A few months ago I bought a black car. Ever since then, I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at vinyl wrap colors… I just can not get myself to like the inky non-distinctiveness of black paint. What I do like is two-tone bodywork, so I’m planning to leave my Honda’s hood, roof, and trunk black while changing the fenders and doors to something more interesting. Yellow could be fun, but I’m not sure I want to be a bee. Red’s always good, and a Civic Si’s prime color (in my opinion) is blue. But seeing this photo of Kristen Lee’s resurface on social media this week sparked an epiphany: Shiny earthy colors are extremely cool and interesting without being too loud. Something like this might be in my car’s future.
- Car: 2021 Lotus Evora GT
- Location: Angeles Crest (Highway 2 above Los Angeles, CA)
- Photog: Kristen Lee (IG: @kristenleeeeeeee (eight Es); Twitter: @kristenlee)
- Camera: Canon
You might recognize that photo from Lee’s writeup of the Evora GT (you can read her review of the car on The Drive). It’s a cool car, but right now I’m more interested in discussing the color and related shades. Lotus calls that color “Military Grey.” The vibe is somewhat similar to Millenium Jade, which Nissan offered at the end of the R34 GT-R’s life, or even the chalky grey/green I’ve seen on the Zero SR/S motorcycle. I’m crazy about all of these.
I wouldn’t say gold is quite on the same spectrum, though I can’t help but feel like there’s a similar aesthetic energy on the tone Top Secret put on its infamous Supra. Take a look at this picture from when the car was sold at auction in 2017:
Gold is a lot harder to pull off than the green-looking tones, though. That Supra looks great but it can easily come off looking too much like jewelry or urine. Neither of which is what I’m going for.
All this to say, I’m really appreciating the futuristic military-ish look of somewhat-glossy grey/greens like what I’ve shared above lately. The look has the same strength as the recently popular Nardo Grey (which also harnessed an appealing vibe that seemed simultaneously matte and shiny) but it feels a little fresher.
So hey: Anybody got a line on a good vinyl purveyor that might have just the right shiny earthy color I’m looking for?
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