Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Two-tone cars


Recommended Posts

I was sitting in a restaurant the other day and watched about 150 cars go by while I ate my lunch. It occurred to me that, except for two mini-Coopers and a commercial pick up, there were no cars newer than about 1990 that sported two-tone paint jobs. That doesn't include rocker panes and fender well trim, black or silver bumpers, lettering, or add-on graphics.

 

I brought this up at the GLB meeting Thursday and got several opinions as to why this is so, but would like your input, too.

 

Half the cars I owned had two colors applied at the factory and two had three (both 1957 Chrysler Motors products).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's all about the cost. Cheaper and faster to paint one color. No public demand anymore either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's all about the cost. Cheaper and faster to paint one color. No public demand anymore either.

 

Bob's right! Our loss!! :angry:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cars these days just don;t have the ' lines' that make a two-tone look good IMHO. Some cars like the Camero and Mustang have racing strips...but that's not the same.

 

 

But yeah, I imgaine it's a cost and demand thing as UB pointed out.

 

GG ~ :FlagAm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Forty there was a guy, or maybe a woman, who worked at one of the local TV stations in Colorado Springs when I lived there that had two two-tone cars with the same paint scheme. One was a Karmann Ghia and the other about a 69 Javelin and each was two shades of grey. The Karmann looked better as far as I can recall but it still worked on the AMC as well.

 

About the only two tone cars I see now are ones with big replacement parts on them like a door, hood or quarter panel and this must be by "accident" :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live on an old dairy farm that is still populated with livestock. My van is two-tone .... a dirty white over a greenish brown ... depending on where the cattle have been during the day :blush:

 

........ the greenish brown is not paint ... :blush::blush::unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tree pollen season just ended here. All vehicles were light green-yellow on the top sides (They do not paint cars in that color).

 

Car manufacturers have made many design and finish decisions based on some bean-counter's ideas. Remeber when we used to install our own stereos and speakers in our late 1960's or 1970s favorite ride. Today's vehicles are made with ribbon cable harnesses that speed up assembly, increase repair costs and make the entire car susceptible to damage to the harness. The 2008 and newer F-150 is made so that pulling a bent fender mount or window pillar requires that the cab be removed from the frame and be secured onto a special rack.

 

Thankfully some of our more popular CAS gun makers have not yet followed these ideas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...ain't nuthin' wrong wit them vintage two tone cars...

 

...owned several of them in the years gone by...

 

...kinda miss it...

 

...but UB is right, just follow the money for the anwser...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Times change, styles change.

 

The two-tone paint job was all the rage back in the 70's, now it's morphed into single-tone where the entire vehicle is one solid color.

Go back to the 60's, where everything on a car that wasn't painted was plated in nice shiney chrome.

 

Look at hairstyles - we've gone from the Brylcreemed DA, next was the carefully coiffed blow-dry, followed by the thankfully short lived mullet, and now for many it's the comb-over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I miss my '54 Dodge, '60 MGA, '57 Chevy, '57 Dodge, '57 (Stuck in a rut there for awhile) DeSoto wagon, '71 New Yorker, etc. They were COLORFUL beasties.

 

Maybe I'll see what it would cost to have my pickup painted. It's three years and change old and only has 18,000 mile on it. Maybe salmon, medium grey, and snow white like my '57 Dodge Royal Lancer...or maybe not!

 

It's black and my wife's car is battleship grey and it's REALLY DULL around here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ya don't see many fender skirts, curb feelers, or baby moons now days either.

 

Big mud flaps with tiny blue lights seem to have gone the way of the dodo bird also. We called them

Arkansas go fasters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a new production car with two tone paint. Bob's right though...they're not cheap.

 

I believe this one starts around $400,000 :wacko:

 

http://www.maybachusa.com/57/maybach-57.php

 

I got behind one of these on the autobahn over in Germany and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Makes a Rolls Royce look like a work truck ;)

 

They have an armor plated executive modle for about a cool million.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, car (and pickup) color schemes are BORING! Last time I was pickup shopping a couple years ago, 80% were white. The rest were almost ALL black or red. I got lucky and and found a silver Silverado. Of course it was an '05.

