Lately I’ve been thinking about color, which we see only because of the differences in wavelengths of visible light. If you delve into the physics of the matter, it’s really like beauty -- in the eye of the beholder.
Now that my car is in its 16th year, I’m looking around at vehicles on the road; and what really catches my eye is the lack of color. I see a winter landscape of monochrome -- black, white, and shades of gray -- and, although I’m attached to my silver VW, I’m ready for some color like I remember from the 50’s and 60’s -- Sea Sprite Green, Sunset Coral, Velvet Maroon. That’s only one of the reasons I would love to go to Havana: to spend days feasting on the colorful parade of shapely vintage vehicles.
What does our limited palette of automobile colors say about us and our particular time in history? PhD dissertations have been written on the subject, and the Society of Automotive Historians no doubt have theories to share.
What strikes me is that, unlike in the 50’s and 60’s, today most drivers are not keeping cars nearly as long – nor their homes. Cars and homes are less personalized as a result; people go for “safe” colors they think will be easier to turn around in the market.
For me I’m hoping for a return to Technicolor on the roads, and I found my perfect hue in the 1976 Cadillac -- Crystal Blue Firemist.
I’m Paula Garrett, and that’s my perspective.
