Princess Blue, vs Viking Blue..etc

[AC Bill]

I have been seriously contemplating painting my roadster a lighter color than I had initially planned. I love the dark green, but worry about the maintainability it will require to keep it looking good. Dark color paint is not very forgiving to any slight body work flaws as well.
   
   I have seen the rare picture of a Cobra painted, what was called Princess Blue. To confuse matters I have also seen what appears to be the exact same color called Viking Blue. Then there is another similar one called Portofino Blue. Are these all the same colors, by a different name?
   
   Does anyone have a picture of one painted the Princess Blue they could please post?
   
   I had this picture I googled up, which I thought was called Viking Blue, but now it has been suggested it is actually Ford Brittany Blue.
   
   
    I would be interested in comparing any of these colors to help decide my choice, if anyone has any they could post.
   
   Thanks, Bill

[1984MkIV]

As far as I know, Viking blue was the Shelby American team color in 1964 and switched in 1965 to Guardsman blue. That´s why you can see Viking blue on all period color racing photos from 1964, i.e. Le Mans 1964. The Daytona Coupes weared Viking blue with two small stripes in 1964, Guardsman blue with wider white stripes (Wimbledon white) in 1965. Some color codes are referred in the SAAC Cobra registry, but not for Viking or Princess blue. Princess blue is described as "Custom-Blended" color (custom blended in Shelby American´s workshop).

[AC Bill]

Thank you for your reply. You are correct, the 64 team cars were painted what was called Viking Blue.
    The car I pictured is apparently CSX2259, which had the trunk kick out bumps to be class legal for racing. I thought this may have been a 64 team car. It's definitely not Guardsman Blue, but is it Viking Blue, or simply a variant of the color perhaps chosen during it's restoration?
   
   I was under the impression from a story I read, that ithe color called Princess Blue, and was a color that AC Cars had actually painted a few CXS cars. According to the story, the Americans didn't like the name, and re-named it Viking Blue as it sounded more Macho..This is what confused me. Whoever penned the story could have been mis-informed, and perhaps this is not the case at all, and they are in fact two different shades of blue.
   
    I now have found out through more research, that the Portofino Blue was a color choice offered by Superformance, and not an original color available on COB or CSX cars.
   
   I would still really like to see a car, where the color Princess Blue is confirmed.

[A-Snake]

This is a good example of Princess Blue. The car to the right is Viking blue.
   
   

[AC Bill]

That is a very nice example, and exactly the color I have been looking for.[:)] It is obviously a lighter shade blue then the Viking Blue.
   
   I rec'd this interesting information today.
   "The paint code Princess Blue (Metallic) was P151-R843, the company that made it is ICI out of the UK."
   
   The same person pointed me to this thread (on another forum) which has a picture of one the original AC Cars paint chips, and color codes. Interestingly enough, the Princess Blue looks darker in this paint sample picture (although it may be the angle) than the color of the car above. It almost looks the same as the Sky Blue sample shown..
   
   I may just have to find a formula as close as possible to it, as I doubt that ICI would ship paint all the way to Canada, being it is considered a hazardous goods shipment.
   
   http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86816

[Mark IV]

An ICI retailer should be able to mix the color with the ICI code. There may be an issue as the original formula was for celluose (lacquer) and most paint manufacturers no longer offer that product. They may have the formula for a urethane or other contemporary type but if not the dealer can request the formula be crossed into an avialable type of paint product. Or they may have an 'offset" which is the same color or something very close from a modern car with current formulation.
   
   You won't know until you ask....

[shep]

Princess Blue looks to be the same colour as John Bendall's FIA Cobra which we raced at Classic Le Mans and The Nurburgring Marathon. It had a hard top and looked fabulous.

[aaron]

quote:Originally posted by shep
   
Princess Blue looks to be the same colour as John Bendall's FIA Cobra which we raced at Classic Le Mans and The Nurburgring Marathon. It had a hard top and looked fabulous.
   

