It’s probably too far in the past for many to remember, but at one point in time, back in the 1970s, British Leyland painted an unfortunate number of their cars a dull, dusky brown. I don’t know if they got some sort of bulk discount on the top coat, but it’s become the color that I most closely associate with the Jaguar XJ6s of the era, as well as Allegros, Minis, and a panoply of others.
The auto industry turns to the clothing trade for their color and fabric pattern direction, albeit about five years removed from what’s trending in wearables. That works out for the most part, but it does it does seem like almost every model has that one color that – while it may have seemed like a good idea in concept – has turned into a mockery of those fashionably good intentions. Do you have one that is particularly egregious to your own personal sensibilities? What do you think is the most unfortunate factory color?
Image: Flickr
Hooniverse Asks: What Car has had the Most Unfortunate Factory Color Option?
By Robert Emslie
Apr 29, 2015
Ross Ballot 
Kamil Kaluski
I had a Ford Ranger rental around the turn of the Millennium, It was a metallic orange, that got dubbed “Electric Pumpkin”. Similar to this:
http://www.fordf150.net/photos/data/500/1orange-ranger.jpg
That’s a gorgeous colour! I think I’m with GTXcellent on this one…browns and yellows – also the mustard kind – are just my kind of paint.
We went across the country last weekend to attend a wedding in Oslo. Drove right past this place without knowing of the ad, and I’ve been angry at myself since. Never do a cross country trip with an extra driver without checking for classic cars along the road…anyway, can’t find anything that isn’t perfect with this one, down to the price.
http://finncdn.no/dynamic/1280w/2015/4/vertical-3/23/0/583/877/20_1569645464.jpg
Within a few years, they wisely toned it down a bit. I think the later “orange crush pearl” is actually quite attractive.
http://i1.wp.com/hooniverse.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_0751.jpg
I kind of prefer the less toned down version… and the much less toned down version. http://www.focusfanatics.com/gallery/data/509/85352004SVT.jpg
Then imajus leave this here.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4420693814_98a5608545_o.jpg
We can do this all day man.
http://www.pfyc.com/cotm/gt/wk135_deyster.jpg
Volvo’s golden phase was neat:
http://rs976.pbsrc.com/albums/ae249/Volvofreak-10V/IMG_4503.jpg
A tech question: Anyone here knows why some images get thumbnailed and others not? I’ve tried paste+enter, paste+post or paste+enter+click on link, but it seems absolutely arbitrary which images show up and which don’t. It’s the same for Opera on Android and Firefox on Windows8.
Disqus is just slow. A lot of time it shows up after a while, but either way it will eventually embed the image.
I’m planning on painting the fuel tank and fenders on Bultakenstein that exact ’06 Brazen Orange.
This is an excellent plan.
ETA clarification – the orange, yes. I can’t endorse pj134’s suggestion.
You should paint the frame aviator grey as an ode to your post.
Not an original color, BTW.
No, obviously not. It still gives me Tingly Sensations™
Actually, this is a beauty.
I just remember that I was visiting a vendor on a business trip with this truck and everyone there thought it was hideous. Maybe it was in the time frame.
I had a 2000 Focus wagon in this color. It was “Autumn Orange Clearcoat Metallic” and it looked fabulous.
They made the Escape in that color too- it looked awesome, especially with the polished wheels and the NBX Pack (Roof rack, etc). I still kind of want one.
1998 Corvette Pace Cars are the absolute worst.
http://www.buyavette.net/New%20Pictures/247201.jpg
Great colors for a Mardi Gras parade, though. Just find a way to incorporate some green, and you’re set!
Wife’s friend’s husband has a purple ‘vette, I love it, so does he and his kids.
BL never did quite get their textiles-inspired colour palette quite right.
But at least they Plaid with new ideas.
Maybe if it wasn’t a girlie color, men would have bought it, too,
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5151b481e4b01fd1f7075ea1/54fc4dc9e4b04da0abe3ca31/54fc4dcce4b0101ed6ebec25/1425821134966/dodge_lafemme_catalog2__55.jpg
True. On the other hand, I always thought that two-tone white/pink and cream/pink look great on these 50’s car.
We need more two-tone cars today.
Pink on ’50’s cars is fine.
