came across this article dated 19 January 2003 by James Foxall
of the Sunday Times on colours of a car. very interesting.
Now that's a daft
colour
by James Foxall of The Sunday Times
Pick the wrong shade and youll pay the price
Drivers who put more emphasis on the colour of their new car than
its engine and specification might be a joke to some people but
they could be having the last laugh.
Not only do certain colours make you more likely to be a victim of
car crime, they affect the way other road users treat you, indicate
your profession, reveal your age, give clues as to how likely you
are to break the law, even declare what rugby team you support.
Most importantly perhaps, they can have a dramatic impact on your
wealth.
Choose a car in a boring brown or the wrong red and you could
reduce its resale value by as much as 10%. And the more expensive
the motor, the greater the negative effect.
Adrian Rushmore, managing editor of Glasss Guide to used car
values, reveals: For a second-hand Ford Focus youre probably
looking at a premium of about £250 for a good colour, for a BMW
5-series thats £1,000, and if your Ferrari isnt red it could cost
you £10,000.
So how can plain old paint have such a dramatic effect? Some cars
suit certain colours better than others. Peter Stevens, the product
design director for MG Rover, says: When we look at clay models of
cars early in the design stage we cover them in plastic to give the
appearance of paint. The colour you choose at that point can limit
the possibilities of the car looking good in other tones
later.
Audi looks at its models in silver and its no accident that its
cars look much better in that colour.
You could be in trouble if the colour doesnt match the type of
car, too. A sports car or hot hatch will carry a base red much
better than a family saloon because the lower, more aggressive
stance of the sporty car suits red, says Rushmore.
Bright colours generally work best on sports cars and hot hatches.
On anything else they are a mistake.
Why buyers want certain shades is difficult to divine. If that were
possible we could figure out how Volkswagen managed to sell even
113 models of its Polo Harlequin, a car with every body panel
painted a different colour. Sales of Minis covered in the stripey
daubs of the British fashion designer Paul Smith were similarly
pitiful.
Conrad King, consultant psychologist for the RAC Foundation, says:
Colours speak volumes about people. Drivers of red cars tend to be
creative, those who drive black are ruthless and those in green
conservative with a small c.
We discovered in some research that drivers of pastel cars are far
more likely to be victims of road rage than those of other colours.
They are also eight times more likely to suffer from depression
than drivers of blue or silver vehicles.
But if, as King says, middle-of-the-road motorists go for green,
why does research for Admiral, the motor insurer, shows drivers of
green cars as the most likely to have a driving conviction? And if
red is so suited to sports cars, why is it by far the most popular
car colour among women drivers aged 55 and over? Its as difficult
as explaining why surgeons go for silver cars, police officers
purple and vicars white. Yet they do, according to Admiral. It also
found that the Welsh are 19% more likely to own a red car than
people elsewhere in Britain, while Scots are 15% more likely to
drive a blue car. Admiral believes its partly down to rugby fans
picking cars that correspond to their national colours.
However, Stevens, who was responsible for the sleek shape of the
1993 £540,000 McLaren F1 supercar, believes that manufacturers also
play a crucial role. He thinks the colour a car is unveiled in can
be influential. When we first showed the McLaren we put it out in
silver because thats the best colour to show off a cars curves.
That first viewing can be tremendously important because people
often want to recapture the excitement of the moment they first set
eyes on the car. He has a point: half of the 64 road-going McLaren
F1s sold were silver.
If youre buying a car and want to make the most money when selling
it on, Rushmore says: Avoid garish colours like yellow, unless
its a sports car, convertible or hot hatch. And if youre buying
an executive car go for silver, blue or black. If youre after an
ordinary saloon get an optional metallic colour. You will more than
make up the difference in cost when you come to sell it.
Flat colours are also out when it comes to sports cars. Avoid
white or brown and some of the wishy-washy reds. If you want a red
car go for the classic pillar box colour.
One final point about red cars. Anecdotal evidence suggests that
they could marginally increase your chances of being stopped by the
police. Former policemen say they have heard of colleagues playing
snooker while on patrol, pulling a red car, then a coloured car,
then another red, then a colour to see who can build the biggest
break. However, youd have to be very unlucky to bump into one of
the few bored officers who have taken part.
Hue dyou think you are?
Red Several studies agree you are creative. The bad news is you
could well be a Welsh woman over 55
Yellow Hooray! You are spontaneous and lively. But, alas, more
likely to be convicted of careless driving
Pastel Oh dear. You are eight times more likely than drivers of
blue or silver cars to suffer depression
White The favourite choice of vicars, it reveals you to be
fastidious, anxious and hesitant on the road
Green You are conservative but have a wild streak: green drivers
are most likely to be caught speeding
Blue Quietly confident, dont seek attention but get results. Bully
for you. And you may well be Scottish
Black Several studies concur: you are ruthless and keen to exert
your authority. Or else youre a cabbie
Source: RAC Foundation and Color Me Beautiful
Colour facts
Most popular colours for cars
1 Blue 6.76m
2 Red 6.58m
3 Silver 3.16m
4 White 3.14m
5 Green 2.93m
Cars most likely to be stolen
1 White
2 Black
3 Grey
4 Yellow
5 Red
Road rage
Pastel, 80% are victims, Black 55% Grey 46% Blue 40% Silver 40%
