[Steve Kirkham]

Not trying to cram an aluminum car down your throat, just that if you do get a Kirkham, and are looking to resell it later, then bare aluminum actually is the way to go.

If you're going the 'glass route, I'd get whatever color does it best for you, mostly because you're going to have to live with it. If you don't get exactly what you like the best, you'll always look at the car and know that it's a compromise. Don't cheat yourself by getting less than you really want.

On the other hand, if you're just building one to sell, black shows every flaw. White is also known in the paint business as "hide-a-dent-white" because it's very difficult to see reflections.

Personally, my first preference is polished aluminum with painted stripes and flat black painted out hood. I call it P-51 mustang.

My second favorite choice is 200 hours of wetsanded black. I've seen black cars with paint so perfect that in bright sunlight I couldn't tell the color, or even where the paint's surface lay; it was just a big car-shaped mirror. But that's extremely high maintenance.

My favorite for a thrashing car is pearlescent white.

I'd really recommend cruising the new car lots and finding a color scheme that you really love. Then you can ask what the exact color is, and get a beautiful paint treatment that will be repairable at any decent repair shop.

With custom paints, there are lots of variables. They look good, but can be impossible to match, even by the guy who did it. Conversely, if you get the gorgeous deep metallic blue I just saw on a new minivan, you'll be able to match that color and metallic/pearl job across the country for the next 20 years.

If you go that route, I'd recommend cruising the Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari and Jag lots first. It just sounds much more impressive to tell somebody that the car they're looking to buy is "2004 Mercedes Royal Blue Metallic", than "2004 Ford F-150 Royal Blue Metallic."

Good luck.