Good morning,

1. Could someone help me locate the correct Daimler (or Jaguar) colour palette for the Series III 1987 to 1992?
2. I am looking for the most dramatic black - can someone help me understand how to obtain the deepest colour on a custom paint work?

I was watching a YouTube video and, apparently, there are multiple variation of the simple colour black. I am not talking of cherry black or other adjacent colours but pure black. Apparently, even pure black comes in various shades and tonalities and picking the right one can alter the final result.

Are there any colour experts on the forum, please?

Tommaso

 

ascanio1, when you say most dramatic black, what are you meaning by this? If you are meaning a paint job where you drop off the car and they shoot a single color on to your car and you get something that looks great, then I would be saying that you would be looking at something like a Ultimate black metallic. It is going to be metal flake heavy, but the color is stunning and most people agree. You can see this color on a lot of the newer XJ's around. This is not your Tuxedo black where it is just a black car.

A different variation on this is having a black car that is painted with extreme care. This paint gets applied, sanded, buffed, another layer applied, sanded, buffed, another layer applied, sanded, buffed, etc until the paint looks like it doesn't have a surface. You feel like you could reach right through the car because you are not sure where the surface begins. This takes an expert painter and TONS!!!!!! of time. A paint job like this would easily cost many times what the car is worth (a paint job like this in the US would cost around $50,000 or 46,500 Euro). This is probably more than you are looking to spend.

Now if you are looking for something that is so dark, that there is nothing blacker/darker, then it would appear that you are after a paint called "Black 4.0". I think the problem that you are going to find with this paint is that it is so black, any sort of detail on the car is going to be removed visually. Now, something that you may find interesting is what is done in this video ( ). But, you can see how the body lines just kind of fade into obscurity.

If I am off the mark, then let me know what you are after and we can go from there.

 

Chris, you're right on the mark. Thank you for investing your time to help. My message was unclear and "dramatic" can mean one thing to me, and a completely different thing to you. Apologies.

I have seen cars, at shows, painted so well that the paint seemed liquid, or wet, and it reflected the image as a mirror notwithstanding the colour black: saying that it looked like a black mirror, is counterintuitive, but that's the effect! Your comment was confirmed by many and 3 factors seem key: (1) thorough preparation (2) many layers of clear coat on top of the colour and (3) flatting and flatting and more flatting (*).

However, the colour too is important. and this was the purpose of my post: I was hoping to be pointed to a website that could help me see the differences between all the different blacks available. Black 4.0 is certainly NOT to my taste. I think that I am looking for something classic but, perhaps, I am wrong and classic blacks were never deep and wet. However, I certainly do not want something that has weird or uncommon reflexes. Pearl, flueorescent, etc... hummm, not my kind of idea of classis. Also, consider that a family coat of arm (6cm tall) will be applied to the 2 rear doors between the window and the chrome waist line so we need a classic colour.


(*) We stipulated a price about a third of what you mention (remember that we are in the South of Italy, a very poor area, where costs are halved from US) and he agreed to apply 5 layers of clear coat, and to sand with 800/1000/1200 in between each layer. If he'll deliver a good job or not... well, I'll have to wait and find out! He knows that the Double Six is going to a concourse of elegance and, we stipulated that, if I win first place, then I will double the price paid, if I will win second place then I will add 60% and if I win 3rd place I will add 30%. So he's certainly well motivated. He has done some smaller cars: Sprite, Spitfire, Triumph GT6, TR6, to concourse level, but he has never won, and I have not seen these. He was introduced to me by the Triumph Club that confirmed that there is zero orange peel on his work - however - that does not mean that it will be as I want it. I was intent on commissioning the work to my habitual paint workshop, known for years, but since I wanted the best finish I went with someone who has done cars for shows, before.

 

From what you are describing (a concourse level paint job), I would recommend 2 things to you. Going with a "classic" tuxedo black is going to be as black as you need it to be. It is going to be your traditional glossy black that you are looking for. If you are still unsure, I would put my faith into the painter. I say to trust him for 2 reasons: 1) if he has done concourse level cars before, he knows the shade of black that you need, and 2) this lets the painter deal with paints that he is familiar with and this will help guarantee the best paint job you can get for what you are paying.

 

Thank you Chris, your advice is useful. I had this conversation with the painter before handing the car over to him. The painter expressly refuses to choose or advise on the colour. He wants to avoid complications that he experienced in the past with show cars. In fact, his lack of help with choosing the colour was the primary reason for posting here.

By the way, he uses PPG products. Would you happen to know which is the PPG colour closest to tuxedo black? And would you be able to, please, suggest resources that offer colour palettes or comparisons? I googled this last question but I could not find something specific to car paint. I found a myriad of websites that offer colour comparison but, mostly, for digital screen or printing.

 

ascanio1, I know you are going to think I have lost my marbles on this (granted, the loss of marbles is up for debate). I would tell you to go to your local home repair store and look in their paint department. Alteast here in the US, they have these nice little cards with various colors on them. Look at the blacks and I am sure you can find tuxedo black there (or some black that you will say is black enough) and then take him that card and say to match the color. he should have the tools/equipment to do that and tada, you have the color.

Your other option is to say look at this page: Jaguar XJ Touch Up Paint & Paint Color Codes (touchupdirect.com). Near the top is a black ebony. That is probably the color that you are after. There is the paint code and you give the painter that code, that will tell him how to make that color. If you don't mind a light metallic flavor, then look at the black amethyst at the bottom.

 

Thank you. I will ask PPG if they a have a local reseller alternatively, I will do as you advise! Thank you!