Red vs. the rest- Colors

I don't know if it is documented, but this actually happaned everywhere in the 1970's..1990's: standard production was painted red (or white) and cars to be painted in special colors had to be picked out and specially prepared. I write this in paste tense as in recent years many manufacturers have turned their production almost completely into special colors. I am sure achieving this has taken years and years of quality work!

With a light metallic color EVERYTHING (uneven layer of primer, scratch, finger print, dust, dirt...) will show on finished surface. There is great "color" on subject on Tom Yang's diary: see entry "10/11/07: Daytona Headgaskets and New Projects".

If you ever see a red 308 still having original paint, have a look into door jambs and such. They tell instantly these cars were painted in a hurry and nobody looked back as long as there was no major problem on the outside. And I don't want to blame Ferrari in particular (who cares, It'll run just as fast!); if you have a close look at any car built at any time - even today, you will soon find examples with some paint problems.

It is kind of funny that Ferrari was in position to make the cheap "standard red" a desirable "option"! Oh how they must have cried on their way to the bank

Best wishes, Kare

 

I still remember the first non-red 308 I saw featured in a film, a lovely black gtsi driven by Willem Dafoe in To Live and Die in LA, quite a lovely (and surprising) sight, especially during the magnum PI era. . . I remember thinking, they paint 'em in something other than red?!

 

+2

Depends on the model for me.
I prefer:
308 in red or black
308 euro in black
328 in black
TR in black
360 and 430 in most any color except red

I felt the same way at the Concorso. I though "Well there's no shortage of red/tan 328's."

 

Very nice picture of the titanium 360. I am not a red kinda guy but will def. buy a red ferrari eventually just because of tradition. That is after I have a black and a titanium ferrari!

 

R E D
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This was my salesman- it HAD to be red.
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Just last week I spoke to the used car buyer at one of the largest Ferrari dealers in the country. He said that nothing has changed. All things being equal, red and then black bring the most money.

 

I think the sporty 8-cylinder models should be red or yellow (the "official "colors) while todays front-engined 12-cylinders look better in more covered colors like dark blue or silver.

 

I'm probably the odd-ball because I want my Ferrari to be Rossa Scuderia. I know some people hate the color but I actually love it! I love Ferraris of all colors and my honest opinion is that I'm the one paying for the car, I'm going to get what I want.

 

My boxer is grigio. I looks stunning with a sublety. The other thing is the grey colors tend to blend in with ther road, so an instant-on attached to an eyeball is less likely to pick you bup a long way out.
Also red is so cliche, it is really for the fashion acessory crowd. It is so sad when nearly every restored italian cars these days gets repainted red. Makes the other colors more intersting though.

I do agree that different models shoe colors better than others. 456's look great in greens and blues.
550's are great in black, silver and blue. Marrone is an awsome color on a 308. Testarossa have that darth vader look nin black.etc.

If you want flash go for red, otherwise be orignal and enjoy the car for you.

Sadly my favorite the 288gto only came in red(except for 2) so I look forward to owning a red car someday.

Intersting that most repondants here are of the non red variety, clearly enthusiasts. You will have more choices in a used ferrari though if you go for red. Red gives me a headache.

 

Well, back when RifleDriver was still around we had a thread where the "national racing colors" of each country were debated.

One bone of contention was that Germany was all white up until Mercedes had to sand off all the paint on their cars to make a weight limit at the last moment. So, Mercedes became silver from then on.

RifleDriver had the story the other way around - they had to paint the car with silver airplane primer to MAKE UP the weight deficit.

Anywhat,

Italy has always been red.

Maybe that is why all Ferraris are red.

The rest are mistakes - sorry Bullfighter!

 

Enzo's favorite color was yellow. Red is Italy's racing color. My first 4 cars were red, then a yellow 360, 430, and now a red/tan Mondial. I think that you may get more on resale when you sell your car if it's red, but then again, you'd do better leaving your money in the bank. These are cars, and given what they cost, who cares if you lose a few k on resale? Get what you want, and if you have to sell it later, so be it, take the loss, if any, and move on.

Art

 

Sounds great - pic?

They told me it was red over the phone. Then the car arrived and I lost the receipt. Now I'm stuck with it.

 

I feel your pain. Would you like me to take you to Home Depot for some Kilz...?

