Car Color Choice
Scott Coleman
mentioned that the careful choice of car color could significantly
reduce the chances of being ticketed for a moving violation (or words to
that effect). I have heard of some sort of study which attempted to
correlate the color of the automobile with the chances for it being
"noticed" by a police officer. Apparently, a car painted "Arrest-Me Red"
has a significantly higher chance of being nabbed for doing naughty
things like speeding. My questions is, what is the LEAST likely color to
be nabbed? Is there any truth to this story, or is it simply a highway
legend? I'd *really* like to order a bright red car, but can be
convinced not to if it will mean a significant change in my driving
record (which is now perfectly clean).
I've also heard that black cars have a significantly higher chance of
being struck at night (which makes sense to me ;-). Does this mean that
white is the best car color? What other considerations should I be
taking into account (aside from the obvious factors of personal taste)?
Thanks again.
Ken Lee
|> Apparently, a car painted "Arrest-Me Red"
|> has a significantly higher chance of being nabbed for doing naughty
|> things like speeding.
I doubt that statistics will give you much useful info here. If red
cars get more speeding tickets is it because of the paint or because
the kind of driver that buys red cars tends to exceed the speed limit?
|> I've also heard that black cars have a significantly higher chance of
|> being struck at night
This is something I'd worry more about. Night driving isn't a big
deal, since all cars look black at night. But in poor weather or just
before sunset, red and yellow cars are much more visible. This allows
other drivers to react sooner, possibly reducing accidents.
--
Ken Lee
DEC Western Software Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif.
Internet: kl...@wsl.dec.com
uucp: uunet!decwrl!klee
Scott Fisher
|> has a significantly higher chance of being nabbed for doing naughty
|> things like speeding. My questions is, what is the LEAST likely color to
|> be nabbed? Is there any truth to this story, or is it simply a highway
|> legend? I'd *really* like to order a bright red car, but can be
|> convinced not to if it will mean a significant change in my driving
|> record (which is now perfectly clean).
Well, on the one hand, bright cars are easier to see. On the other
hand, my last four tickets have been in grey, beige, and green cars.
If you spend enough time over the limit, you'll get caught. If you
don't speed, or if you're very careful, you won't get tickets. It's
that simple! :-)
|> I've also heard that black cars have a significantly higher chance of
|> being struck at night (which makes sense to me ;-). Does this mean that
|> white is the best car color? What other considerations should I be
|> taking into account (aside from the obvious factors of personal taste)?
Well, some observations:
- Black cars are far and away the hardest to keep clean. Any speck
of dust shows up on them. They do, however, look really swell for
about 45 minutes after you put away the buffing wheel. In addition,
if you live where it's warm (error: can't parse ux1.cso.uiuc.edu),
black cars absorb a lot more solar radiation and will toast you to
a golden brown in the summertime.
- Grey (silver) cars show dirt the least, if you live where there's
water rationing or if you're just plain lazy :-). Dark grey is
almost as bad as black in both the cleaning and the temperature
realms.
- Red cars tend to oxidize more (makes sense, because they absorb
light from the high-energy end of the spectrum; see Shankar Bhattacharyya's
excellent reference on blue foods in rec.food.cooking for the physics
involved) unless you keep them well waxed and protected.
- I've been told, within a one-month period by two different sales
persons, that green cars have the highest resale value and the
lowest resale value. The first one was selling a green car; the
second, buying one.
- Some cars just look better in certain colors, or certain color
families -- and to certain people. For example, I tend to like
MGBs in dark colors (BRG, black, burgundy) because the chrome strip
along the swage line looks sharpest on dark colors. A friend bought
a Mustang GT in red because he thought it downplayed the silly tail-
light louvers, while white made them stand out, and he didn't like
them.
In the end, buy the color you like best, and if it's a bright color,
just speed carefully...
Roger Garnett
>In article <1991Mar12.1...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, tm...@uiuc.edu (Scott Coleman) writes:
>|> Apparently, a car painted "Arrest-Me Red"
>
>If you spend enough time over the limit, you'll get caught. If you
>don't speed, or if you're very careful, you won't get tickets.