   
   John Bendall no longer owns CSX 2051,the car is now owned by Gavin Henderson.

[Clive]

quote:Originally posted by A-Snake
   
This is a good example of Princess Blue. The car to the right is Viking blue.
   
   
   

   
   Hi, this is my first post, so please be kind. As far as I am aware, Princess Blue was the same as Jaguar Opalescent Silver Blue Metallic used between 1963 - 67 Code Jag 0013. This colour was used by AC and also by the training cars at the Shelby School of High Performance Driving at Riverside Raceway in California.
   
   
   
   
   

[aaron]

quote:Originally posted by AC Bill
   
I have been seriously contemplating painting my roadster a lighter color than I had initially planned. I love the dark green, but worry about the maintainability it will require to keep it looking good. Dark color paint is not very forgiving to any slight body work flaws as well.
   
   I have seen the rare picture of a Cobra painted, what was called Princess Blue. To confuse matters I have also seen what appears to be the exact same color called Viking Blue. Then there is another similar one called Portofino Blue. Are these all the same colors, by a different name?
   
   Does anyone have a picture of one painted the Princess Blue they could please post?
   
   I had this picture I googled up, which I thought was called Viking Blue, but now it has been suggested it is actually Ford Brittany Blue.
   
   
    I would be interested in comparing any of these colors to help decide my choice, if anyone has any they could post.
   
   Thanks, Bill
   

   
   This car has been rebuilt, so it would be very hard to tell if the paint has been matched to the original colours.

[shep]

Sorry, Aaron you are dead right, John sold his car to Gavin a while back. It was John's car when we raced it together, so that's what sticks in my memory! I must say that I have a couple of amazing memories from those drives. In the heat of the moment going out to qualify at the Le Mans Classic, I had forgotten to insert my ear plugs before putting my helmet on. The Cobra had no silencing, and the exhausts exited each side of the car in front of the rear wheels (one about 3 feet from my left ear). As I went out onto the track I realised my mistake, but the pain of 6000rpm all along Mulsanne will stay with me forever! In the race things went much better and I think we beat all but one of the 5 GT40s racing that year! Driving the same Cobra at Nurburgring I had a grandstand view following Jon Minshaw's E-Type driven by Martin Stretton, as it strayed onto the marbles of tyre rubber, lost grip and subsequently had a huge off into the Armco. I resisted the temptation to rubber-neck, otherwise I would likely have met the same fate. Thanks to John Bendall for trusting me with his beautiful car, and Gavin if you get stuck, just give me a bell!

[rr64]

Three "blue" Cobras together a couple of weeks ago. Each restorer tried to match the original cars' finishes to 'original' colors. The Princess Blue car on the left was matched to the original paint left behind trim on another car. These are modern paints so they have a somewhat different appearance than 1960s lacquers.
   
   This more or less covers the spectrum. Offered here purely as color types without warrantee.
   
   
   
   
   
   In my AC Cars Ltd color chip set Princess Blue looks like their metallic silver that had a trace of color tint added to the mix. Inside lighting makes the chip appear silver. Out in the sun the tint shows.
   
   Dan

[aaron]

quote:Originally posted by shep
   
Sorry, Aaron you are dead right, John sold his car to Gavin a while back. It was John's car when we raced it together, so that's what sticks in my memory! I must say that I have a couple of amazing memories from those drives. In the heat of the moment going out to qualify at the Le Mans Classic, I had forgotten to insert my ear plugs before putting my helmet on. The Cobra had no silencing, and the exhausts exited each side of the car in front of the rear wheels (one about 3 feet from my left ear). As I went out onto the track I realised my mistake, but the pain of 6000rpm all along Mulsanne will stay with me forever! In the race things went much better and I think we beat all but one of the 5 GT40s racing that year! Driving the same Cobra at Nurburgring I had a grandstand view following Jon Minshaw's E-Type driven by Martin Stretton, as it strayed onto the marbles of tyre rubber, lost grip and subsequently had a huge off into the Armco. I resisted the temptation to rubber-neck, otherwise I would likely have met the same fate. Thanks to John Bendall for trusting me with his beautiful car, and Gavin if you get stuck, just give me a bell!
   

