Hues to make you cry
[Motoring, with Eleanor Roosevelt]
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Burnt orange? Burnt lemon? Burnt lime? What on earth is Detroit up to?!? Dear reader, your correspondent must protest on your behalf. It saddens me to see so many gleaming new automobiles sporting appalling color schemes. Burnt citrus (fruit) has no place in the kitchen, and is promptly consigned to the trash can. Similarly, these contemporary ‘metallic’ colors will have a steep depreciation curve, leaving the once proud owner aghast when the ‘no resale value’ stamp is ultimately affixed. The cynical among you may slyly suggest that Detroit is toying with the driving public, by releasing ‘me too’ colors in order to accelerate the rate of vehicle replacement. But surely this will come back to haunt them, when an irate public realises that today’s burnt orange coupe is tomorrow’s homeless shelter. Reputation is so important. Imagine the outcry if an elegant black 1948 Cadillac had become almost worthless by the onset of the Korean conflict? But no, many of these cars are still with us today, testimony to a time when pride in craftsmanship and styling was a given. |
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Some may think me an old killjoy, but I’m not alone. At a delightful dinner party thrown by Paul Newman recently, Kathleen Turner paused before commencing her fourth helping to query my views on the burnt orange look. “Kathy” I said, “Kathy, don’t do it. It’s like wearing cheap perfume.” “Or shouting at everyone” chimed in Joanne Woodward, with her husband nodding in agreement. At which the lovely Kathleen relented and asked after dessert.
So, I urge both consumers and manufacturers to reassess their values, and opt for automotive colors that will last. Greet your fellow motorist with respect: black, silver, maroons, anything but 'burnt citrus'.