Yup- that's the secret.
>|> I've also heard that black cars have a significantly higher chance of
>|> being struck at night (which makes sense to me ;-). Does this mean that
>|> white is the best car color? What other considerations should I be
>|> taking into account (aside from the obvious factors of personal taste)?
>
>Well, some observations:
>
> - Black cars are far and away the hardest to keep clean.
> - Grey (silver) cars show dirt the least,
> - Red cars tend to oxidize more
White cars blend in more with snow & fog. And sometimes show dirt fast.
Light brown cars don't show the dirt much, and don't attract much attention.
> - I've been told, within a one-month period by two different sales
> persons, that green cars have the highest resale value and the
> lowest resale value.
According to local friendly sales type- Red is the easiest color to sell,
at least for sports cars. Sedan drivers don't like to stand out as much.
Doug Fierro
>In article <1991Mar12.1...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, tm...@uiuc.edu (Scott Coleman) writes:
>|> Apparently, a car painted "Arrest-Me Red"
>|> has a significantly higher chance of being nabbed for doing naughty
>|> things like speeding.
>
>I doubt that statistics will give you much useful info here. If red
>cars get more speeding tickets is it because of the paint or because
>the kind of driver that buys red cars tends to exceed the speed limit?
I can tell you that red cars get vandalized more. I've come to my
bright red car many a time to find things like chewing gum stuck to my
hood, bottles placed on either side of the tires on the passenger side,
and just two days ago this jerk at a gas station splashed windshield
washer fluid on my driver door while I was paying for the gas, and then
he had the nerve to deny it when I asked him about it!!
Oh yeah, every teenager wants to race me as well :-)
I've concluded that a red car would not be my choice if I had to do
it again; I'd go for BLACK...
Doug
--
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Doug Fierro
"Read my lips... I lied." fie...@uts.amdahl.com
red lights suck UNIX division
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Al Bowers
>In article <1991Mar12.1...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, tm...@uiuc.edu (Scott Coleman) writes:
>|> Apparently, a car painted "Arrest-Me Red"
>|> has a significantly higher chance of being nabbed for doing naughty
>|> things like speeding.
>I doubt that statistics will give you much useful info here. If red
>cars get more speeding tickets is it because of the paint or because
>the kind of driver that buys red cars tends to exceed the speed limit?
My $0.02 worth. We used to call a really flamboyant yellow
`Ticket-grabber yellow', of course there is the `arrest me red' and
certain shades of orange would attract undue attention.
Actually, you can look at police records (which insurance companies
do) and sales receipts and you will discover that red cars, do indeed,
collect more tickets and are involved in more accidents (IIHS
statistics). But this may well be related to the _drivers_ of such
cars not the cars themselves. Also of note, police statistics show
that the most difficult color car to follow is a tan, beige, or grey
car during loss of contact visual pursuits (bank robbery information).
>|> I've also heard that black cars have a significantly higher chance of
>|> being struck at night
>This is something I'd worry more about. Night driving isn't a big
>deal, since all cars look black at night. But in poor weather or just
>before sunset, red and yellow cars are much more visible. This allows
>other drivers to react sooner, possibly reducing accidents.
For this one, turn on your lights early and leave them on longer in
the morning. Motorcyclists are already required to do this in the US.
My own personal preference, if you like red (which I do) buy a red
car. But a radar detector might be money well spent as well... :-)
--
Ducati MHR,DoD #0900, Sandan Iaido, PSIA Nordic #000137, Hobie 16
Albion Hideto Bowers w: (805)258-3716 h: (805)948-8999
bow...@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov!bowers
Scott Coleman
In article <1991Mar13.1...@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> gar...@theory.tn.cornell.edu (Roger Garnett) writes:
>In article <1991Mar1...@wsl.dec.com> sfi...@wsl.dec.com (Scott Fisher) writes:
>>|> Apparently, a car painted "Arrest-Me Red"
>>
>>If you spend enough time over the limit, you'll get caught. If you
>>don't speed, or if you're very careful, you won't get tickets.