Color is SOOOOO subjective – I think P161911’s burnt orange Ranger is really sharp. Conversely, in my (very minor) opinion, GM’s “Light Driftwood Metallic” is far and away the very worst color ever put on a vehicle. Why would anyone actually pay money to drive something this hideous?
http://imganuncios.mitula.net/2005_chevrolet_malibu_ls_gold_in_wallingford_connecticut_3950002416903099686.jpg
I’m not sure that’s so much different than any other shade of “champagne metallic.”
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2214/2461555437_195a309a26.jpg
… and, unless it’s a Rolls or a giant Caddy, they’re all bad.
I actually like that. A 911 that’s not painted red or black.
I think Smurf was the way to go. https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8241/8569086953_6a395b949d_b.jpg
there was in the 1960’s a base standard color known in the trade as “chevy baby shit brown” which unless one paid for optional paint, it is what your chevelle was painted with. just nasty.
At the time, it was the coolest thing, but the novelty wore off pretty quickly, and now they just look terrible. Mystichrome.
http://themustangsource.com/forums/gallery/files/8/8/2/0/0/1996mysticcobra.jpg
I still love it, if only for nostalgic reasons.
I would not, however, want to see the repair bill for a respray after an accident.
“JAYSARS! Uhhh… just paint the whole thing black. That has to be cheaper.”
That’s not Mystichrome. It’s Mystic. Mystichrome was the 2004 “re-issue,” if you will.
Maybe it’s my Midwestern environment, but I still get compliments on the color on a regular basis. Guess the novelty hasn’t worn off yet for some.
No offense intended. These Cobras are sweet, and I’d compliment a well-kept Mystic Cobra, if I saw it. I still don’t like the color(s). I think it’s more about what it spawned in the custom car world than anything. Color-shifting paint was everywhere for a while there.
That’s true. I saw firsthand how awful and splotchy a lot of the imitators looked up close. Truth be told, I’d be content with any of the colors my Cobra presents as; thankfully I don’t have to choose.
The Tuesday answer is early ’71 BSAs. The designers specified a chrome-look paint on the frame to mimic the look of nickle-plated chromoly race frames that were popular at the time. One of the production managers saw what that was going to cost and unilaterally took it upon himself to alter the paint to a matte dove grey, which was made in huge batches for the British military and could be sourced very cheaply. The public hated it. By May (possibly late April) of ’71, the factory switched to black frames, and many dealers had to disassemble bikes and respray the frames just to move the early-season stock off their floors.
http://www.classic-british-motorcycles.com/images/71BSA-Rocket3-R.jpg
http://www.classic-british-motorcycles.com/images/71BSA-A65Lightning-L.jpg
Mrs. Alff had a series of Windstars as company cars in the mid to late 90’s. There were several unfortunate colors in the Ford palette. I was able to talk her out of grape jam.
http://cimg.carsforsale.com/537267/DC68D810-A3D9-4BDC-94ED-10B41B0AEBFD_1.jpg
But couldn’t steer her clear of teal. When she got pregnant within a year of our wedding, my best man pointed out that it was the appropriate color for an expansion team.
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/2389/801/5970400001_large.jpg
I actually like the purple, it sort of functions as a more interesting black and I want to see it on more things.
Silver, and here’s why… one of these is mine, and only our choice of stickers (and the key fob) distinguished ours:
I’m with you on silver – right after gold/champagne/sandstone/etc on my preference (lack of) scale
Champagne looked good on some early 90s body styles, I think — back when actual colors dominated manufacturer output instead of the greyscale palette they have now.
I liked the way my ’93 Accord Wagon looked in that color. This is a stock photo (obviously), but mine was identical.
I’m cool with most colours. What bothers me, is the typical washed out red you see on beaters – that’s really nothing to embrace:
http://www.totally-free-pictures.com/vermelho/picture-um_carro_velho_vermelho-P1130166-400_small.jpg
Also, the Ford Ka was popular in a violet colour. Too many people bought it like that, and what was neat to start with, just became very blah. Also, strong colours do tend to wash out…
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDY1WDcwMA==/z/UA8AAOxyCGNTLEG2/$_72.JPG
My 1988 Dodge Ram 50 (Mitsu Mighty Max captive import) was nice and faded like that. The first thing I did for it, after a tune-up, was give it a good waxing, which brought its bright red luster back.
