as you remember Mike having?

Craig

 

[steveg]

Standard colors seen at California Healey Week, Solvang, 2018. I photographed these along with some clearly non-standard colors not counted:

Healey Blue - 7
Healey Blue/White - 6
Red - 9
Red/White - 2
White/Red - 3
BRG - 7
Black - 5
OEW - 2
MGB - 2
Red/Black - 3
Black/Red - 4
Primrose Yellow/White - 1
Florida Green/White - 1
White/Black - 2
Black/white - 1

 

[dougie]

Dougie its a DB4 GT Aston , you could paint it candy ass pink it would still be killer .
Mine gives me goosebumps every time I hit the start button .

True that...!

 

[HealeyRick]

Wonder if there was ever a psychedelic Healey?

 

[BJ8Healeys]

If by "popular" you mean which color is on every other Healey today, I'd say Healey Blue over White. Actually, for BJ8s, that combo was only provided on Personal Export Delivery cars and cars for markets other than the USA. If anyone is interested in the relative "popularity" of the original colors, then here you go (from data currently in the BJ8 Registry):
Of 4,113 cars now in the registry for which the original color is known (via BMIHT data)
BRG: 1,005
Healey Blue: 840
Colorado Red: 635
Ivory White: 556
Metallic Golden Beige: 553
Black: 327
Healey Blue/Ivory White: 61
Florida Green: 52
Colorado Red/Black: 37
Ivory White/Black: 20
Black/Colorado Red: 19
Ivory White/Colorado Red: 2
Jaguar Mist Grey: 1
Riviera Blue: 1
Silver Grey: 1
BRG/Ivory White: 1 (but second owner says it was always BRG solid when he owned it. He totaled it in South Africa in 1971)
Black/Ivory White: 1 (German spec)
Florida Green/Ivory White: 1 (UK Home market)

Well, no one has said that Yellow is their favorite Healey color, but it is mine.

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Since I have a Healey Blue/ dark blue BJ8, I am leaning towards a silver color with red or dark blue interior for the BJ7.
Marv