>
At least in an ideal world. As we all know, there are "borderline" cases
where it's basically a judgement call on the part of the officer whether
to go after someone or not. Apparently a red car adds a teensy bit more
weight to the "nab 'em" side of the scales than other colors - at least,
according to some of the folks who've replied to my post.
Scott Coleman
In article <5...@telxon.UUCP> jo...@telxon.uucp (Joe Staudt) writes:
>
>So long as you don't do anything "haughty", your clean driving record will
>not be affected by driving an "arrest-me red" car. If, however, you are prone
>to driving at higher-than-legal speeds, you should be aware that your red car
>stands out in traffic, and take whatever precautions you feel necessary to
>safeguard you from Officer Friendly.
It just so happens that I have, on occasion ;-), driven a tad bit faster
than the posted limit (although never too fast for conditions). Perhaps
my clean driving record is partly attributable to the fact that my
current car, even though it's a '72 Mustang, is painted a light brown
color.
>Among the "invisible" colors, I believe blue and grey are among the best, and
>maybe white.
[...]
>
>Ultimately, personal taste _should_ be the deciding factor. A new car is a
>expenditure of $$, so you should do whatever makes you happiest with the
>result.
I agree fully. Although I do like the arrest-me red with black and/or
titanium accent color scheme, I also like some others. Information like
the above is very useful in a "tiebreaker" situation.
Scott Coleman
and Joyce Kinnard (pp. 150-151):
"Light-colored, single-tone cars are more easily distinguished from the
surroundings by other drivers. Studies made by the New York Port
Authority have shown that light-colored cars have significantly fewer
collisions. According to one study by the Minnesota Department of
Safety, the safest color for an automobile is a greenish yellow shade.
As a general rule, red and black are worst; cream, yellow and white are
best."
The above was written in 1980, and may be out of date (it certainly
conflicts with the intuitive observation that Arrest-Me Red cars most
certainly do attract significant amounts of attention from other
drivers, especially when those other drivers are holding radar guns ;-)
Alexander E. Pensky
|> be nabbed?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alex Pensky ...!{cwjcc,decvax,pyramid,uunet}!abvax!aep (216)646-5211
Allen-Bradley Company 747 Alpha Drive, Highland Heights, OH 44143
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Erkamp
things to consider are that if you need body work some colors are harder to
match then others (especially metallic colors). Grey appears to be the best
for not appearing dirty and Black the worst. As for speeding tickets get a
clear coat;-)
Bob
Mark SOKOLOWSKI
>In a response to my earlier post about buying a new Mustang, someone
>mentioned that the careful choice of car color could significantly
>reduce the chances of being ticketed for a moving violation (or words to
>that effect). I have heard of some sort of study which attempted to
>correlate the color of the automobile with the chances for it being
>"noticed" by a police officer. Apparently, a car painted "Arrest-Me Red"
>has a significantly higher chance of being nabbed for doing naughty
>things like speeding. My questions is, what is the LEAST likely color to
>be nabbed? Is there any truth to this story, or is it simply a highway
Try desert camouflage...
JOSEPH T CHEW
Keep in mind that red might as well be black at night, which, as I
understand it, is a large part of the reason why fire trucks have
been trending towards "Poisoned Lemon" the last several years.
--Joe
"Just another personal opinion from the People's Republic of Berkeley"
Geoff Miller
>Keep in mind that red might as well be black at night, which, as I
>understand it, is a large part of the reason why fire trucks have
>been trending towards "Poisoned Lemon" the last several years.
That's <ahem> "lime yellow." ("But limes aren't yellow!," I
hear you say. Reminds me of that old shaving cream commercial
with the crate of lemon-limes at the produce stand.)
Remember that ghastly yellowish-green that they used to paint
Pintos back when they first came out? I never had a true
appreciation of the term "puke green" until I first saw one
of those.
