What color combo to paint??

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I’m re-painting my ’25 Series 80 Roadster. The fenders are probably going back to black. What would be an awesome color to paint the body? Obviously it’s maroon now, but everyone seems to go with maroon; so I’m considering other colors. Originally the car was green from the factory, but not the greatest green I’ve seen. I call it Kelly green. Any suggestions? tom griffith [email protected] 608-212-8774

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I once owned a Series 80 four-door coach. The gray and black paint would be too understated for your car but I remember the Series 80 color catalog I also had then showed different color schemes, and suggest taking a look at it. All models are shown in color drawings; the standard colors/combinations are listed inside. You might also look at some color ads, remembering an interesting color might also be in the companion Dual Valve Six model. Period photos of California cars were sometimes finished a bit differently, such as painted a single color with bright colored wheels – your tan top with an all black paint and natural wheels is one example.

The AACA Library & Research Center in Hershey should have a Series 80 catalog and some color ads in either their own large collection of Pierce materials and in the Pierce-Arrow Society records stored there separately. The Library also has paint chips with color formula (DuPont?) if you need to get a color reproduced.

The Pierce-Arrow Collection in the Hatcher Library at the University of Michigan has what remains of the factory’s archives – the extensive collection of original factory photos are nearly all black and white but you might also find something in them, too.

I hope this helps – I look forward to seeing what you decide to do.

Brooks Brierley

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Please remember that the Pierce-Arrow clientele were primarily Old Money and conservative, who largely found Cadillacs to be gaudy and vulgar (the latter after Harley Earl’s Art & Colour a few years after your car).

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Factory colors were generally conservative. What often confuses the color choices and thoughts about what were standard colors are the color advertisements found in many of the magazines of the era. The magazine ads often were artist-colorized photographs, or line drawings.

The artists often used generous amounts of ‘artist-perrogative’ or ‘artist’s inspiration’ for color choice. Some are very eye-catching in the advertisements and can look awful on an actual automobile.

Most Pierces, even a sporty roadster create awe based on body lines, tasteful design and understated class. NOT on ‘bling’ and eye-popping colors.

That said, metallic paint was not available until late ’28 or early ’29, so stick with solid colors for authenticity.

Greg Long

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Thank you all for your comments. I got it. Understated and no metallics. Tasteful.

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In the late 1920s, color magazine advertisements became far less expensive due to technological advancements in the printing industry. (I’m sure Henry May can describe those.) As a result, there was a proliferation of auto ads in vivid colors, as exemplified by the Lincoln ads featuring tropical/exotic birds as well as their autos. These ads were almost always paintings by artists, who took considerable license in their colors, which were highly saturated.

In the 1980s, especially, the vividly and imaginatively colored ads were used as “proof” of authenticity of colors selected for restorations during that period. Today some of us refer to those cars as Circus Wagon restorations.

About 20 years ago, a 1930 Packard touring car on the short 133-inch wheelbase made the rounds of local concours, resplendent in three shades of purple, and was accompanied by a framed magazine color ad of the day showing the identical car in the identical colors. The owner had, unfortunately, used the ad as “proof” that this color combination was offered by the factory.

Pierce-Arrow was willing to paint your car ALMOST any color you desired except for pink, purple, and white (but made an exception for the Shah of Persia’s white town car in 1930).

The Series 80 standard color “English Purple Lake” is in fact a rich blue rather than purple.

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Purple….dark purple was done on a 33 Brunn V12 limo.

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I like this blue. Dark blue fenders then?

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I’d think dark blue or black fenders, matching two different hues of blue is like matching grays, harder than one might think.

Wish you were closer, Tom, would love to do the new interior and/or top on that car!

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OK, so it is a Ford color, but Washington blue is truly elegant. That with black fenders really looks nice.

David does beautiful work. I’m trying to get him to cross the chasm (WWII) and do the top on my ’62 Tbird roadster. He is picky about the cars he chooses to do, and for good reason.

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Sheesh, Bob, when you get to it we’ll work something out!

I just turned down putting a kit in a ’57 Tbird because one, it’s too new, and two, vinyl and foam don’t agree with me….give me leather, cotton, and horsehair any day!

The blue with black fenders will look nice!

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I forgot to mention a 1924 Dual Valve Six touring car, painted a very attractive deeper green, that I once wrote about for Autoweek magazine, that might illustrate a good shade of green. It is now owned by Dusty and Sandy Wilson in the Florida Region – some will recall it was once George Peckover’s car, who I believe chose the color scheme. You can pull up the photos and story on autoweek.com; just type in 1924 Pierce-Arrow in the search box.

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I have a page from the 26-27 Series 80 color sales brochure that lists 6 colors, if I remember correctly, with a color (vermillion?) for the accent stripe. I’ll post if I can find it. I made the copy from a brochure in the Nethercutt Collection Library.

V/R, James

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That would be much appreciated James. tom

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Tom,

Not to cut off James, but the colors were Brilliant Black with striping of Grosbeak Vermilion (like the Hancock car), Cruiser Gray, Desert Sand, Ambato Green, Sport Blue Light and Marne Blue.

Peter

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Note that none of these colors are conservative, but rather directed at creating FUN automobile.

It is a Runabout that was directed at being purchased FOR one’s wife, girlfriend, or BOTH (different colors please, no confusion)!

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Thank you Dr. Peter. No problems here. I kind of liked the picture of the one in desert sand. I hadn’t noticed the runabout had colors listed as well. The 5P coach (like mine) has the maroon.

Thanks for sharing. James

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James,

The different models had different stock colors available.

Also, the Coach had different colors available than those offered in the DeLuxe models.

Note the following pics.

Peter

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Coupe

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5-Passenger

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