Thank you, Rob. I’ve decided to change the original colour (pastel green/suede green) of my Dec. '53 production OTS and had settled on silver/black. Now not so sure. Maybe go with BRG/suede green, which I also like. Still a few months away from a final decision. Cheers.
Silver is too modern. Every other BMW or Merc or Toyota is silver. Black interiors looks sporty, but makes the car very dark inside. Black interiors are quite practical for dirt. My 120 FHC is BRG/Suede green - very classic and suits the shape of the car. How often do you see a modern car in green ?
What ever colour you decide on I would paint it something that looks suitable for the period. Actually I quite like you original Pastel green !?
While it is true that silver cars are everywhere you look today, my very early 51 120ots was silver and duo blue when new and that is what I am returning it to. Silver has been around for a long time and the 120 wears it well.
My E is BRG/black, as it was when it left the factory. I rather like the combination and have never found the interior to be too hot, though I have hardly ever had the top up in summer, and I do live in Canada. Neither I nor my wife care for pastel green - my perspective is more like ambivalence while hers is more like aversion - so going original colour is dead in the water. Pastel green metallic I like, but we’re back to what was offered in late ‘53. (Though the official record of a late car in metallic blue as cited above by Mr. Reilly is an indication that the factory at least once diverged from their standard offerings).
Any silver XK120 OTS I’ve seen in the flesh I perceived as beautiful. Ditto BRG. As to interior colour, I have a complete black Connolly leather and Wilton wool kit purchased almost 30 years ago from GWBartlett who custom made the seat covers from an original seat cover I sent to them, they at the time not having the pattern featuring the correct number of pleats for the late cars. I expect they (now OSJI) might be willing to take a trade-in if I should decide to change to the original suede green, though I understand Connolly leather is nla.
The body work is almost done and is very straight, which a dark colour like BRG would compliment but a light pastel wouldn’t, and maybe not by silver, though the simplicity of silver/black and minimal XK120 chrome would be a stunning combination in my estimation.
What I need to do is stop fretting about a colour change affecting resale value when my kids liquidate my estate and just go with something that’ll make me smile. Pastel green, alas, doesn’t qualify. Even the original owner had the car resprayed to OEW. Just a matter of personal taste,
have you considered a grey ? A very pretty colour … particularly in our grey Canadian skies.
Yes. Gunmetal might be an attractive colour over black.
But most of the time Niagara skies are blue. Maybe that metallic blue Rob refers to would work too.
My '54 OTS started life in Pastel blue… a colour I always disliked… I eventually chose a mist grey/red mix and like you have little concern over what may be deemed by others in 30 years from now. as appropriate. I have always been pleased with my choice… although I once overheard some track star remark that it looked like I polished the primer.
I have painted my rhd 120dhc grey it was original pastel blue but when I got it in 2005 it was refrigerator white and I had the correct blue trim material but a red trim kit came up at the right price due to someone changing their mind on there own XK120DHC. So I opted for dove grey basically the same colour as my first jaguar a MKII that had the red trim. It will look good with the fawn hood.
My friends all look at the car in dove grey and say now that it is in primer what colour am I going to paint it! Sounds like I have the same friends as Godfrey!
Gone for grey painted wheel 16 inch with crossplies and a set of 5 1/2" triple lace curly hubs in black with radials as well.
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Beautiful cars, gents.
Merry Christmas.
Thankyou for posting the dove grey pictures. My 120 was originally dove grey with suede green interior. I will have to decide if that is the color scheme to use for restoration. I would like to see pictures of a suede green interior if any are available.
You might want to peruse xkdata.com for pics, Geoff. Unfortunately the search filter is wonky and doesn’t do the sorting work for you when you plug “suede green” into the colour field but going through the various photo entries will provide some examples like this one:
See attached of original Suede Green Interior - note some fading at different rates for different materials, all started out a close match, (Leather, Rexine, Carpet) over past 65 years but gives the general idea…
Thanks. Roger and Nick. Looks a bit like the seats in the british parliament. I wonder wherethe suede part comes from.
Wow I thought someone was taking pictures of my car
Who ever owns this has great taste in color combinations if you ask me:joy:
That looks like pastel green metallic. Nice snap. Attractive.
As is the German car in the link that was posted with the suede green interior shot.
The original unrestored car in the photos above is 671957, discovered a few years ago in California.
http://www.xkdata.com/cars/detail/?car=671957
The link nick sent is the car from Germany
672323. It’s a near duplicate of my 671359.
Is that the one with the exhaust exit through the rear wings?
Pretty car.
Brings a question to mind. I’ve noticed that with many, if not most, XK120s the rear wings when viewed from the rear droop downward from the level of the lower edge of the boot lid, much like this one:
and this is consistent with what Viart depicts in his book (fabulous resource, every XK120 owner should get one) at least with respect to the standard model, as indicated by the single exhaust pipe:
But the rear wings of my SE car are almost straight across in line with the lower edge of boot lid, more like this diagram, also from Viart:
I’m under the impression the shelf above the spare wheel in the SE cars is higher rather than the spare wheel tray being lower.
Both correct?