Travel to Havana, Cuba, has become less restricted, allowing more tourists to witness first-hand the fabled vintage cars that still ply the city streets. Imported from the United States before the Cuban Revolution, many of these vehicles have been meticulously maintained for nearly sixty years. Even more amazing to visitors are the bold colors, visible in striking contrast to modern automobiles.
While no one really wants to return to that era, a glimpse at any big-city freeway traffic jam today reveals a sea of white, gray, and black vehicles. Although there are always exceptions, the days of bright fire-engine red, turquoise or yellow have disappeared. This obviously reflects changing public tastes, but other factors have also heavily influenced the trend.
Until the 1970s, unique American models had always been instantly recognizable. Fuel supply concerns sparked an influx of imported smaller cars with better gas mileage, but also with a bland similarity of design and exterior color. The old, boxy models have been replaced, but many newer cars are still difficult to distinguish from their own competition.
In addition to improving mileage standards, car makers needed to finish assembling vehicles faster and more efficiently. In the early years, paint was actually applied by hand in a painstaking process lasting days. As the post World War II industry evolved, makers began to use enamel paint or acrylic lacquer, both of which lent themselves to bright, custom colors.
Most new vehicles today enjoy a exterior paint job based on sparkling, mica-based tints, in addition to exterior coatings of clear polyurethane. This gives the surface a deeper, more nuanced look, and actually appears more expensive and luxurious. These finishes are technologically superior, take less time to apply, last longer, but are often vastly more subdued.
When combined with buyer preferences for white and silver, the most recent generations of standard car colors have become homogenized and bland. It is possible to order custom tones, but few can approach the brash assertiveness of bygone hues. Not surprisingly, the mistaken old idea that vehicle color can influence driving habits, and even auto insurance rates, has largely faded away.
Today, digital technologies are making bolder paint jobs practical and desirable, and the public is ready. Driven by environmental concerns, the auto industry worldwide is constantly improving exterior painting practices, and it is now possible to order nearly limitless computer-controlled color variations. While no one expects car makers to resurrect the vivid tones of the 1950s, the next decade may see the decline of dullness.
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Darren Kutcher
Car Auto Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchSimilar ArticlesA Look at Auto InsuranceTips For Buying Your Auto InsuranceA Few Things to Try When Looking For Cheaper Car Insurance RatesRecent Articles17 Year Old Driver InsuranceEssential Things To Note Whenever You Make A Motor Insurance Coverage ClaimExamining How Your Credit Can Affect Your Insurance CoverageImportant Information About Car Accidents And Your Insurance CoverageShopping for a New Car? Consider the Insurance Cost Before BuyingHow to Change to a New Car Insurance CompanyCompetitive Performance and Modified Car InsuranceAuto Accidents - What to Do If You Hit a DeerEight Simple Ways to Reduce the Cost of Car Insurance for Young DriversTips For Making Best Choices For Insurance RenewalSubmitted On March 16, 2012. Viewed 1 time. Word count: 417.MLA Style Citation:Kutcher, Darren".".16 Mar. 2012EzineArticles.com.17 Mar. 2012
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