Hot Trends in Car Colors

Color: Rosso Corsa
Car: Ferrari 458

It's said that Ferrari sheet metal is so voluptuously sculpted that a Ferrari is always wearing red — no matter what the paint color happens to be. A true enthusiast knows there's only one paint choice for a Ferrari: that classic shade of red. First adopted as the Italian international auto-racing color in pre-World War II Europe, Rosso Corsa quickly became the hallmark of the Italian powerhouse. The color transitioned quickly to Enzo Ferrari's road cars and can still be seen on the beautiful bodywork of the 458 Italia.

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Color: Dozer Clear Coat
Car: Jeep Wrangler

"Not too many weeks ago, I was driving down the road and I saw that Jeep orange, and I thought, 'Man, that's cool,'" Barbee says. "It's a really, really exciting color." This Wrangler exclusive caters to younger buyers — an eye-catching shade made to draw attention, even from the professionals who deal with color every day.

"What initially catches my eye, because I'm in the trade, is when I'm going down the road and I see a color that just grabs my attention," Barbee says. "I showed it to a buddy of mine looking for a color for his hot rod, and now he's trying to get it past his wife." No word yet on whether Dozer orange has made the grade.

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Color: Stinger Yellow
Car: Dodge Challenger SRT8 Yellow Jacket

The resurgence of muscle cars in the past decade hasn't limited itself to noisy, big-block engines and in-your-face styling. Bright paint is back again, too. "Many of the colors out there now are extremely loud and proud, and you'll notice a lot of bright colors coming back around that started with the muscle cars," Barbee says.

This color showcases what today's muscle cars are all about: reinvention. Stinger Yellow isn't a throwback — it was never offered on any Dodge Super Bees — but is instead a reverent reimagination of the genre.

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Color: Peridot Green Metallic
Car: Porsche Cayman R

Aptly named after a gem, this curious color comes slathered on one of the best driver's cars of the past decade. Peridot green is available only on the limited-production Cayman R — maybe the only car in production that can pull it off.

Peridot Green pulls two trends into one: in-your-face color and deep layers of metallic flakes. It may be the most cutting-edge color on the list, perfectly placed on a car made to carve corners.

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Color: Grabber Blue
Car: Ford Mustang Boss 302

Another emerging trend in the car-color market is the comeback of pastels. "If you pick up a Life magazine from the '60s, you'll notice a lot of the same pastel colors you'll see are making a comeback now," Barbee says.

From the soft yellows on Volkswagen's new Beetles to Ford's shade of drier blue on the Boss 302, pastels are another tribute to a bygone era of flower power. But pale doesn't have to mean boring. True to its name, Grabber Blue is sure to nab plenty of attention. The intense color and aggressive underpinnings conspire to make this blue Boss an instant classic.

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Color: Starfire Pearl
Car: Lexus LX 570

"Pearl white is really strong with our luxury buyers, and most of those pearl three-stage colors came from our friends over at Audi in the mid '70s," Barbee says. "When we first saw it back then, everybody was amazed. They all said, 'Whoa, what's that?'"

Unfortunately for Audi, which blazed the trail with its assembly-line, three-stage paints — particularly its pearl white — there are new contenders for king of color on the luxury block. Lexus' Starfire Pearl is one example. True to its name, it is a dazzling white pearl draped over the LX's svelte body lines. Shiny metallic flakes add a sparkle straight from Miss America's teeth.

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Color: Ultimate Black Metallic
Car: Jaguar XF Series

Though black may have been a favorite among aging movie Mafiosos trying to stay under the radar, older people actually tend to stay away from black, which is high-maintenance and traps heat, Barbee says. "In today's market, we've taken another leap of faith and we're going with more metallic, more micas, more sparkle in our paint to catch the American buyer's eye."

Jaguar's Ultimate Black Metallic beautifully illustrates this leap of faith. It's a color that changes from deep blue to midnight to black depending on the time of day, rewarding while reinforcing the XF's muscular physique.

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Color: Sandy Beach Metallic
Car: Toyota Camry

Beige, tan, sandy beach, tree bark, faun — whatever you call it, this shade of brown has been a staple for boring but reliable economy cars since the late '90s. Its sensible demeanor and reserved nature play to more, shall we say, seasoned tastes.

"At a body shop we see a lot of cars across a lot of age groups, and we see the colors change as a person gets older. The older they get, the colors get more subdued," Barbee says. Recently, automakers have begun adding flakes to spruce up the beige, giving the everyday a bit more effervescence, suggesting that responsible can look a bit sexy, too.

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View Slideshow: Most Popular Vehicles on MSN Autos

For more information on any vehicle featured in this slideshow, click the links below:

-Ferrari 458
-Jeep Wrangler
-Dodge Challenger
-Porsche Cayman
-Ford Mustang
-Lexus LX 570
-Jaguar XF Series
-Toyota Camry

Compare: All 8 Vehicles

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