Geoff
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Geoff Miller + + + + + + + + Sun Microsystems
geo...@purplehaze.EBay.sun.com + + + + + + + + Milpitas, California
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
H Philip Chen
Hi people, please buy more bright red or any bright colored car. Why?
Because while you guys are zooming up from the back, I can glance in
the mirror and say, "Great! It's NOT a cop! But it's time to move
aside to move aside and see who's the driver... Hmmm...".
Worst color to get: white, black or dark gray. Why? Because when
I look back and see you guys coming up, I'll be thinking,
"Oh no! Time to slow down again...".
-Philip
===============================================================================
"I'm sorry Your Honor, I don't think I'll have to pay for this parking ticket.
The officer wrote the wrong color down. Emmm, I don't have a black colored car.
It's a dark gray metallic thing. In the afternoons, it's light gray, sir ..."
... "At night? I don't drive at night, sir. The lights don't work. Oops!"
- .signature by HPChen [yes, they work]
Scott Coleman
In article <1991Mar16.1...@news.iastate.edu> jo...@iastate.edu (Hascall John Paul) writes:
>In article <1991Mar15....@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> tm...@uiuc.edu (Scott Coleman) writes:
>}An update/tidbit from "The Lemon Book," by Ralph Nader, Clarence Ditlow
>}and Joyce Kinnard (pp. 150-151):
>
>}"Light-colored, single-tone cars are more easily distinguished from the
>}surroundings by other drivers.
>} Studies made by the New York Port
>}Authority have shown that light-colored cars have significantly fewer
>}collisions.
>
> Jumped-to-conclusion: they must be more visible
>
>I don't suppose they considered the difference in cars and/or personalities
>as they relate to color?
>
Agreed - the study undoubtedly lacks enough controls to make that
determination, especially considering the fact that it is an early
study. Another early study was mentioned in some email sent to
me in response to this post. The sender asked me to also post this
(since he is unable to do so himself):
--- Begin Quoted Text ---
From: B66...@UTARLG.UTA.EDU
I'm sending you mail about your car colors post in rec.autos because
my server will not allow posting...
If you would like to post this for me, I would appreciate it.
This info is from AutoWeek mag. with an unknown(to me) author.
Mercedes Benz conducted a study back in the 70's on the efectiveness of car
colors and their relative brightness...
During the day colors are generally the same in attraction except
for red, yellow, white which are bright. Silver and Gray are "stealth"
colors and the most unnoticeable.
At dusk(or dawn), the bright colors contrast even more while the
stealth colors remain about the same. But another group, black, brown and
dark green, are dangerously invisible. (Remember those headlights?)
They (M.B.) found black, drk green, and brown to be on the bottom
end of the scale with red, yellow, white topping it out in that order.
Some interesting others are that multicolored cars stand out the most(But
who wants a clown car?) and that the brightest color available was
Engineer's Orange, a color so bright it was deemed hazardous to traffic.
Car color can affect your entire driving habits, ever seen a speeding red
Corvette? Me neither.
Ken Greene
--- End Quotes Text ---
> Milktoast driver == Milktoast car == Milktoast color ;-)
An interesting theory, but it only works if you assume that all drivers
have a choice of car colors. If you're buying used, you have little
or no choice in the color of your dream machine. If you find a mint
condition Boss 302 which has everything you want except for the dark
green paint (which you hate), you can't just go across town and find the
identical car in your preferred "Yo, Officer!" Yellow. You take what you
can get. Even with new cars the choices can be limited. New 1991
Mustangs, for examlpe, don't even come in "Yo, Officer!" Yellow. Sure,
you can always have the car repainted any color you want, but that's
expensive and very few people actually do it. My suspicion is that both
visibility and driver preference have a hand in the "bustability" of a
particular car/color/driver combination, and that the weighting on the
visibility factor is a bit heavier. I welcome any hard evidence to the
contrary! ;-)
chuck smith
>In article <1991Mar14.1...@arc.ab.ca> erk...@arc.ab.ca (Bob Erkamp) writes:
>>Statistically the order of most frequent colors is White, Black, Red. Other
> Statistics usually don't mean a thing, especially when you can get
>numbers to say whatever you want. A lot of basic model cars in the
>US come in simple colors, so that's why you see a high number of such
>color cars.
