All,
My 1971 Series II Heritage Certificate lists the exterior paint colour as “Silver”. Date of manufacture for the car is 21 May 1970, dispatched on 9 September 1970. Indeed, the stub frame is still a silver color.
I can’t find “Silver” listed as a paint color for 1970 or 1971 Series II. Would this car have been painted a “custom color” as a request from the dealer/buyer?
If so, how would one find the paint manufacturers code? I could computer match it, but it is nearly 48 years old and faded.
Welcome, and don’t get scared by confusing names of colours, Jaguar did it all the time. The build sheets are technical documentation and the brochures are marketing material.
“Silver” is the paint they also called “Silver Grey” and “Opalescent Silver Grey”. The correct tone and formula always depends on time as well.
I have a 1975 XJ6C, the JDHT certificate also says “Silver”. The brochures mention that Black and Silver were special order colours, but many dealers ordered special colours as they knew they would sell.
Besides, many metallic greys of the 1950’s and 1960’s are impossible to recreate, due to pigments being different, many pigments used back then (and I suspect also in the 1970’s) were banned due to environmental and health issues (lead, cadmium, etc.)
But yes, many good quality paint systems can still reproduce most tones for metallic paints, you can choose what in your opinion looks closest to how you see the original “Silver”. Color and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
There is a ‘Silver’ shown but as an S3 color. I didn’t see where any of the silvers were shown as 1970 colors - so take the info with the usual grain of salt.
Everyone,
Thanks very much. So, Opalescent Silver Gray gets shortened to Silver Gray gets shortened to Silver. Makes perfect sense to me! Les, thanks for the code. I’ll visit my local paint shop and see what they can whip up.
would you mind posting a picture of your silver? Of the many colors, silver seems hard for me to find a modern code. Privat message would be ok if you prefer.
They (Jaguar) may have used different “silver” at a different time, but NOT two silvers at the same time. What it says on the JHT certificate depends more on who was working as a clerk on that shift than what paint they actually used. The fact that a certificate does not have the word “Opalescent” or “Opal.” in it does not mean anything besides that the guy responsible for recording that data thought it was a) unnecessary or b) too difficult to write.
All “Dark Greens” between 1961 and 1967 are “Opalescent Dark Green” and all “Silvers” are likewise “Opalescent Silver Grey”. “Silver Blue” would be “Opalescent Silver Blue” etc. All “Gunmetal” is "Opalescent Gunmetal, Maroon depends on timing as there was (non-metallic) Imperial Maroon and TWO different (metallic) Maroons, Opalescent Maroon and Opalescent Lt. Maroon (which was not lighter than the other maroon, they only used that name for some reason to point out perhaps that it was not as dark as perhaps some American car’s “Maroon”) so it’s best to also figure out “when” the car was painted at the factory instead of just what it says on the certificate.
Hi Steven, our cars are not too far apart in age and production. Mine is a 71 Ser 2 FHC manufactured in October 1970 and it is painted in the Silver Grey as mentioned (with red leather interior). I recently had the car stripped and repainted and it is now painted in a GM Silver Grey paint which is the closest I could find to the Jaguar factory color. Couple of pix attached. best regards, Brian / Mytype.
Hi Steve, I have it listed in my body shop docs. as Sebring Silver Metalic, As mentioned it is a GM color possibly used from 2010 and newer. Hope this helps. Brilan