 

JHC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I miss my '54 Dodge, '60 MGA, '57 Chevy, '57 Dodge, '57 (Stuck in a rut there for awhile) DeSoto wagon, '71 New Yorker, etc. They were COLORFUL beasties.

 

Maybe I'll see what it would cost to have my pickup painted. It's three years and change old and only has 18,000 mile on it. Maybe salmon, medium grey, and snow white like my '57 Dodge Royal Lancer...or maybe not!

 

It's black and my wife's car is battleship grey and it's REALLY DULL around here.

Forty, Here's a bit of trivia for you...Did anybody besides Chrysler make three tone cars? I don't remember any, and I LOVE 50's cars. I know many Lancers had three tone paint, but I don't remember anything from GM or Ford that did.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Forty, Here's a bit of trivia for you...Did anybody besides Chrysler make three tone cars? I don't remember any, and I LOVE 50's cars. I know many Lancers had three tone paint, but I don't remember anything from GM or Ford that did.....

 

Seems I recall a 3T Pontiac...red, black, and white... when I was in college, but I wouldn't swear to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Forty, Here's a bit of trivia for you...Did anybody besides Chrysler make three tone cars? I don't remember any, and I LOVE 50's cars. I know many Lancers had three tone paint, but I don't remember anything from GM or Ford that did.....

Buick did. Check this out. Also Hudson and Nash had 3 tone colors available. My neighbor groing up had an ugly Nash, 2 tone green and black roof. MT

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=3tone%20color%20schemes%201950s%20cars&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CE4QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.55buick.com%2Fpaint.html&ei=3EuVT_bUN8GJ6AHAysylBA&usg=AFQjCNH0HyupMd2VtOpffYhnfBOZiXBcJQ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was sitting in a restaurant the other day and watched about 150 cars go by while I ate my lunch. It occurred to me that, except for two mini-Coopers and a commercial pick up, there were no cars newer than about 1990 that sported two-tone paint jobs. That doesn't include rocker panes and fender well trim, black or silver bumpers, lettering, or add-on graphics.

 

I brought this up at the GLB meeting Thursday and got several opinions as to why this is so, but would like your input, too.

 

Half the cars I owned had two colors applied at the factory and two had three (both 1957 Chrysler Motors products).

 

First car I owned was my Dad's '57 Chevy in 1965. It was a four door 6 banger automatic. Light blue with a white top. My Dad bought a 64 Olds 88 that year and it was silver gray with a blue top. My mom always picked out the color of the cars they bought and she liked two-tones.

 

Rye

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First car I owned was a 58 Ford hard-top convertible. Red roof, white hood, and white above the side chrome trim, lower body red. 6 cylinder with overdrive, had to pull lever for that, stick. Had a lot of trunk space, unless the top was down, then you had enough room for just a pack of gum it seemed. Loved that car. Paid 475.00 for it. MT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:FlagAm: Some of the fifties Packards were tri-color! :FlagAm:
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dad had a '57 Ford Custom that was tu-tone. Kind of a pastel green( baby puke?)with white. UUUUUUgly! :rolleyes::wacko:

 

vehicles we have now are mono-tones, an '05 Mustang in red-fyre metallic with gold stripes above the rockers that say Mustang in them, and a '12 Kia Soul in black metallic( believe it or not.).Only multi here is the MH, three shades of brown/beige :blush:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As someone who works in the auto industry, Two-Tone paint isn't as popular as it was, and hence fell off the radar.

 

I do know that if enough people wanted it, and were willing to pay for it, the roads would be filled with them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both our trucks are single colors, but I love two tones, and wouldn't repaint my motorcycle a solid color for any money.

 

1998 Honda Valkyrie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.