>>things to consider are that if you need body work some colors are harder to
>>match then others (especially metallic colors).
> Red probably being the hardest. My car from the factory doesn't even
>quite blend together well, but that is probably because it came from GM.
>I also see about 100 different colors of red on the road. Seems like
>White and Black would be easier to match.
If you look closely, there are many different type of white and black. I didn't
realize this until my dad had his white Omni repainted after an accident. The
front of the car ended up being a pure white, were as the back had a hint of
pearl. As to black, a friend of mine just a Talon in black cherry - it looks
black until just the right light brings out the red. I've also seen black cars
with a hint of blue. From a bodyman's point of view, black shows the
imperfections the worst of any color (that's why a lot of show cars are black -
its impressive to see a perfect black paintjob.)
>Doug
>--
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> Doug Fierro
> "Read my lips... I lied." fie...@uts.amdahl.com
> red lights suck UNIX division
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
--
--------------------------- R 1 3 ----------------------------------
chuck smith |_|_| live long and prosper,
cws...@uiuc.edu | | or go insane trying.
--------------------------- 2 4 ----------------------------------
chuck smith
>In article <1991Mar16.0...@csusac.csus.edu> cs06...@csusac.csus.edu (H Philip Chen) writes:
>>
>>Hi people, please buy more bright red or any bright colored car. Why?
>>Because while you guys are zooming up from the back, I can glance in
>>the mirror and say, "Great! It's NOT a cop! But it's time to move
>>aside to move aside and see who's the driver... Hmmm...".
> There are a lot of tricks to spot Cops from behind. Spotting a color
>only works in the daytime. Know the cop cars of your state.
>Usually the Diplmats or some other boxy domestic car with a spotlight
Recently, running behind and having 120 miles to go to get to work, i hurried
away from a light toward the coverleaf to jump on I-57 and head south. Behind
me about 100 yards, I see a new '91 Caprice (not at all boxy), and what at
first appears to be fog lights on the bumper. Knowing the Illinois state
police had a preference for Caprices, i slowed down and got my first sight of
their new unmarked cars. The spotlight is hard to see from behind due to the
way is lays up against the windshield. Without those lights on the bumper,
I would have been in trouble. Simple rule: be able to identify large domestic
sedans from a distance, and treat accordingly. Sure, there will be a lot of
flash alarms, but 4 years of driving this route about every other weekend, I
have never been stopped, amazing considering half the time i'm driving a
loud, bright red '68 Camaro.
>by the driver's side. Not as many GTs out there as people think,
>but I always seem to slow down when a Taurus comes up unusually fast
>behind me :-) ALWAYS slow down when you see a motorcycle; it's
>really hard to distinguish them from far away. The cop cycles do
>not have double-headlights.
> Also anyone running fog lights at night is not a cop, so there is
>no reason to let up on the gas. Round tail lights up ahead are
>usually civillians. Cars missing a tail light or headlight are
>usually not cops, and people running their high beams at night are
>inconsiderate civillians as well.
Except if a domestic sedan pulls up behind you in the fast lane and turns his
brights on.
>>
>>Worst color to get: white, black or dark gray. Why? Because when
>>I look back and see you guys coming up, I'll be thinking,
>>"Oh no! Time to slow down again...".
I hate people who drive Caprices. I've seen unmarked patrol cars in red,
brown, blue, grey, white, etc, but fortunately, all Caprices.
> Guess you don't have Nazi cycle patrols where you live.
> Doug
>--
Doug Fierro
Statistics usually don't mean a thing, especially when you can get
numbers to say whatever you want. A lot of basic model cars in the
US come in simple colors, so that's why you see a high number of such
color cars.
>things to consider are that if you need body work some colors are harder to
>match then others (especially metallic colors).
Red probably being the hardest. My car from the factory doesn't even
quite blend together well, but that is probably because it came from GM.
