CSX3004 Maroon Color ?

[LMH]

Hey all,
Trying to find out the paint code or color info on 3004's original Maroon color.
Anyone know a paint code or info about the color? Was it a "factory" color?
Larry

[Steve Cassani]

The AC factory color is Rouge Iris. Here's a note on what the owner of CSX 2258 did to restore the car to its original color:


"... Close inspection of 2258 verified its virtually untouched "survivor" condition with the exception of some needed maintenance to return it to road worth condition after its nearly 30 year nap. I went through every mechanical system and returned 2258 to health while retaining its incredible originality. Having been repainted in the mid-1980's, 2258 showed the effects of long term storage and I determined it deserved a proper repaint to bring it to show condition. With the help of Cobra restorer extraordinaire Mike McCluskey in California, an original paint Cobra in Rouge Iris was found to do a computer color match to make sure this tricky color would be absolutely correct and true to original. After much time and effort, even going to the extent of involving the PPG factory to custom match new paint to our original sample, 2258 was refinished with a flawless and correct coat of Rouge Iris, and treated to a comprehensive chassis, interior, and engine detailing."

[Obsessive]

...and why does this car have a number AND meatballs?

[LMH]

I wondered the same thing about the numbers but can't argue with how it was back then.
Larry

[LMH]

I wondered about Rouge Iris but isn't that a metalic? 3004 doesn't appear to be a metalic, at least in photo's.
Larry

[Steve Cassani]

The Rouge Iris AC speaks to in its color options of the late fifties and into at least the early sixties was also called Light Maroon Metallic, ICI Reference Number: P151-R840. My efforts to track down a current reference to the color ended with this:

Ditzler PPG 50011, DuPont 91-6986
84 Iveco 50011 IC141

The color corresponding to the Ditzler, DuPont and Iveco codes is similar to Rouge Iris. Where Rouge Iris carries a metallic, the modern color relies on pearl to give an impression of depth. As hard as the owner of CSX 2258 worked to repeat the original color, the close approximation possible with the modern formula is good enough for me. I asked Mike the formula he used. His reply: "It's a Ford color."

There is a 1964 color Ford applied to Mustangs and several other models: Vintage Burgundy. The AC reference to 'Rouge Iris' predates the Ford color by several years, perhaps as much as a decade. I believe Vintage Burgundy is a metallic. If so, it may be closer to the original than the Ditzler, DuPont codes I quote above.

To my eye, a pearl component better traces or 'reliefs' the subtle, compound curves of the original Cobra roadster. This is a personal preference. If you go the extra mile needed to resurrect the original AC color you will be at least as satisfied with the outcome as I am with the modern approximations. And you will have achieved historical accuracy, a goal that was not important for me. Keep in mind though that neither Mike McClusky nor PPG are talking...

[Steve Cassani]

Here's a link to a discussion on the subject, now nearly a year old:

Rouge Iris

[Steve Cassani]

Here is a photo of CSX 2258, as McClusky restored it:

[FatBoy]

I think 3004 looks terrific and when the time comes for me to paint my Kirkham, that colour will be on my short list.

"rsk289" on here has a Fastback Mustang 390 in the same colour and I'm pretty sure it is a flat colour and not metallic. I assume it is a standard Ford colour.



Paul