Today, January 6, is Color Day in Japan because the first syllables of ichi (one) and roku (six) color, can be combined to spell iro, which is “color” in Japanese. Color on cars is interesting, because the right combo can send hearts aflutter, but the wrong one can ruin an otherwise fine automobile. Some colors are so iconic for a particular car that it’s hard to conceive of it in any other hue, like Safari Gold on the Nissan Fairlady Z432, or Championship White on an Honda Integra Type R. Sure, those cars can be painted other colors, but will it look so satisfyingly apt?
What car and color combo is the perfect fit?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your automotive resolution for 2025?“.
Your resolutions looked like they could be broken down into to main categories. Those who swore to do more with their cars and those who want to resist the temptation to do more.
In the first camp, Azfer hopes to stop spending so much money on his car. StreetSpirit – is determined to finish projects before buying another. Bryan Kitsune will better prioritize spreading some love to his daily drivers before spending it on his classics. steve intends to clear out garage by selling off some cars. And Negishi no Keibajo will find a good home for a car.
On the other side of the coin, Roy James vows to wear out the seats on his ’94 Nissan truck by driving it till it drops. David Guest will endeavor to install a decades old supercharger on Prelude on his own. Fred Langille will hopefully get the tires he wants for his Nissan S-Cargo. The JWT simply wants to make more memories in their VIP Crown. And Taylor C. pledges to be more patient when fulfilling the admirable goal of teaching his family to drive stick.
Lee L almost won the week for holding himself accountable by looking back at his resolution from 2022 and seeing it through in 2025. The winner this week was Lee, a different one, that had the most ambitious resolution yet. Best of luck, and we hope you make it!
I’m in the process of buying a friend’s parents’ 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo and rebuilding the engine back to factory specs. It was a daily driver for his mom and dad for about 20 years before it became a weekend only car for them, so it definitely needs some TLC in the interior and fresh coat a paint. My goal is to have it presentable enough to drive it to JCCS in 2025 (I know I’ll need at least another year before I’d be comfortable trying to get it into the show). If anyone knows a great place in SoCal or online to find a set of Tom’s C7Rs or Advan Ver.2s, please let me know!
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
A few immediately come to mind:
NA Miata in British Racing Green over tan interior
White Toyota 2000GT
Black 1985 Toyota Truck 4×4 (Back to the Future)
Orange Corolla TE27
If I have to pick one, I’ll go with the orange TE27. The color fits the time period and isn’t clouded by my love of BTTF.
I hate to be an Initial D fanboy, but panda AE86.
My choice: mariner blue in the NA Miata. perfect color in a “modern” classic car.
When we bought the S-Cargo, it was just as advertised in Hemmings Motor News’ color ad … a brilliant metallic blue with white plastic fender guards, grill and bumpers. The dull bronze Watanabi’s DID NOT GO but, that was then. The interior was still white (the original color) with gray dash/upholstery. Nice combo so, I expanded on that. The first thing was to replicate the insignia, shown on the original car center caps … but, not on the Watanabis … as a Tooner-ville-like snail. I replicated it for the sides of the van box in white, black and red trim, as well as new center caps for the rims, which I had plasti-coated white. What and effect! The van was amazingly cool with the look, which I carried on into the engine compartment which had been left white. I drew the compartment together by repainting the hood (it needed it) and, having the rib on the hood underside the same color as the hood, the flat areas left white. It worked! I have to fix the inside box dings on the wheel arches and do them up in gray bedliner. So far, the combo of red-white-blue has worked (11 trophies since owned). Still some upgrades/repairs but … soon, very soon!
The first-generation Nissan Silvia in that greenish-gold they call “Silvia Gold”. It still looks good in other colors, but just not exactly right unless it’s in this Silvia Gold.
For me it’s Nissan Code 210 on an 86 Z31. That was the first cool car I had and the car I miss the most.
Code 210 is the same paint color that’s on the top half of the 84 50th AE Z31. I love the AE, but the Silver 86 Z31 is special to me.
Pearl White over Silver two-tone on any big Toyota from the 80s-90s- Crown, Majesta, Mark II, Cresta, Chaser, Soarer, Celsior… Hell, I think you could even get it on an Estima and Grand Hiace back in the day.
For executive cars of a certain era, it’s pure class
Black and white Tokyo Police colours on an R34 Skyline GT-R. The most badass colours ever seen on an R34.
I am going to try and name a few car / color combos that I like, and that aren’t part of the whole bandwagon hype.
