Are white cars the new silver....?

[Zebede29]

When you think about it, a LOT of current cars look fantastic in white - think of the following cars and the best pics you've seen on TV or in car mags and I bet they have been white:

> any Elise/Exige
> Ford GT, Focus RS, Fiesta ST
> Golf GTi MkV
> Audi R8 (with the silver sideblades obviously)
> Maserati MC12
> BMW M5 (think Ringtaxi)
> Caparo T1
> Lambo Murcielago Superleggra (or whatever it's called)
> Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Not to put too fine a point on it, but it seems the iPod-generation style choice has firmly hit the manufacturers' colour palettes full-on.

The new silver perhaps....?

[kevin ritson]

I bought a black iPod

For the Elise/Exige at least, White is the new Krypton Green, itself the new Chrome Orange

[kevin ritson]

And I had white 10 years ago, so there

[Shnozz]

I dont think the elise cuts it in white, and yet on the Exige (both S1 & S2) its my top choice.

[LotusEater666]

The Type 23 looks nice with its off-white and green stripe down the middle.

[retrorider]

i thought black was the new silver...

[redevil]

Yes, some cars look great in white, but i'm not sure if i'd actually buy one myself. I couldn't bring myself to get a white Exige over a black or chrome orange one.

[tricky 100]

White M6 in Miami Vice , looked loverly .

[Dino D]

Over here in Greece a white motor makes sense for the heat reflection and looks great in the sunlight but suprisingly we have just as many black/silver cars as the UK!!

I think the colour must be chosen in the context of the environment you will most be seeing your car so for a track car white is great. On the other hand being covered in motorway grime and stuck on the M25 on a rainy day just doesn't bring out the best in a white car....Hence I doubt white will become as big as silver, at least in the UK.

Is silver a big colour for Lotus? I remember them being being yellow, orange, green and black but thats maybe because those colours looked best and stuck in my memory...

PS: I have only seen a 4 lotus (elises and exige) in 8 months of living here-big change from London!

[Boggy]

kevin ritson said:

And I had white 10 years ago, so there

I loved those thing's 106 Rallye

Boggy

[Zebede29]

Boggy said:

kevin ritson said:

And I had white 10 years ago, so there

I loved those thing's 106 Rallye

Boggy

Is that 106 parked outside Cadwell Park gates...?

I think white suits a lot of the current styling being given to newer models but on older cars it was usually the "bargain" option for tight buyers who didn't want to pay for metallic paint - for example there are lots of white Astra LS's still about around our way!

Personally I wouldn't buy a white car either, but I have had my head turned by a few white Golf and Polo GTI's i've seen through work. Nice to look at, nightmare to keep clean!

[toxic frog]

It's a very ominous sign... my own whacky theory is as follows:-

the desire for white cars is a phsycological effect caused by those successful in business who are seeking a sub-conscious purity in the face of guilt and impending economic doom.

the exact same trend happened in the late 80's/early 90's when the economy was booming, people were trading flash cars for silly money, every city boy had a 911.... and then everything went pop!

take this as a sign... take all your money out of shares and put them into a more stable investment such as jaffa cakes.

[kevin ritson]

Zebede29 said:

Is that 106 parked outside Cadwell Park gates...?

I think white suits a lot of the current styling being given to newer models but on older cars it was usually the "bargain" option for tight buyers who didn't want to pay for metallic paint - for example there are lots of white Astra LS's still about around our way!

Personally I wouldn't buy a white car either, but I have had my head turned by a few white Golf and Polo GTI's i've seen through work. Nice to look at, nightmare to keep clean!

That's just by the bridge over the straight at Brands and behind Druids - the approach to Hawthorns is in the background

[hueandcry71]

Zebede29 said:

When you think about it, a LOT of current cars look fantastic in white - think of the following cars and the best pics you've seen on TV or in car mags and I bet they have been white:

> any Elise/Exige
> Ford GT, Focus RS, Fiesta ST
> Golf GTi MkV
> Audi R8 (with the silver sideblades obviously)
> Maserati MC12
> BMW M5 (think Ringtaxi)
> Caparo T1
> Lambo Murcielago Superleggra (or whatever it's called)
> Porsche 911 GT3 RS



Not to put too fine a point on it, but it seems the iPod-generation style choice has firmly hit the manufacturers' colour palettes full-on.

The new silver perhaps....?

I started the fashion with my white Citroen AX that i owned many moons ago. Im a leader not a follower.......

[mahju]

I remember about 15 years ago when Silver became the new White... people liked silver because they weren't a boring white car.

Then 360 degrees later....

[Cino]

Shnozz said:

I dont think the elise cuts it in white, and yet on the Exige (both S1 & S2) its my top choice.

White Elises with standard silver wheels look dodgy, but the ones with black wheels look s**t hot. Someone on MLOC has one. Good for stonechips as well, as the grp underneath is white. When I did the factory tour they said they made loads of white Exiges (after the Top Gear feature) but very few Elises. I'd be seriously tempted if I was ordering a new one...

[Janitor]

Agreed... lots of cars look the boocks in white

Speedy's GT3...





_TC's Exige S...




my Astra Van er I mean old MkII RS2000... even the new TT wears white surprisingly well





The only issue I have with Silver and therefore probably white, is that you can spend a day polishing it and it only ever looks clean, as where other colours positively swim in their own depth...

[Philygumbo]

White makes a car look abino.
Silver = grey or the new Beige
Black looks fabulous, but a bugger to keep clean.
Scandal green or orange = cool

Edited by Philygumbo on Thursday 30th August 22:53

[TIPPER]

I know what you mean about silver only ever looking clean rather than having that deep wet-look shine. I have noticed however that my (new ally) S1 does look better after a good polish and then wax. It also has the advantage of not showing up swirl marks. In some light my car actually looks white and although I've never actually seen a white S1 it has got me thinking...........
BTW Clive that's not your new TT is it? Looks loverly (Audis seem to wear white well).
On a more general note the cars that seem to wear white best are either classics or some of the cleaner (bauhaus?)modern designs. Having said that and to prove generalisation is seldom a good thing, I saw a white X-type estate a few days ago. With a nice set of 18 inch five spoke wheels it looked great.

[Philygumbo]

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