How 4 Singer Vehicle Design commissions can illuminate color theory

[Bryan]

“You don’t see that every day,” every enthusiast utters at one time or another.

Unless you’re privileged to live somewhere supercars and customs are a mundane sight, you’ve likely experienced the power of cars to make you stop in your tracks, crane your neck, and gawk. It might be the car’s arresting stance or sun-catching chrome, but often that first magnetic attraction comes courtesy of an unusual color scheme.

Mechanical artisans in the ranks of companies like Singer, Emory, or ICON work on the cutting edge of vehicle aesthetics. These designers and engineers pour time and sweat into “reimaginations” of production cars that far surpass conventional aesthetic norms. They’re bespoke operations, armed to the teeth with talent. Their final products are often just as captivating in an image as they are in the wild, and color theory can help us unpack that phenomenon. Read the full article on Hagerty.com:

https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-design/how-4-singer-vehicle-design-builds-can-illuminate-color-the...

[Swamibob]

Yawn.  Well executed builds, but the colors leave a great deal to be desired.  It feels a lot like the colors were chosen simply for the purpose of showing how bad color choices interact with one another.

[topside]

Great and illuminating article, thanks ! As I've said before, I find the Singer 911s to be the most desirable cars out there. Combine a consummate artist and an iconic vehicle and you get magic.

[74911]

In a world of black, white, red and silver. Having people know a builder by the color scheme makes then unique.

[Zephyr]

Good article about the difficult field of color theory! Love all the cars except the pea soup green one.

[jc340]

What no Guards Red?  Mr. Singer hit a sour note.

[DC]

Some colors seem to “fit” certain cars....

red ‘62 Chevy bubbletop

Coral/Grey ‘55 Bel Air

Marina Blue/Parchment interior 69 Chevelle

Turquoise or Black ‘57 Bel Air

Why ?

[BillyBuick]

Color choices on anything are subjective. Everyone has different tastes. Some of the colors on these cars are not very attractive and others are. Some do no justice to the design lines of the car. I am an artist who was trained in Italy. If you really want to see the master of color, I suggest you view the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel. Micelangelo was a color genius.

[Bryan]

an incomparable work of art indeed!

[red-on-red]

This plays into the fact that certain colors are not suited to certain styles of car. Like a tan Corvette, or a bright yellow Lincoln Town Car. It just doesn't work.

I think the pea green Porsche is stunning, and really shows off the lines of the car. But I have friends that would rather see it in flat black, with flaming skulls. ... Gary

[JBD]

Great article.  I spent 20+ years in the oriental carpet business, both new production in

India and antique Persian buy, sell, trade.  It was great fun and very interesting to learn the craft of pairing colors/designs to create aesthetic appeal.  Singer does a great job of

color choice in their recreations.  Darker blues are my favorite for vintage sports cars.

JD

[Bryan]

Thank you! Blues are my subjective favorites as well. Oriental carpets? Woah, bet you've seen every color under the sun

[MoparMan]

What a colorful article! 🙂 I personally find it sad that color choices today are primarily greyscale. The most popular color choices seem to be white/black/silver/gray/red. This is something that is (IMO) based on dealer reluctance to bright colors, reinforced by customer reluctance, as they pick what is considered the best color for resale value, creating a self perpetuating cycle. Add to this mix all black/gray interiors which creates a depressing sameness to cars. This is something also replicated in HOA communities, where every house is white/off white/antique white/sand or beige! Looking back at the 50's-70's rainbow palette of single/two tone/tri-tone exterior color combos and interior color/fabric/leather interiors shows just how far the rainbow has faded. Another of the latest developments is the restriction of "brighter" colors to higher trim levels, and or charging a premium for them, thus punishing base car buyers with the most dull and boring colors. Hopefully, this cycle will end and maybe a return to "Crayola" variety will happen! 🙂