I tried that with my 1971 Volvo 145 which had its original burgundy paint still. It turned pinkish.
That beater red washed out so quickly that looking back on the 90s now I’m convinced they came like that from the factory. And it seemed to happen with absolutely every Japanese brand, not just one. Edit: And even VW Polos now that I think about it.
Beater Red was also pretty common on Ford Escorts, Chevy Luminas and Dodge Shadows.
I want to hate it, but I can’t – Agate Brown, used on numerous VWs and Audis:
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/661013.jpg
Oh, and I had those ABS wheelcovers on my ’78 Fox, the same except the black wasn’t used on the spokes, and they had interlocking ring stickers.
is agate another name for feces?
Seriously. That’s not even chocolate brown. That’s plain ol’ bowl-circler poo brown.
Man, now that you say it, it looks a bit sick. And I really liked it to start with.
When your shit brown car still looks good, you know the designer earned his check
A neighbor had one of these. I thought I’d get used to it. YOU DONT.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/blk86trbo/101_0095.jpg~original
A neon Neon!
Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a Mopar in Sublime/Limelight green
http://www.aarta.com/pictures/images/aar/fj5/aar_fj5_fj5_01.jpg
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/ii638/Wolfslash16/1970_dodge_charger_rt_m.jpg
It’s as though someone took a highlighter marker to a white car. I wonder how this looks under a black light.
Does black light show off vomit stains, in addition to what CSI-type shows usually seem to find with one?
You know, if this was the getaway car they used in “Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry,” they probably wouldn’t have had to stop for gas, and conversely they wouldn’t have been spotted by the police after calling off the search.
When I was a teenager, the next door neighbor bought a ’77 Le Sabre 4-door in this color (with the even-firing 3.8 V6!). I went with him to the dealer to pick it up, and trade in his ’70 Le Sabre (gold). This color was simply called “Orange”.
http://images.copart.com/website/data/pix/20120624/19519472_4X.JPG
Oh, and by the way, it was metallic. But the then-new enamel paints GM was switching to as plants were being retooled to build downsized cars (from Magic Mirror lacquer), didn’t hold up well, especially metallics.
http://imganuncios.mitula.net/2003_ford_explorer_yellow_cloth_seats_center_console_96635119870674791.jpg
Yellow doesn’t work on every car/truck. The Escape in yellow was borderline. The Explorer was too much.
Though, the yellow Escape did inspire many to perform a rendition of Yellow Submarine…
There’s one I’ve seen around my town (a Sport Trac) in that color, with the left front fender replaced, and painted a lighter shade of yellow. Not good.
Makes it look like a taxi, especially that one since it has black doorhandles suggesting a cheaper model.
I thin One should look behind the iron curtain for the ugliest colours. Domestic market Ladas (e.g. Zhigulis) came from factory in seemingly random colours some of which were I don’t know what.
Can’t find ugliest now as everything has been painted to nicer hue. Some were brown (for sale in US btw http://www.forsalecheap.net/used/lada-2101) :
Got to say, forsalecheap.net is a win-URL, and fits the concept of Ladas in the Capitalist west perfectly
Yes, but $13k is not cheap, even for a very authentic piece.
PS. Fixed the URL.
True. There are still some ok Ladas of this vintage on mobile.de at sub 1k-prices.
Those cars were painted in whatever color The Peoples Paint Factory #43 decided to send out that week.
The raspberry hue available on S-10s in the ’90s doesn’t suit the car, and I struggle to think of what it’d look right on.
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/3202/561/8002780006_large.jpg
Just shrink it down to fit Barbie.
Pairing it with the gray lower cladding doesn’t do it any favors, either.
I’ve just been browsing the link in Batshitbox’s comment about Saab paint codes, and can assure you that this shade of raspberry would suit the Sonet III perfectly.
http://saabarchive.net/images/colors/97_107-1172.jpg
AMC Hornet
Just remembered this one: The Spark isn’t a good looking car at the best of times, but in “Techno Pink” it really emphasizes the “hairless cat trying to fit through a space smaller than its head” aspects of the design.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/photo-582×576.jpg
I have to guess that the customer profile for this car skews female to a greater extent than any other car in history.
