Whats this colour called?

[sixappeal]

Trying to get the paint shop next door to me to give me a quote to respray the bonnet and rear bumper. He seems a little reluctant as he says the colour is a sod to match and he can't find a paint code. So..... I said I'd find out for him. []

Its a 1982 car, if that helps.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Is it Champagne metallic?

However I bet he's right - it will have faded over the years and be hell to match. Maybe find a different bodyshop who knows how to compensate for the fade?

 

[944 man]

Im guessing that it is a 1983 model year car and that it is LM1V Light Bronze Metalic. Is the age identifier in the VIN 'D'? Thatll make it a 1983 car (even if it was built/registered in 1982).

If you read the paint code off the sticker in the boot / on the first page of the service book, then we can be sure.


Simon

 

[SteveSJS]

I may be wrong but I think it may be officially called Zermatt Silver Metallic.
My old 924S was the same Hue...

 

[PSH]

What ever the colour is it would have faded by now so the original colour will not match, take it to a bodyshop which uses one of those spectro-analyser(spelling?) things. The last body work I had done the guy sent my fuel cap of to ICI to get a perfect match paint made up using such a machine...
It's worth paying the extra IMHO...[][]


Pete

 

[Diver944]

In that colour it will be virtually impossible to paint just the bonnet and not easily notice a shade difference between the wings and the badge panel. The rear bumper will be easier as the eye finds it harder to notice shade differences on a vertical surface than it does on a horizontal one. The bodyshop knows that Porsche owners will be more fussy than most so probably does not want to risk an unhappy customer.

To have a good chance of not noticing the shade difference he'd ideally want to paint the badge panel , the popups and the horizontal parts of both wings and then laquer the entire wings. Of course this will triple the price of the job and it depends if you want a cheap job or a good result.

 

[Copperman05]

I think its either Light Bronze metallic as Simon says or you could have Kalahari Beige metallic there. Both are champagne golds similar to yours.

Edd

 

[944 man]

It certainly isnt Zermatt. [FONT=arial"]Kalahari Beige metalic was a 1985 model year colour, I believe, which would rule it out.

 

[Copperman05]

ORIGINAL: 944 man

It certainly isnt Zermatt.  [FONT=arial"]Kalahari Beige metalic was a 1985 model year colour, I believe, which would rule it out.

Your right but light bronze wasnt a 1982 colour either looking it up, and I was under the impression you could have just about any colour at a premium when purchasing the car from Porsche?

Also cars get resprayed so it could be anything...

Edd

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

In that colour it will be virtually impossible to paint just the bonnet and not easily notice a shade difference between the wings and the badge panel. The rear bumper will be easier as the eye finds it harder to notice shade differences on a vertical surface than it does on a horizontal one. The bodyshop knows that Porsche owners will be more fussy than most so probably does not want to risk an unhappy customer.

To have a good chance of not noticing the shade difference he'd ideally want to paint the badge panel , the popups and the horizontal parts of both wings and then laquer the entire wings. Of course this will triple the price of the job and it depends if you want a cheap job or a good result.

These speaks a man with experience of paint matching.

I had a tiny dent in the front of one wing on my S2 a couple of years ago. A Porsche bodyshop repaired and sprayed the wing, and tried to give me the car back. It was so far off being the right colour I refused to take it. They ended up spraying the badge panel, bumper and headlight covers and re-lacquering everything back to the door shuts. They claimed they created the colour exactly to match the factory colour of my car (Baltic Blue) and the mis-match was due to fading (although the colour they mixed was paler than the rest of the car.)

Last week I collected the car from the same bodyshop, after it had a new rear bumper fitted (some friendly London cabbie used my rear bumper instead of his brakes.) Exactly the same problem was evident - the colour was wrong. (Great finish. Lovely and smooth. Not the right colour blue tho'.) We argued the toss again (same bodyshop manager), and the bodyshop manager said that as it was a rear bumper it was harder to notice the mismatch (true) and he wasn't going to respray the rear of the car to make it match (reasonable, I guess.)

I did ask why they couldn't mix paint to match the colour they saw in front of them, rather than going by the code number, and he didn't really have an answer.


Oli.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

We had a visit to the bodyshop behind Porsche Reading a couple of years ago. (Specialised Paintwork?)

