Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club

Im in 2 minds whether or not to have my 420 gsi turbo done in nighfire red when it goes in for paint.
At the minute its just straight gloss red (with half of the lacquer missing). So the whole car is being painted either way, door shuts the lot. Personally i prefer the nightfire red and being a 1994 car COQ nightfire red would be age specific (from my research). But as there are only a few of these cars left is it best to keep it true to its original colour?
Im trying to keep it pretty standard and any personal touches that i do add reversible so its stays pretty much unmolested but i keep changing my mind on the colour so would be good to hear some opinions and hopefully make up my mind

Flame red is a lot rarer colour than nfr and you get more points for originality

Thats the main reason i keep going back and forth with the idea

one thing i have seen time and time again....modified makes no money and ends up with the car being parted out.

Original makes reasonable money but understanding all maintenance costs are not retrievable from the value of the car (any more )

To be fair im not planning on selling the car anytime soon, ive become quite attached and i think i would miss it too much and be unable to replace it. And it would be nice a few years down the line to have a nice example of a rare car

It really is up to you, I wouldn't worry what anyone else thinks.

A couple of things to bear in mind though.

Solid colours are easier to repair/touch up than pearlescent ones.
There are lots of nightfire red cars around
Red is probably the worst colour for fading in the sunlight.

And the other question - base coat and lacquer or 2-pack?

I've gone with 2-pack on the rear hatch and roof, due to the previous lacquer problems after 20 years in direct sunlight.

Some people say 2-pack looks "plastic" and lacks the depth of base + lacquer, but to be honest, it's just nice to see the bodywork looking new again. I think you can get a decent shine from it, and actually I prefer the fact you don't get the layered light patterns on it.

3 Options really.

1. Clear over Basecoat - What you have now. You can use 2k laquer to get a good durable finish. Easy for paintshops to do and gloss levels are initially high

2. Cellulose - Most bodyshops won't offer this - but it can still be used for classic restorations. Offers a deep shine but needs polishing a lot to get there!

3. 2k solid - The modern alternative to cellulose. Harder and more durable than Cellulose.

I'd go for 2k solid if it was a bodyshop doing it.

A couple of questions:

What paint technology did Rover use on our cars?

Does a 2k basecoat preclude a 2k lacquer?

crepello wrote:A couple of questions:

What paint technology did Rover use on our cars?

Does a 2k basecoat preclude a 2k lacquer?

I'm not sure on the 200/400. Maestro got one of the first waterbased systems, which I've omitted from the above options but are now probably the norm in some refinish businesses. I don't know a lot about these though as they aren't usually very DIY friendly.

2k lacquer can usually be used over waterbase, solvent base or 2k base but the paint supplier will be able to advise on specifics.