Colour Dilemma

rsporsche said:
Mark, i'm not with you on golf. i have seen several different BMW in golf. it has never been my favorite color or one of them. i think they are very cool, and great for somebody else to own ... just never for me.
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Oh I agree, not for me either. It is very bold. I think it looks better on the smaller 2002. My 'BMW friend' that has one happens to have another more subtle coupe, which certainly helps!

The point is that not all colors translate well to photos. Fjord and Polaris, the pics show what they will look like. Baikal is another color that is all over the board and doesn't photograph particularly well. Taiga can look very dark, very green, or much lighter...
 
totally agree on baikal. in bright sun, it is radiant ... in total shade it can look very gray. and that can be exaggerated by a camera - especially a cell phone camera. it is still one of the colors that i love, and wish a PO hadn't changed the color of my coupe from baikal to black.
 
That Ceylon, with pearl and tons of clear would be AWESOME! Please do not paint it Polaris or Fjord Blau. 9/10 Coupes are that color (including mine, but was originally Atlantik).
 
I think that you have won the Irish sweepstakes...if it really was originally Ceylon...if you ever want to sell, "re-sprayed in original Ceylon" does have some value add IMHO. As to the variations in color, those of us old enough to remember that original German metallics were less than durable...between fading, and less than factory-color match re-sprays probably make for no two being the same...Perhaps because it is so rare, or maybe its just my childhood memories, Ceylon always reminds me of old "Hollywood" 60's Rolls Royce, or custom bling; but in a good way. But as mentioned, its your car. Please skip the vinyl roof, though.
If you do decide to do a variant on Ceylon, you can always claim "..repainted in Sri Lanka, used to be Ceylon..." Sorry, I couldn't resist.
 
Just in from BMW....

Dear Mr Fegan,

Thank you for your email.

The BMW 3.0 CSi VIN 2265832 was manufactured on August 09th, 1973 and delivered on August 23rd, 1973 to the UK. The original colour was Ceylon metallic, paint code 008.

We hope this information is helpful for you.

Yours sincerely,

Julia Oberndörfer

--
BMW Group
Julia Oberndörfer
Archiv, Sammlung, Classic Brand Management
AK-50
Historischer Informationsdienst
Moosacher Straße 66
80809 München
 
If you have a car that was originally in a common color like Polaris, then I would not hesitate to change it to whatever you want.

But now that you officially have an original rare color like Ceylon or Turkis, I would definitely try to stick with that original color. I think this would definitely increase the value, and not just financially.
 
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So the car is to be Nacht Blue. The problem now is, which Nacht Blue is it to be? The one I want is this one here..
14723056_679056998921319_6267414976395214848_n.jpg


The car below seems also to be described as Nacht Blue but to me seems to be a very different colour. Any advice that will help me achieve the above colour would be greatly appreciated...

HPIM6278.jpg
 
the one on the top looks more like atlantik. which is very similar to nacht, just not metallic. i've noticed that nacht changes more with sunlight because of the metallic.
 
Very interesting observation Scott... While at the body shop today, Atilla (body work guy) and I could not find Nacht Blue in the very many colour catalogues he has in the shop. However, I did see what looked like the colour I was after and I think that may have been described as Atlantik. So was Atlantik an original E9 colour?
 
You definitely do not want to rely on photos to make a decision on colors! Color temperature of photos can change tremendously depending on the ambient light, the amount of reflections hitting the car, the camera settings, the compression quality, the device you are viewing them on, the list goes on.

The only reliable way is is see a car that was recently painted the color you want or, absent that, a large paint swatch seen under different lighting conditions.

BTW, does this mean you will not be bringing back its glorious original Ceylon color?
 
I will be able to get.a decent size sample before committing to a colour..seeing a car in nacht or Atlantic blue in the flesh is probably out of the question in Ireland. Regarding Ceylon, the wife isn't convinced by my arguments in favour...
 
When you get your sample, fold it against a part of the car that goes from horizontal to vertical. Like half on the trunk and half on the vertical part of the fender. That way you can see what it will look like reflecting the sky on the top and the landscape on the side. Do that outside (so the interior lights temperature do not affect the look) and on a car that is a "non color" like silver/grey or black. This way your sample color wont be competing with whatever your "support" vehicle color is.

This step is especially important if you are going for a darker color like the ones you are talking about. Remember that the darker the color, the more the reflections will be visible and will play a part in the perception of the color. Lighter or more saturated colors (Fjord, Ceylon, Turkis, Inka, Golf, etc...) will overpower the reflections and they will not affect your perception of them as much.
 
...and clear coat, if used, will also alter the light/spectral/reflective/etc...I did Nevada on my 2002, with a clear coat, and it changes drastically with the light and color of the sky...putty to me...my wife calls it the green car.
 
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