They explained that they have paints from the suppliers that are developed to match the different degrees of faded paint (so they might have 6 or more different blends for one particular colour - say Baltic Blue[8|] - Incidentally it depends on colour - there are more for Reds as they fade worse).

Trying to say they painted to the original factory colour is crazy for a car more thna a couple of years old. []

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: Mark Bennett
Trying to say they painted to the original factory colour is crazy for a car more thna a couple of years old. []

... hence the bite marks on my tongue ...

It seemed as if they had one way of choosing a colour; simply mix the same blend as was applied at the factory.

Goodness only knows what happens if a car has been re-sprayed a different colour in it's lifetime. Perhaps that's why you occasionally see cars with different-colour panels. And I dread to think what they would do with this:

(Relevant, 'cos the bodyshop does VW as well.)


Oli.

 

[Steven944]

WOW, a Polo Harlequin. Rare beast indeed, and a complete sell out in Germany if memory serves, along with hefty premiums paid.

As for the 944 colour, I've had a look at my '82 Colour charts and the possibilities look like either Zinc (colour code U3) or Pewter (colour code U1). Most likely Zinc from what I can see, as I used to have a 911 in Pewter, and it was more 'gold'.

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

Kalahari Gold

 

[944 man]

ORIGINAL: Copperman05

ORIGINAL: 944 man

It certainly isnt Zermatt. [FONT=arial"]Kalahari Beige metalic was a 1985 model year colour, I believe, which would rule it out.

Your right but light bronze wasnt a 1982 colour either looking it up, and I was under the impression you could have just about any colour at a premium when purchasing the car from Porsche?

Also cars get resprayed so it could be anything...

Edd

It was an '83 colour. But 1983 model year cars were built and registered in 1982 (for four months).

Kalahari is an '85 colour, so far less likely. Ive seen many, many colour-changed 944s, but whilst many have started out in this sort of colour; Ive never seen a Guards or Alpine car re-painted in beige...[]

Simon

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

I did ask why they couldn't mix paint to match the colour they saw in front of them, rather than going by the code number, and he didn't really have an answer.

The trouble is you can vary the shade of the paint simply by holding the gun closer or further away from the panel, altering the spray pressure or even by the number of coats of colour before you put the laquer on. Original factory paint is applied in a multi, multi million pound plant with all the variables under control and these days by robots holding the gun at an exact distance and angle. Can you ever replicate that 100% exactly with a human being in a bodyshop - no.

However by clever use of curves and swage lines in the bodywork a good bodyshop can disguise the shade change so that the human eye finds it very hard to notice. Often where flat panels are involved you simply have to paint a much larger area than you'd think

I hope this is all helping our original poster [] From the picture I think it is Light Bronze LM1V too, but pics can be very deceiving

 

[sixappeal]

Thanks for that chaps. Looks like I'm going to have to do a little more digging and try to find the paint code.

As you'd expect for a 27 year old car, there is evidence of previous paintwork having been carried out. I'm pretty sure the bonnets been painted before, as there is already a slight colour mismatch.

Pete.

 

[Frenchy]

My new 220 turbo is an 86 in Kalahari Beige, and it looks very much like that, i do not have the paint code to hand right now, check your owners service manual if is still there as the paint code will be there.
As an aside i could not get a touch up from Parkers my OPC in Kendal i had some made up by my local motor factors i have touched odd bits in and the colour is brighter but this will dull when lacquer is applied.
It is quite surprising how much paints change when lacquer is applied, i had a jazz blue pearl Golf and when lacquer was applied to the base coat the pearl finish really came to life.
As already mentioned a spectrum analyser is the best way to get a perfect enough match.......................or a full glass out etc piant job []

 

[944 man]

Kalahari Beige was introduced for the 1985 model year, so it cant be that, unless the first owner was 'The Time Traveller'. Light Bronze was intoroduced for the 1983 model year and many 1983 cars were built in 1982, making it highly likely. Kalahari Beige replaced Light Bronze, hence the similarity.

 

[Copperman05]

ORIGINAL: 944 man

but whilst many have started out in this sort of colour; Ive never seen a Guards or Alpine car re-painted in beige...[]

Simon if you look at my avatar you will see just that... that car was Alpine white before its respray in kalahari beige.

As far as 1982 cars being 1983 cars I think your changing the facts to fit your argument, 1983 cars will be those new cars registered in april, not from 1st January as you seem to suggest.

Edd