I also see about 100 different colors of red on the road. Seems like
White and Black would be easier to match.
Doug
Hascall John Paul
}and Joyce Kinnard (pp. 150-151):
}"Light-colored, single-tone cars are more easily distinguished from the
}surroundings by other drivers.
} Studies made by the New York Port
}Authority have shown that light-colored cars have significantly fewer
}collisions.
Observation: light-colored cars have fewer collisions
Jumped-to-conclusion: they must be more visible
I don't suppose they considered the difference in cars and/or personalities
as they relate to color?
Ever seen a beige Ferrari?
Ever seen a flaming red Volvo diesel station wagon?
Milktoast driver == Milktoast car == Milktoast color ;-)
--
John Hascall An ill-chosen word is the fool's messenger.
Project Vincent
Iowa State University Computation Center jo...@iastate.edu
Ames, IA 50011 (515) 294-9551
Doug Fierro
>Because while you guys are zooming up from the back, I can glance in
>the mirror and say, "Great! It's NOT a cop! But it's time to move
>aside to move aside and see who's the driver... Hmmm...".
There are a lot of tricks to spot Cops from behind. Spotting a color
only works in the daytime. Know the cop cars of your state.
Usually the Diplmats or some other boxy domestic car with a spotlight
by the driver's side. Not as many GTs out there as people think,
but I always seem to slow down when a Taurus comes up unusually fast
behind me :-) ALWAYS slow down when you see a motorcycle; it's
really hard to distinguish them from far away. The cop cycles do
not have double-headlights.
Also anyone running fog lights at night is not a cop, so there is
no reason to let up on the gas. Round tail lights up ahead are
usually civillians. Cars missing a tail light or headlight are
usually not cops, and people running their high beams at night are
inconsiderate civillians as well.
>
>Worst color to get: white, black or dark gray. Why? Because when
>I look back and see you guys coming up, I'll be thinking,
>"Oh no! Time to slow down again...".
Guess you don't have Nazi cycle patrols where you live.
Doug
Michael Mahler
Metallic Silver and Bronze are the hardest colors to match
(metallic paint also doesn't keep it's shade as long as flat
colors since sunlight reflects off the metal flakes increasing
the amount of light the paint "sees").
--
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Michael Mahler - Stratus Computer
Martyn Wheeler
|>
|> Hi people, please buy more bright red or any bright colored car. Why?
|> Because while you guys are zooming up from the back, I can glance in
|> the mirror and say, "Great! It's NOT a cop! But it's time to move
|> aside to move aside and see who's the driver... Hmmm...".
Well, next time you're in NC don't be so sure. The unmarked cars
are really neat :-). They range from black Mustangs through red
Mustangs to Monte Carlos with tinted windows, vinyl roofs and
flashy chrome aftermarket wheels, and they even have at least one
Porsche 944 seen on I-85 (really!).
Martyn
--
Martyn Wheeler (sas...@dev.sas.com) | "If you spin, you deserve to die"
work: (919) 677-8000 ext.7954 | -- Mike Hawthorne
home: (919) 839-0092 |
Sleeping Beagle
> Some interesting others are that multicolored cars stand out the most(But
> who wants a clown car?) and that the brightest color available was
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Engineer's Orange, a color so bright it was deemed hazardous to traffic.
I'm glad you mentioned that!
Is anyone else sick of the absolutely boring colour schemes on cars these
days? There seems to be a choice between only one colour, or some sort
of yucky two-tone.
Yet it's not the only way. I saw a brilliantly painted car in 'Wheels'
magazine a few years ago - it was an M-series BMW painted by a local
Aboriginal artist in an amazing paint job incorporating lots of
colour and traditional abstract art.
I've seen pictures of other well painted cars. Personally I only like
those which have interesting abstract patterns or designs.
Anyone else feel the same?
--
Sleeping Beagle (aka Thomas Farmer) sbe...@kennels.actrix.gen.nz
The Kennels Ph. +64-4-796306 (voice)
25 Awarua St, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand.
"You ain't nothin' but a Hound Dog."