Midnight Purple on a Nissan R33 Skyline GT-R
– I think this color looks better on the R33 than R34, as the purple makes the R33 look even more aggressive and hunkered down, more effective than it would on an R34. When I think of R33, it’s usually midnight purple that stands out. The GT-R doesn’t even have to be modified, just sitting stock looks perfectly fine.
Milano Red on a Honda EG6 Civic Si
– I believe I detailed this spec as one of the cars on the QOTW wish lists. The red and the hatchback silhouette just matches in simple matters, yet so appropriately. The red really accentuates the “sporty” appeal of the hatchback.
Merlot Mica on a 1995 Mazda Miata “M” Edition
– Yet another purple in the selection, this is one of the best color on the Miatas. I like it looks very classy with the tan top and the 15″ BBS wheels. The color is very noticeable, but it’s not loud or obnoxious. Drop the top and the Melot plus tan leather interior makes the car feel extremely warm and welcoming, ready for a nice drive in the Wine Country.
Montego Blue on 1994 Mazda Roadster RS Limited
– This one’s a mouthful, but on the other hand we have the Montego Blue with the Recaros and BBS wheels, making it quite a sporty combo. The color changing blue / green / “black” hue really resonates with the 1990s theme, and the color is very mature with the BBS wheels. I have a Montego Blue NA and when I had it repainted (after all the years of exposure), I was reminded how nice the paint pops.
Cypress Pearl on a 2006 Lexus LS430.
– This color is just majestically oozing “suave” on the last of the conventionally-shaped Lexus flagship sedan. It’s a less common color for sure, and from a side profile, the car just seems so effortless when married with this combination.
JNC goes real good in white most of the time, or simple gloss colors(no metallics in my spray booth unless the car is on air/hydraulics).
but most of all i love time-worn paintjobs.
Imagine if you will, early spring sunrise over the dunes, you’re sitting in the office of a workshop opposite an old man drinking his fourth cup of coffee, your uncle Daisuke Fujiwara. the old fart came here somewhere in the mid 80’s as a young man seeking fame and fortune in SoCal. by 24 he had a plumbing business ‘Great help Fujiwara’ plumbing.
the old man lights a cigarette, takes a deep drag and upon exhaling billows smoke throughout the small office.
leafing through the jobcards he wrote he groans, ‘blech, too much boring’.
‘your turn kid, i got paperwork to do anyways’
you walk outside, past the new company truck(talk about too much boring)
a sunburnt red 2wd 1987 mitsubishi mighty max club cab sitting on wide white wheels, just a bit lower than you’d expect and a hand painted company logo on the side standing the test of time all these years.
strap down that toolbox and hit the road hard, we got some plumbing to do!
moral of the story, sunburnt red goes good on everything, be it a fictional canyon carving minitruck, an old corolla hatchback or evne my first car, a 91 firebird.
You can’t have too much Nissan red – Fortunately both my 91 SX Hb and 85T Z31Nissans came in red – Go figure?
Since I’m currently on a Nissan kick, I’d say that light blue or warm white two-tone colour on an S13 Silvia and Bay Side Blue on the R34 Skyline GT-R
I’ve got three yellow ones: Isuzu Vehicross, which admittedly looked cool in silver, but was just rad in yellow Ironman trim. Nissan Be-1, which just looks right in yellow; though maybe that’s just because that was how it was pictured in the Japanese Cars book that I pored over endlessly as a child… And, even though I had a red one in high school, the 2nd gen Honda Prelude in Si AWS trim in Barbados yellow.
When I close my eyes and visualize an EK Honda Civic or a DC4 Integra Type R it is in Championship White.
Our 1997 Toyota Century V12 and 1997 Toyota Crown Majesta V8 are both dark green
metallic. The Century has dark brown wool interior, the Majesta dark grey cloth interior.
I like both color combos. My perfect color combo would be green on green.
My least favorite color combo would be white on tan, or actually anything with a tan interior.
I was going to pick the venerable BNR34 in Bayside Blue for obvious reasons but I’ll go with something different.
My vote is Motoharu Kurosawa’s (Gan-san) New Formula Red NSX-R on Championship White wheels. No two-tone roof or wing. I remember seeing an image on the internet somewhere of it on Suzuka Circuit flying down the main straight. What a great color for a product that symbolized the passion and fire at Honda to develop something to stir our souls, profits and share prices be damned.
Two words: Black Gold.
Absolutely obsessed with 2000’ish Honda San Marino Red. They out Italianed Alfa Romeo. Unfortunately, its about as the least a durable color as you can find as well. Screams for a garage to maintain. But omg!
Not a combo we often see, but the last years of the Mitsubishi GTO in white on a black interior and with all the black accents nicely detailed, it looks like a fighter jet, so good!