Which reminds me of Volvo’s YCC (“your concept car”), designed by an all-female team to suit the specific need of women. The car ended up looking a lot like a … car, so it never took off. But…mind the colour! It’s really not particularly attractive like that:
http://images.gizmag.com/hero/4009_6050570635.jpg
Ford had a color called Rose Mist or something. Looked like lavender.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y212/Dukeofsho/SHO/used-1996-ford-taurus-sho-5131-4427.jpg
Weirdly, I see a ton of Ford Aspires painted that shade, faded of course.
Toyota is going to have trouble shaking the “Toyotas are appliances” reputation if they keep offering their cars in colors to match the rest of my appliances.
It also comes in “brushed stainless steel” for that professional kitchen look
http://image.motortrend.com/f/wot/1401_toyota_stops_sales_of_certain_vehicles_to_resolve_seat_heater_issue/62587081/2013-toyota-camry-front-three-quarter-silver.jpg
Has anyone ever looked at the SAAB Color Database?
http://saabarchive.net/index.php/c/cdb
They have, like, a hundred different takes on each color, and you’d still have a hard time finding an ugly one.
Malachite Green
Acacia Green
Pine Green
Eucalyptus Green
Scarab Green
Beryl Green
Pepper Green
Arbor Green
Graphite Green
Sun Green
Green Silver (jeez, get some polish on that!)
…and that was all before the second gen 900s came out!
I think the Safari Green they put on Sonett IIIs is pretty offensive. It looks like it was painted with pea soup.
http://saabarchive.net/images/colors/97_107-1117.jpg
Gorgeous!
I had a 9-3 in “Silver Green,” or, as we tended to refer to it, “Metallic Pistachio.”
Porsches have some strange colours, like Raspberry red…
http://www.356-911.com/modelinfo/911colours/911colours7173.htm
Screams 1980s boy’s room poster.
The gold Carrera stripe is a jarring contrast.
Morning Piss Gold Fiat Multipla (the ugly one)
I think that is the ugliest vehicle I have ever seen, and it’s not the color that does it. I happen to be very fond of a number of cars other people consider ugly, but this is just awful.
Mid-’90s Honda Civic in…well, I dunno. What is this?
Bruise? Dark mauve? Metallic plum?
Whatever. Ugly pandering-to-chicks color.
The W123, my favorite car period, came in a lot of colors over the years, sixty four in total, and quite a few of them spanned some really awful tones like baby diarrhea beige and adult diarrhea beige and beer poop brown, but one particular color by the code of 618 called Mimosengelb (Mimose Yellow) is just downright visually offensive. It’s not yellow, it’s not green, it’s just shrieky. This tone seriously makes me squinch up my face, it’s like the sour drops of car colors.
The W123, my favorite car period, came in a lot of colors over the years, sixty four in total, and quite a few of them spanned some really awful tones like baby diarrhea beige and adult diarrhea beige and beer poop brown, but one particular color by the code of 618 called Mimosengelb (Mimose Yellow) is downright visually offensive. It’s not yellow, it’s not green, it’s just shrieky. This tone seriously makes me squinch up my face, it’s like the sour drops of car colors.
That Rover SD1 is a factory color called Turmeric. I had a friend who had one, and it actually looked fairly decent in person, although it was definitely garish. My US-spec Rover 3500S was a rather bland tan color called Tobacco Leaf. Again, when the paint was in good shape, it looked very nice in person, but photos are reminiscent of stuff my sons extruded shortly after coming home from the maternity ward.
I actually like some of the colors others have suggested, but I draw the line at any shade of purple applied to an automobile.
But I can dig it.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/VWGolfHarlequin.JPG
Perfect car for raising autism awareness.
My first car (Lotus Europa) was a shitty colour brown. Wish I had a pic. Great car though. Would never paint my 7 brown
White.
I don’t want a white car of any sort. It shows imperfections, it shows dirt. It’s especially bad when it is appliance grade white.
One of these two, I’m not sure which
http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy350/Rentz/Mariner/DSC03266.jpg
So how do you like your snot? Bloody, alien, radioactive, or normal?
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ss6aXZgoqd8/maxresdefault.jpg
There’s something wrong with me, I like most of these. I even appreciate gold. I had a gold (Mesa Beige) Odyssey and it set off the black trim pretty nicely and it really hid dirt well.
Ford offered this dull shade of green in the mid-70s. It was as ugly then as it is now.
Rover of old loved that color. Used to ride around in one of those when I was about 6