Most of you should have seen the available colors on the Tesla website by now. For easy reference, here's what they are offering:
Solid colors:
Metallic colors:
A special mystery is how Jet Black became categorized as a "premium color".
I figure the Roadster will look great in just about any paint scheme, but I've got to say I'm leaning toward the brighter colors. It's partly a practical thing, because it's a small car and you really want it to be visible to other drivers. It's partly emotional, because it's a fast, sporty, fun car and bright colors just seem to fit. You know this car is going to be an attention-grabber in any color, so why not paint it an attention-grabbing color? The colors I'm looking hardest at are. . .
YELLOW: Nothing catches the eye like a bright yellow car. It's instinctive, you just have to look. It's a cheery, fun color. However. . . I've heard that some bright yellow cars attract bees and other flying insects. That might be a problem if you are motoring along with the top off! It attracts speeding tickets too.
ORANGE: This has to be the most aggressive color you can get, even more than red. It's more unusual than yellow, more an object of curiosity. An owner of a "Chrome Orange" Lotus Elise once wrote that he could bring a small town to a standstill just by pulling up to their stop light. Kids love it. On the other hand, it might get old after a while. Some would consider it tacky, because it's almost like you're driving down the street saying, "Look at me! L@@K at meeeee!"
WHITE: Obviously white isn't in the same category of attention-grabbing, but it's visible. White is the color of spaceships: clean, futuristic and high-tech. That sounds like a good match for the Tesla Roadster too, doesn't it? The only problem is, there are so many white cars on the highway already -- not as many as silver, but close to it. White is the color of utility trucks, panel vans, fleet vehicles. Doesn't this car deserve something more special? I might still consider it only because most white cars are a solid color, but Tesla's Arctic White is metallic. I saw a metallic white Cadillac today and must say it looked sweet out in the sunlight.
BLUE? I fell in love with the rich, deep, pure blue that Lotus offer under the name of "Magnetic Blue". If Tesla offered it, that's probably the way I'd go. Unfortunately, Electric Blue just isn't doing the trick for me.
The WORST color in my book is Thunder Gray. Not because it looks ugly. . . Quite the contrary, I figure a Thunder Gray car with tan leather interior would be about as classy as you can get. The problem is, they should have called this Asphalt Gray. I wouldn't feel safe in a small, low-sitting car that blends in so easily to the road surface.
So. . . Those are my opinions, but I haven't decided what I really want yet. What colors would the rest of you go for?
Solid colors:
- Fusion Red
- Racing Green
- Jet Black
Metallic colors:
- Brilliant Yellow
- Radiant Red
- Sterling Silver
- Glacier Blue
- Obsidian Black
- Very Orange
- Electric Blue
- Arctic White
- Thunder Gray
A special mystery is how Jet Black became categorized as a "premium color".
I figure the Roadster will look great in just about any paint scheme, but I've got to say I'm leaning toward the brighter colors. It's partly a practical thing, because it's a small car and you really want it to be visible to other drivers. It's partly emotional, because it's a fast, sporty, fun car and bright colors just seem to fit. You know this car is going to be an attention-grabber in any color, so why not paint it an attention-grabbing color? The colors I'm looking hardest at are. . .
YELLOW: Nothing catches the eye like a bright yellow car. It's instinctive, you just have to look. It's a cheery, fun color. However. . . I've heard that some bright yellow cars attract bees and other flying insects. That might be a problem if you are motoring along with the top off! It attracts speeding tickets too.
ORANGE: This has to be the most aggressive color you can get, even more than red. It's more unusual than yellow, more an object of curiosity. An owner of a "Chrome Orange" Lotus Elise once wrote that he could bring a small town to a standstill just by pulling up to their stop light. Kids love it. On the other hand, it might get old after a while. Some would consider it tacky, because it's almost like you're driving down the street saying, "Look at me! L@@K at meeeee!"
WHITE: Obviously white isn't in the same category of attention-grabbing, but it's visible. White is the color of spaceships: clean, futuristic and high-tech. That sounds like a good match for the Tesla Roadster too, doesn't it? The only problem is, there are so many white cars on the highway already -- not as many as silver, but close to it. White is the color of utility trucks, panel vans, fleet vehicles. Doesn't this car deserve something more special? I might still consider it only because most white cars are a solid color, but Tesla's Arctic White is metallic. I saw a metallic white Cadillac today and must say it looked sweet out in the sunlight.
BLUE? I fell in love with the rich, deep, pure blue that Lotus offer under the name of "Magnetic Blue". If Tesla offered it, that's probably the way I'd go. Unfortunately, Electric Blue just isn't doing the trick for me.
The WORST color in my book is Thunder Gray. Not because it looks ugly. . . Quite the contrary, I figure a Thunder Gray car with tan leather interior would be about as classy as you can get. The problem is, they should have called this Asphalt Gray. I wouldn't feel safe in a small, low-sitting car that blends in so easily to the road surface.
So. . . Those are my opinions, but I haven't decided what I really want yet. What colors would the rest of you go for?