The world is a vibrant, multi-hued place — but you'd never know that by looking at most automotive showrooms. We need more intensity and variety on the streets. Right now anyone with a little creativity and enough money in their checking account can get whatever color they want. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the colors that need to make a comeback.
Welcome back to Answers of the Day — our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Photo Credit: Naddi555/Shutterstock
10.) BMW Inka Orange
Suggested By: Is that a rain coat?
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Brown may be the trendy throwback, but orange really deserves the love. This is how you brighten up the streets. Especially with the move towards smaller cars – wouldn't a Fiesta or a Mazda 2 be a natural for this? BMW's preferred shade toned down the intensity just a bit while still keeping the character. Your Vitamin C intake goes up just by looking at it.
Photo Credit: George Hatcher
9.) Volvo Saffron
Suggested By: blowbig
Why it deserves its day in the sun: The Swedes must have wanted the visual equivalent of espresso to help stave off seasonal-affective disorder. They got it with this glowing dark-orange shade that made the square-edged wagons burst and the rounder C70 shimmer like a semiprecious stone.
Photo Credit: Volvo
8.) BMW Sepang Bronze Metallic
Suggested By: Nikola Tesla
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Brown is the official trendy missing color right now. The reality is that most cars look, well, crappy in brown. That most stolid of earthtones needs some spark and radiance to really work – shift the effect toward a serious bronze and the effect goes from soil to stunning. Mercedes had a great one in the Seventies; BMW's recent take is even better.
Photo Credit: BMW Car Club GB & Ireland
7.) Plymouth Prowler Violet
Suggested By: valdaviper1
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Forget what you think about the car itself. Chrysler's people cooked up a perfectly appropriate hot-rod shade of purple for their retro roadster. For something that wants to bring attitude that insinuates and hedonistically charms without being shocking, this is a sweetly psychedelic groove.
Photo Credit: Greg Gjerdingen
6.) Chevrolet Jetstream Blue
Suggested By: ¡Danger Ranger!
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Bright enough to not seem moody, intense enough to avoid pastel flimsiness, Chevrolet's serious sky blue is a natural on high-flying Corvettes but would be a welcome dose of fresh air in many other places as well. You can get it, but it's rare we see the color on non-press cars.
Photo Credit: GM
5.) Candy Apple Red
Suggested By: Brian, The Life of
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Once the go-to color for hot rodders, candy-apple red lost traction after the Seventies. It's time for a comeback, and not just for retro reasons; that wet-look crimson manages to split traditional red's vibrancy with burgundy's decadence without being either too blatant or too dark, and adds its own twist to the fun as well.
Photo Credit: Jerry Edmundson
4.) Audi Nogaro Blue
Suggested By: ColoradoQuattro - boost addict
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Stronger than Jetstream Blue, a statement in a world of metallics, Audi's particularly vivid color choice doesn't work on everything – a Porsche 911 done in it just looks like a blue blob – but on something with the details and accents of an S4 it's fantastic.
Photo Credit: Jay Friesen
3.) BMW Techno Violet
Suggested By: 404 Name not found
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Less lollipop-like than the Prowler's purple, BMW's take on this most emotionally complicated of colors successfully shuts down bad stereotypes and comes off as a brilliant blend of maturity and just a bit of flamboyance. It'll never be a top-five pick, but it would be terrific to see as an individualistic option.
Photo Credit: The Car Spy
2.) Honda Tahitian Green
Suggested By: miraclewelding
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Various shades of blue-green were very popular in the Nineties. As a fashion it ran its course, but as a legitimate choice it definitely still has its place. It's a natural for hybrids and other Earth-conscious rides, it's an enjoyable shift up from straight blue, it's terrifically agreeable without being bland. We need less bland. We need this one.
Photo Credit: Honda
1.) British Racing Green
Suggested By: jomac006
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Red is still commonly available. Navy blue tends to show up with some frequency. What happened to dark green? In a world that defults to red for exciting cars and gray for everything else, it's a perfect mix of life, stylishness, speed, and formality. Some companies still understand its charms; many others should as well.
Photo Credit: Nicholas R Horne