I am always amazed by individuals who go to infinite detail to reproduce an accurate clone and then paint it Ferrari red. Infinite detail requires original colors.

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.

All sorts of opinions...
 

Phil,
I believe any of the standard colors are safe. There are all sorts of opinions on resale too... lots of replica and original cobras out there with different colors today. A potential buyer can pick any color apart if they want to. I had mirror black before and it was hard to keep clean for any duration and very hot (on driver cars - not waxers), red oxidizes and fades easy, silver dulls some, blue is very common, ... white stripes reflect on your windshield, ... so on and so forth. SPF has opened the door for other new colors and combinations that people like now. One of the nicest hand-built replica Cobras I've ever seen cost $120,000 to build, it was Orange, and it looked just incredible and exotic. I would have never tried Orange or thought of it. So, go figure...

IMHO: most importantly, If the body is really STRAIGHT, and the paint is laid on nicely, ...blocked out and buffed out correctly, many colors can look good and are resale safe. I say pick what you like first. Good Luck.

I plan on ordering my SPF in silver,with either titanium or black stripes,and pin drive wheel centers to match.With lots of polished alloy under the hood it will tie everything together.I figure I can accessorize with reds,blues and yellows under the hood and change the basic look from time to time.From past experience,silvers (especially lighter ones)seem to be easier to blend stone chips and small nicks.Never hurts to go with basics-there are an awful lot of people with very conservative tastes in cars,with silver being one of the most popular

Duane,
Black was my choice from day one, but I'm having second thoughts. I've bounced back and forth between black and indigo blue (no stripe). At this particular minute in time.... it's indigo. But that may change in an hour.
Phil:confused:

Dealing with the mind and color changes...
 

Hey Phil,
a quick story about our local KB and color. He was building his car for the first year and all he could talk about is solid Red. Solid Red. Solid Red. It went to the painter, ready for Red. When the body showed up back at his house all painted nicely, it had Jaguar Blue with White stripes on it.~!@#$%^&*()_+| ... It seems that he changed his mind at the very last minute. For two years after that, all he could talk about is wishing he had painted it solid red. If you love black, go with black. One thing is for sure, whatever you pick, you'll be stuck with it,... and its not so fun to have to change it later if you decide that you made a mistake. :(

For some, the hardest part about building a replica Cobra is deciding on the color - and it can drive you nuts. Like you said, you might change your mind in the next hour.

Question:
what was your VERY FIRST vision of the color Cobra you wanted when you ordered your car? Maybe that's the color... Good Luck.

what was your VERY FIRST vision of the color Cobra you wanted when you ordered your c
 

Duane,
Actually, the first Cobra that I rode in back in '66 was British Racing Green..... that was my "vision" of what I wanted. After seeing your car and Steve Klinger's black Cobra's I was hooked on black, and that was the vision when I ordered. As I chuckle to myself the ping-pong ball of color choice continues to bounce back-n-forth.
Thanks for your advice - it will be interesting to see what ultimately happens :JEKYLHYDE **) :JEKYLHYDE :confused:
Phil

Many have left aluminum cars unpainted. So have I.
Novelty wears of rather rapidly.
I am beginning to find out why the early Shelby originals were all painted.

Aluminum looks good great unpainted for about 4 days. First time you go to clean it, you find out very fast that, there is hardly any cleaner out there (including Windex) that will leave a uniforn finish.
If you like milky, patchy, dull look you will love the look of a bare naked lady.
Different panels, different grades of sanding done on the car doesn't lend itself to proper care.
If you do what Pat Buckley did and polish the car to luster maybe then you will be able to remove any residue of finger prints with greater ease.
Any thing less than that will leave you cussing at the inventor of Aluminum.

It is better to cover it up with paint and answer the question if it is glass or alloy, than to leave it unfinished and flaunt.

TURK

Turk....
 

You're breaking my heart....
I haven't even got my car yet...
I thought windex was the cleaner of the gods for aluminum..:LOL: :LOL:

shaps,
I think Windex really is the best choice out there.
I even tried two Professional PPG products.
One you mix with water and use it to clean. The other also diluted with water to condition or to seal.
I managed to make a mess of a small area, that I worked very hard to correct.
I have heard WD-40 being a very good and uniform cleaning agent.
However there is the concern for leaving a oily residue and gathering dust,
You also have to worry about painting it later on with the residue of WD-40 still on the aluminum panels.
Would require thorough cleaning and etching to make it free of all WD-40 prior to paint.

TURK
ps. I loved it while it looked paintless, but I can't take it any more.

I think if I ever decided to sell I'd offer a $3k choice of color and do the body remove/replace for the buyer.

...and a different view...

Having now lived with the naked beast, it is getting easier. I think some of us (including me) thought that leaving it bare and simply Windexing it now and then would be all that we would need to do. As Turk says, you do end up with a residue after awhile.

I've found that BNLs need washing just like painted cars...with a finishing of Windex as you do a final drying. I have had few problems with the milky residue once I realized it needs washing like other cars. Still easier than a painted car, and still very distinctive compared to painted cars. Best part--despite alot of bugs and a few cones...I have no worries about scratches or pitting. A few swipes with the Scotchbrite and she's just like new.

I happen to like the bare look. I may paint it in the future, but for now I enjoy it naked.

Obviously, it's going to be easier to resell naked. Blue or red with no stripes would be the next best, IMHO.