 

I always wanted a really hot black sports car. When I came time for a Ferrari I chose black on black - no substitutions. Totally dark & mysterious from the depths of your dreams of the evil, wicked, road warrior from Hell with a full herd of Italian screaming stallions under the hood. Sometime you just have to say, “What the f***”.

 

Sometimes you do, venusone.

I will tell the truth here on the subject: Red was not really my first choice. However, I ended up with red because of these basic facts of life:

a) - looking for a black/black or grigio/black or other interesting Testarossa color <<really really -!!!>> limits your choice in the market.

b) - talking to a lot of people who "like cars" but who don't really "know cars" I realized that red would go a long way in getting past the "Viper-Corvette-you name it" misidentity crises.

c) - in ref. to subject b)...(aplology to our poster Jimpo1, but it is a true story) - my ex-manager and I were discussing cars, and I mentioned that I was in the market for a Ferrari. He said this in return (to show me what a sophisticate he was on the subject): Well, why not look into a Lotus? There is a white one here that parks in the lower level of our parking garage sometimes.

Of course, it was Jimpo1's white 328. I kindly and quietly informed him that this too was a Ferrari, and that Lotii of that era were all down with mechanical problems, thus not available to drive to work on nice days.

PS - except for the Testarossa, all my other cars are black/black.

 

Although it has already been mentioned that Rosso Corsa is the traditional livery worn by Italian racecars- and most associated with Ferrari- I find this page very useful for reference when discussing the colors of other countries' racing teams:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_auto_racing_colors

Sure, we all know that historically, Ferraris are red, Porsches are silver, Bugattis are blue, and Jaguars are Green, but I only know from this reference that Egypt is pale violet!

I prefer the vintage V12s in Rosso Scuderia, and more modern cars in Grigio Titanio and Nero Daytona. Giallo or Azurro only if the shade/price is right.

Aren't the few Nero Enzos that change hands still commanding a premium over Rosso?

-Tad

 

Roger Penske orders all of his Ferraris in Red. That's good enough for me.

 

Ferrari = RED Period!!

 

I disagree
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Today's Rosso Corsa is not the traditional Ferrari racing red, but an updated version that is brighter than the original. Rosso Barchetta will be much closer to the darker reds that Alfa and Ferrari originally raced with pre-1950's.

 

I'd rather not rehash the 'which red is the right red' conversation, but my understanding is that the literal translation of Rosso Corsa is 'Race Red'. If you re-read my post, you'll note that I refer to the color as being that worn by 'Italian racecars', not Ferraris specifically, which would of course include Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, Abarth, O.S.C.A., and Officine Meccaniche.

Here's a Wiki on Rosso Corsa that may be of interest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosso_corsa

Please note that the current red which is technically, and literally today's Rosso Corsa (on the F1 cars at least) is "a brighter, very orange "Marlboro Red," to adjust for color balance on television screens", so therefore, there have been variances in the color called 'Rosso Corsa' throughout history. Only specific paint codes would tell the difference between the various shades.

You are certainly correct in your assertion that the earlier cars were a more deep red, what I've heard called everything from 'Ferrari Red' to 'Tomato Paste Red', among other names, and also as you note correctly, 'Rosso Barchetta'; however, my personal preference in reds, even on the older cars, tends toward the more modern interpretation of 'Rosso Scuderia'. Everyone has their own taste and preference, and while my preferred red may not be the correct, and original red, it is, after all, merely my own preference. Which is what this thread is all about!

-Tad

 

What Tad talks about is true in many cases in automotive history. Triumph, for instance, made its cars in British Racing Green. Even during the life of one model, say -- the TR3, BRG could vary between a near apple green to almost black. Fundamentally, this happened because paint suppliers and mixtures changed frequently. Signal Red, like Rossa Corsa, also changed from a tomato to a bright red (and everywhere in between.)

Also keep in mind that early Ferraris were raced extensively, so many of the early cars we've seen have been repainted at least once!

 

Discussing which shade of red is correct for a Ferrari is like discussing which shade of yellow is correct for snow. There is no particular shade, never was and never will be. They've sold "rosso corsa" under a dozen or so different paint codes over the years. The Scuderia has also used red color identified by other names like rosso cina or rosso scuderia. In the early days they used what they could get. In late 40's you were lucky if you got any red paint when you needed it!

 

Ferraris are beautiful in just about any color. All my previous Ferrars were red. until this one. The black with crema looks magnificent. With respect to resale, there is always somone who is looking for a particular color so it is important to buy what one likes and not be concerned with the status quo
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