Shades of yesterday and tomorrow.

What’s the simplest way to create a distinctive automotive exterior? With an interesting pallette of paint! Today, automotive fashionistas are working hard on new hues that captivate the individualists among us. Low gloss levels, color-shifting metallic flakes, light-reactive and even light-emitting shades will hit dealer lots someday soon — but many manufacturers have already bravely pushed the envelope by bringing interesting, experimental colors to market.

1997 Porsche 911 Turbo: Arena Red. I was 10 or 11 when I saw my first Arena 911 on the San Antonio Riverwalk. Bless my patient mother for not dragging me away from such a formative moment. I remember tracing the front fenders… watching the light pour into the soft curves toward the headlamps, where the rich paint seemed to swallow the light entirely.

1996 Dodge Copperhead Concept: Copperhead Orange. Is it cheating to include concept cars on this list? After all, they’re almost all coated in moonshot hues far from production. No matter: the Copperhead’s iconic orange paint received new life twelve years after its debut, when the 2006 Dodge Viper Coupe was available in a similar shade with the same name.

1996 Subaru Legacy: Cashmere Yellow. Like many awesome home-market trends, the Subaru Legacy’s Cashmere Yellow hue was only available in Japan — never in the United States. Cashmere’s near-fluorescence begs a question: could Day-Glo sheetmetal be tomorrow’s color trend?

1993 Honda delSol: Samba Green. My brother — and many others — called this “booger green.” From an early age, I called it beautiful. Bright as it was polarizing, Samba served a niche market. For a certain breed of owner, Samba was destiny. If only today’s thousand-beige Accord offered shoppers even a semblance of individuality.

1993 Mazda Miata: Montego Blue. One of the first mass-production color shifting paints was offered on this attainable everyday sports car, gifting trends to the masses instead of reserving advances for the elite. Want a closer look? Take a trip to any autocross — Montego Miatas fight it out all across the country every weekend.

1995 Toyota Paseo: Light Iris.
Anyone raised in the era when magenta and teal reigned supreme won’t admit that these pastel shades are a guilty pleasure. Trust me: they are. Toyota’s tiny beachcomber was carefree enough to wear this shade. It goes without saying that this era has passed.

2003 Nissan Skyline GT-R: Midnight Purple III. Special metallic flakes brought green and gold hues forth from the purple basecoat. The shifting colors brought a dynamism and humanity to the Skyline’s otherwise clinically angular sheetmetal. A Midnight GT-R is in motion, even when lying in wait.

2004 Mercedes-Benz SL: Almandine Black.Nothing may be more stately than a blacked-out Benz, but this special ebony added a slight violet tint to the mix to keep things interesting. The dramatic effect was more pronounced on MB’s larger models, and the SL sedan wore Almandine well.

1997 Honda Civic Type-R: Championship White. What’s more satisfying than a self-aggrandizing coat of paint? The Type-R was billed as the purist’s Civic. Championship White alluded to that purity, but the shade was tinted with a hint of gold — a statement of purpose; a promise to the competition.

1993 Toyota MR2: Steel Mist Grey. Today, Toyota’s dismal greys are devoid of personality and flatly vapid. Back in the firm’s heyday of fun cars, even the grey hues had a sense of purpose. SMG’s bluish-purple tint aged well, and the color is now highly prized among buyers and collectors.

Color choice is subjective. My picks probably don’t match yours. What colors catch your eye? Does the car you drive reflect your taste?

Many happy miles,
Adam

1 comment August 26th, 2008

G’bye, Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Automotive News reported last week the eventual demise of Toyota’s FJ Cruiser SUV.

On the surface, the move makes sense. Today, Toyota sells six SUVs. Four of them achieve less than 17 MPG. The FJ is one of them — and it gulps expensive premium fuel to boot. Some FJ owners have reported frame-and-body stress fractures and a fragile front windshield design. Issues aside, the FJ Cruiser isn’t all bad. I reviewed a 2007 model almost two years ago — I was new to video, so forgive the elementary production quality. I did my best to cover the good and the bad, but two years of hindsight and experience can humble even the most confident reviewer. I have a few comments to add.

On my “personal” off-road course as seen in the video, the FJ held its own against the Nissan Xterra and Hummer H3. During multi-manufacturer testing at a second course in Dallas, it felt more fun offroad than Land Rover’s antiseptic LR2. But the FJ Cruiser’s size obviously kept it from diving into places that a Jeep Wrangler would fit through, and the FJ’s nannying electronics can’t be completely turned off. Sometimes, that’s no fun.

On-road, you could pitch the FJ’s weight around and it never seemed to mind. There was actual steering weight and feedback, and just enough tire-generated road noise to lend the thing a sense of life. The thematic interior was actually styled, unlike every other Toyota. Its rear visibility never bothered me much, though I did have to learn to use (and trust) the oversized side mirrors. Poor premium MPG wouldn’t win it any friends today, but man… it looked cool and it was kinda fun to drive. Nothing else in a Toyota dealer looks cool. And trust me, nothing else in that dealer today is even… kinda… fun.

That’s why the FJ’s death is a loss.

Many happy miles,
Adam

Add comment August 22nd, 2008

Browsing through time.

Each generation of auto enthusiasts has a heyday to look back on. Motorminds my age look to the imported sport-compacts and technical wonders of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Older enthusiasts didn’t have to look past our shores. The Fifties’ avant-garde style was influenced by the race to the moon. Sixties muscle machines declared our success. Life was good for car enthusiasts — at least until the energy crisis of the 1970s.

The Seventies were generally an ugly turning point. Manufacturers’ vehement adoption of charming — if not gimmicky — technologies gave way to marginalization at every turn. Innovation took a backseat to the bottom line. That malaise persisted for over 20 years, damaging buyers’ perception of American brands and causing an entire generation of enthusiasts to look elsewhere for satisfaction.

Browse the Sterling McCall Historic Cadillac Museum, and the evidence presents itself at every turn. Confident, intricate designs of the ’50s and ’60s are flanked by “successors” that barely deserve the title. This important trip through time is a must for car enthusiasts exploring central Texas. Don’t miss your chance to experience the most comprehensive Cadillac collection on Earth. If you can’t make it in person, check out this gallery.

More importantly, don’t miss out on the happy ending to this story. In recent years, American brands seem to have realized their mistakes, and have finally restored their sense of adventure. Cadillac has charged ahead, and vehicles like the CTS Coupe Concept point to a brighter future.

But don’t take my word for it. Watch the footage and decide for yourself. Then, come back and share your thoughts — or, tour me through the heyday you treasure most.

Many happy miles,
Adam

Add comment July 2nd, 2008