CA_Tallguy

Well folks, I'm seriously contemplating painting my 97 E420 orange... yes ORANGE. The ol' girl is getting fixed up and paint is simply something that is going to have to be done. Currently, the car is a dark, dark blue/green/black. I think it's called emerald black or something.

I'm going to be adding AMG post-facelift rear bumper (likely with a carbon fiber diffuser built into it), and have just bought the post-facelift AMG sideskirts and popped those on. For the front bumper, I'll either graft the E55/E430 Sport AMG bumper onto the top of a pre-facelift bumper, or I'll use a W211 bumper for the graft. And oh yeah, I'm going to widen the wheel arches before paint as well.

The thing is, the cool ground effects and bodywork just will not show that well on a dark color car. Right now, the choice is looking like either (1) orange or (2) satin/matte grey (possibly one of the Mercedes "Magno" paints).

Attached are some photos I've collected from around the web for inspiration. Curious what y'all think. I suspect the orange may be a bit much for many of you (and maybe for me too). Of course, resale value isn't very much of a concern as a 97 W210 just isn't worth very much even in pristine condition these days. But that makes it an excellent canvas to get my feet wet in modding a car by doing things I'd never have the courage to do to a more valuable vehicle.

siopaolover

I believe that white one belongs to axl...

I personally would go with a simple color that wouldn't be begging for people's attention. the CLK and E63 could pull it off because they were meant to look more aggressive. the w210 on the other hand was made to look classy and luxurious. but in the end, it all comes down to what you want.

desired_speeds

+1

I love the color orange, I love orange colored cars, but I really believe it absolutely looks out of place on a W210. Why not a graphite color or something that makes it look more modern and classy?

dsmith

Love it on more vintage sports cars. Not so much on a w210. I would like to see bright red though. How about a GT3 type bright green?

CA_Tallguy

I've thought about red -- and didn't they offer red on the W210? I don't think that I've seen very many, but seems like I have seen a few.

But when I think about red, I feel like it's kind of the same "punch" effect as the orange.... both being in the "bright colors" category. Know what I mean? To me, orange feels like the modern option of the two.

I dunno... I just get bored when I think of white/black/silver and even red. I'd like to do something "custom" (hopefully somewhat tastefully) and not just try to replicate a factory paint job. Maybe I'll pick from something offered by Mercedes on new models that wasn't available on the W210... so having a little fun and being unique but still staying in the MBZ spec paints.

siopaolover

Have you looked at the C63 AMG BS? they have some pretty unique colors.

mike430sport

At the dealership in san Jose ca smythe, I've seen a flat pearl white SL63 & a flat black one

toby1

Would wrapping be a better way forward? Not sure on costs compared to paint though

CA_Tallguy

Thanks for the comments. Regarding the C63 and SL paints, I think you guys are probably talking about the Mercedes "Magno" colors which indeed are pretty cool. I think they'd be classified as a satin paint (not flat, which I think many mistakenly refer to them as -- if I'm not mistaken myself). The greys they have are something I've been thinking about as well. Both the more traditional greys and the very cool "Monza" grey. The thing about those paints is that you don't care for them the same way as you would a normal paint. That makes me slightly nervous. If I did an orange, it would likely be a regular glossy paint (that seems to be what most orange paint jobs have used) so that is a plus in the bright and loud direction. The satin/magna colors are a plus in that the shade is more traditional.

Regarding a vinyl wrap, the primary benefit of a wrap, I believe, is protecting an existing paint job -- especially the original factory finish. I have thought about that too, but since I still really need a base paint job on this car and there is nothing to protect, I am not sure it makes sense. Yes, I could get a paint job in my factory color and then do a vinyl wrap to have my fun, but that probably only makes sense on a more valuable car as they vinyl would cost a couple grand on top of the paint. Might as well just have the car repainted again later on for that price (should I want to change colors again).

CA_Tallguy

Here's some more orange. This really has me drooling. I will be going for a more aggressive look with my mods and just love the black against the orange. The colors alone go a long way toward giving the car a more aggressive look, but I agree that you need more than paint alone to pull it off. According to the caption on the site, "this is the only C 63 AMG to be painted in designo Pearl Orange paint from the AMG factory in Affalterbach"

Geez, I'm so tempted to just throw some money at it to see how it looks and then be willing to paint it again if I hate it. After all, I think the way special things are created is that someone has the courage to do something a bit bold. But more often than not, I realize, the person taking these extreme risks is operating with creative delusions rather than creative genius. I don't hold myself out to be a genius, that's for sure! But hey, it's only paint and money! And one of the reasons I'm investing this effort into a 15 year old car is to get some experience and do things I wouldn't otherwise do on a car off the showroom floor.

With orange, I think it has the CHANCE (although very, very limited chance) of being spectacular -- and a much much higher chance of it being a disaster. I don't think flat/satin/magno colors would have the chance at being AS COOL as orange *IF* the orange comes off. Going for more of a traditional paint, the odds of it simply being very nice are almost guaranteed but there is little hope of it being spectacular. Like they say, no risk = no reward, right?