Scott Currier
>
>Recently, running behind and having 120 miles to go to get to work, i hurried
>away from a light toward the coverleaf to jump on I-57 and head south. Behind
>me about 100 yards, I see a new '91 Caprice (not at all boxy), and what at
>first appears to be fog lights on the bumper. Knowing the Illinois state
>police had a preference for Caprices, i slowed down and got my first sight of
>their new unmarked cars. The spotlight is hard to see from behind due to the
>way is lays up against the windshield. Without those lights on the bumper,
>I would have been in trouble. Simple rule: be able to identify large domestic
>sedans from a distance, and treat accordingly. Sure, there will be a lot of
>flash alarms, but 4 years of driving this route about every other weekend, I
>have never been stopped, amazing considering half the time i'm driving a
>loud, bright red '68 Camaro.
>
When traveling in Colorado, look out for the new state patrol IROC-Z's.
The patrol bought them just before Chevy relinquished the moniker to Dodge.
It's areal scream to see an all white IROC with ground effects, and cherries
on the roof. :-)
Scott
Scott Coleman
In article <1991Mar20.0...@ncsu.edu> dlu...@eos.ncsu.edu (DAVID LAWRENCE UHLER) writes:
>
> It's not the color, it's the car.
It can't be - that's far too simple! ;-)
Really, my Mustang is as "zoomy" looking as they come (it's a '72, so it
has the typical musclecar look of the period), yet it gets practically
NO attention from the law (by this I mean it does not attract enough
attention to get me a citation on those occasions when I cause the car
to exceed the posted limit). The car is painted a light brown. Take that
same car, paint it Arrest-Me Red with black racing stripes, and I'm
certain that situation would change dramatically.
On the other hand, paint an '82 Chevette Arrest-Me Red with black racing
stripes, and the cops will pay attention (but only long enough to bust a
gut laughing).
Clearly, both car type AND color scheme play a role in the
attention-getting department.
DAVID LAWRENCE UHLER
It's not the color, it's the car. I'd suggest driving the coolest
sports car really slow so heads can turn. Myself, I drive a dirty white
station wagon like a bat-outta-hell and avoid cops.
Al Bowers
>>Yet it's not the only way. I saw a brilliantly painted car in 'Wheels'
>>magazine a few years ago - it was an M-series BMW painted by a local
>>Aboriginal artist in an amazing paint job incorporating lots of
>>colour and traditional abstract art.
>You've hit upon the key right there. Consider the monotone car from the
>factory as a "blank canvas" upon which to express your true taste in
>automotive art.
Actually, the Mseries car that was painted in the avant garde paint
job was done by Andy Warhol. Earlier editions were done by other
modern artists, Alex Calder among them. BMW does a rolling road show
with the cars from time to time to show their support for the arts.
Good idea, IMHO. Not that I'd own one (too boring Al, too boring...).
Scott Coleman
In article <igP5y...@kennels.actrix.gen.nz> sbe...@kennels.actrix.gen.nz (Sleeping Beagle) writes:
>tm...@uiuc.edu (Scott Coleman) writes:
>
>> Some interesting others are that multicolored cars stand out the most(But
>> who wants a clown car?) and that the brightest color available was
Yo, dude, be careful with those attributions - *I* didn't say the above!
>Is anyone else sick of the absolutely boring colour schemes on cars these
>days? There seems to be a choice between only one colour, or some sort
>of yucky two-tone.
>
>Yet it's not the only way. I saw a brilliantly painted car in 'Wheels'
>magazine a few years ago - it was an M-series BMW painted by a local
>Aboriginal artist in an amazing paint job incorporating lots of
>colour and traditional abstract art.
You've hit upon the key right there. Consider the monotone car from the
Daniel S Clemons_Jr
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IROC's, huh? In Kansas, Officer Friendly drives a Mustang GT, in your favorite
color, White, Blue, or Arrest-Somebody-Red. They come unmarked, unless your
tailgating or passing. And the cherry comes off, too.
Danny