I like the various grey and green colours that Jaguar used in the 50s. Right now I am considering a very good dark blue car with a tan interior. What do others like?
Peder I love a black car with a biscuit or a cinnamon interior. Your dark blue with a tan interior would be close enough…
Of course since - as we all know - the Car Gods have a sense of humor, my XK140 OTS SE is British White with Black interior. 
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You may get a wide range of opinions with a question like that. 
First off, you may be interested to know that there were two sets of standard colors, known here on this forum as the early or pre '52 set which had metallics, and the late or post '52 set in which the metallics were deleted or replaced by similar non-metallics. We believe that the demarcation is by body numbers given in Dec '52 Service Bulletin 114.
Clausager’s book XK120 in Detail gives total sold in each color, although does not divide some metallic and non-metallic totals.
Black was the most popular choice with 386 cars.
Cream was second with 294.
Birch Grey third with 290.
Pastel Blue fourth with 247, including both metallics and non-metallics.
Pastel Green fifth with 193, again both metallics and non-metallics.
Silver (metallic) 185
British Racing Green 182
Suede Green 181
Battleship Grey 157
Red 109
Dove Grey 100
Lavender Grey 90
Bronze (metallic) 76
Twilight Blue (metallic) 46
Gunmetal (metallic) 45
He also mentions there were six in non-standard colors and a few in primer.
Mine was originally Pastel Green Metallic, but some PO must have hated it and went to great lengths to hide it with red, though he missed the inboard side of the wheels.
I restored it in red and have always liked it, but sometimes I think about going back to PGM, having seen an OTS in that color.
Rob,
I think these Body Number demarcations can be accepted as factually correct/exact - it is carefully documented Body Numbers based on the last cars painted with Cellulose Enamel at the old factory, relative to the first cars painted with the new Synthetic Enamels at the totally new Paint Shop as commissioned in the new Browns Lane factory… no need to be cautious. 
Fun, open question!
I would love one in Lavender grey. Some of the greys have come back on modern, small cars. Birch and Battleship grey in particular. Saw an Audi today.
I’m going for Twilight Blue, the original colour of my early 120 FHC. I have attached a photo of 679077, three cars earlier than mine, with Twilight Blue paint that matches hidden panels of original paint surviving on my car.
I may go with body coloured wire wheels though, as my personal opinion is that chrome wheels are too blingy for a 120. See image of S674424 below, which although currently listed on XKData as Pastel Blue Metallic, was told to me by an earlier owner who did the restoration as Twilight Blue.
Rob Carne
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I have an XK120 roadster 660999 said to be first XK120 painted this new metallic colour Twilight Blue I have restored it back to this colour and will be redoing upholstery in the original blue upholstery which is not dark blue but is really Connolly grey. (The lighter of the 2 colours in Jaguars Duo Blue)
We didn’t mix paint specifically we matched it to an existing manufacturers colour that was very very close
Terry, that is a truly gorgeous color…the car will look fantastic when you finish!
Wonderful😊
And I agree about painted wire wheels, to match either body or interior.
Peder
Skickat från min iPad
Looking back, this discussion began with a dark blue car. I don’t know if this matters to you, but dark blue doesn’t seem to have been in the 120 color charts at any time.
So it’s a personal choice.
With restoration shops, some make more effort than others to achieve the original shades and tints, others are more an approximation or choose a modern color that seems close enough. Or whatever the customer wants.
British Racing Green or Suede Green for me, though I’m probably influenced by specific cars I lusted after when young!
It is a British car - so, British Racing Green. My 120 FHC one of 194 RHD and only 24 BRG with suede green interior. I would choose to paint the car a period colour that is not like all the cars you see driving on the roads today- white, black, silver, grey. How often do you see a green car. Many people say how beautiful the shape is, but also comment on the colour.
The definitive reference on XK120 Paint Colours is the JDHT publication JAGUAR XK120 In Detail by Anders Clausager published in 2006 and still readily available…
Of the 12,059 XK120s made, some 1420 were painted Pastel Blue, noting this 1420 includes those painted Metallic Pastel Blue up to November 1952, and thereafter those painted solid Pastel Blue. There were also 92 painted Metallic Twilight Blue, but again only up to November 1952. But neither of these ‘blues’ are what you would call a ‘dark blue’. And there were a total of 26 cars painted ‘Special Colours’, and these are listed by exact Chassis Number, but unfortunately we only get their colour name, thus no real knowledge of what exact colour shade each name represents, but there were 2 cars painted ‘Blue’ (660802, 661175), one painted ‘Blue Duco’ (67036), one painted ‘Blue Sheen’ (670005), one painted ‘Metallic Blue’ (674616) and one painted ‘Orchid Blue’ (674043).
I should note also that the 1954 Colour Chip booklet does introduce a new dark blue colour named Mediterranean Blue, but again JAGUAR XK140/150 in Detail tells us that only two XK140 OTS, two FHC and one DHC were painted that colour, with one (800018) at least surviving in excellent condition in Melbourne - see below, most certainly a very dark blue…
But for XK140s Mediterranean Blue was quickly superseded by another very dark blue - Pacific Blue - but again not all that popular colour choice with only 70 OTS, 107 FHC and 115 DHC so painted from new…
Black/maroon. That’s really nice.
That is stunning, but requires a very good paintwork. Looks like it from the pictures.
(Let me know if you want to part with it:scream:
)
The interior colour on the car pictured is more tan well the carpets leather is not correct for any colour
Biscuit is a more creamy yellow colour
Yes, you are right Terry. I should have said Tan. I stand corrected.