   
   Yes it is a fabulous car,and running better than ever now, I spoke to Gavin at Goodwood last year about the car,apparently he had alot of teething problems with the car due to the long bonnet scoop.

[rstainer]

I thought I'd add a few historical notes to this very interesting string.
   AC only offered two blue options on CSX leaf-spring Cobras, Bright Blue and Princess Blue (silver with a touch of blue in it). Both these blues are metallic and were (as far as we know) provided by either ICI or Valentines. Shelby used the same colour names (Bright Blue and Princess Blue) for leaf-spring Cobras; no period Shelby leaf-spring invoices refer to any other shades.
   However, Shelby American sometimes had to repair paintwork damaged in transit. Not having access to ICI colours, they used the nearest US equivalent. The only Shelby record I have, dated 17 Sept 1964, concerns a Princess Blue car and refers the owner to Dupont Lucite 44821 which "can be purchased at your local paint store." Lucite was a metallic finish only offered by Dupont; AC never used Lucite or any other Dupont formulations.
   It would appear that Shelby American used Guardsman Blue, a Ford colour, to repair Bright Blue cars; the match is better described as 'sort of OK' rather than good; in particular, the Guardsman metallic finish is 'louder'.
   As the string makes clear, Shelby painted their 64 team cars Viking Blue (never used by AC) and 65 cars Guardsman Blue. AC painted one leaf spring Cobra Guardsman Blue by special order: COX 6057, painted in June 65 for 7 July delivery to David Weir, a US Navy officer.
   AC went on to offer Guardsman Blue as well as Bright Blue from late 66 onwards on their coil spring 289 Sports (COB/COX  6000 series) but not the 427 (CSX 3000 series).

[rr64]

Great information Robin. Thanks.
   
   
   For Guardsman Blue Fans: Making comparison between any two cars painted by different people with different materials and different equipment is going to be frustrating. I have had my experience with the finish on one of my old cars long ago and while trying to help others figure out what went wrong.
   
   
   The base formula is more translucent than many and is high in the tiny flakes that give it the sparkle.  Everything can make or break your day. Make of gun, size of gun, type of gun (old 1960s style or modern high solids low solvent type), size orifices in the gun tip, type of paint, "speed" of your reducer, brand of paint, factory pack or mixed at a dealer's shop, air line pressure, Zhan cup viscosity, degree of agitation before and during painting, ambient conditions of temperature and humidity,  distance from work piece, angle to work piece, primer/sealer color, dried film thickness, so on and so forth.
   
   
   Case in point. A company in town here manufactured their version of a 427 Cobra "replica" in the 1990s. A customer wanted a Guardsman Blue car. One night after diner I took a frantic call from the shop owner. The car had just been painted minutes before and it came out SILVER with a tint of blue.  He wanted me to bring my color panel that I had matched to some Shelby American applied finish. I dug my panel out and head to his shop. The car was silver. We looked at the car, checked out the paint in the can, and checked out the specifications. Everything looked good except for a silver-blue car instead of blue.  I looked at his equipment and suggested that his gun tip and air pressure weren't appropriate. He wanted to know what to do. I said go home, get some sleep, and call the paint manufacturer in the morning. Tell them you need somebody to come see their paint booth and equipment.  I told the business owner that he need a technical representative from the paint company and not a salesman. My final advise, do whatever the manfacturer says exactly.  The paint company did send in somebody, they did make a set of recommedations, and the second time the car was painted FROM THE SAME BATCH OF PAINT(they bought enough for several cars) it was a fantastic looking blue car with sparkle.  The business had painted all kinds of cars, and painted several replicas with all kinds of finishes and never had trouble until they got to Guardsman Blue.
   
   
   My point, what final product looks like is extremely dependent on the way it was applied. Makes comparison between different cars/eras/countries less than satisfying usually.
   
   
   Dan