# What's THE best OEM red colour of all time? *URGENT*



## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

*What's THE best OEM red colour of all time?*

Long story short, I've had my car in the body shop, and we initially agreed an extremely rare red, which in the end the body shop weren't able to get hold of.

Then, we opted to go with a custom candy paint, which looked amazing. However, I've now been informed that there have been issues with the pigment and the car hasn't come out they had hoped, and it's not laid down consistently.

I'm absolutely gutted, but I've been asked to play it safe with an OEM colour.

I would really appreciate any suggestions that you guys can come out with, as I'd really like to get this ordered up as soon as possible.

Here's a photo of the colour that was laid down today that I can no longer have. I'd like it to be as close to this as possibe.

The only colour on my mind that will be anywhere near close is Mazda Soul Red.


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## wayne451 (Aug 15, 2016)

Looks a bit MG/Rover Nightfire red?


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## GeeWhizRS (Nov 1, 2019)

Doesn't look a million miles away from Mercedes Firemist Red Metallic.


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

Different bodyshop? Sorry to be ''that" guy.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestions guys. What made me fall in love with it was the ridiculous amount of flake pop that was achieved. The other colours look a little flat in comparison.

Here is the video that shows how impressive it looked under lighting:





Here's Mazda's Soul Red which is the closest OEM colour I can find right now:


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

President Swirl said:


> Different bodyshop? Sorry to be ''that" guy.


I hear what you're saying, but he's extremely highly regarded, there are reasons to believe that the issue lies with the pigment.

I'm not willing to change bodyshop at this stage, but I appreciate the suggestion.


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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

Renault do a metallic red with alot of flake pop.
I'm always pointing them out to the missus when we're driving about


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

HEADPHONES said:


> Renault do a metallic red with alot of flake pop.
> I'm always pointing them out to the missus when we're driving about


Is that the one that's on Clio's and things too?

I do like it, but I'm not sure if it's quite as exciting? It feels like it's missing an edge to it if you know what I mean?

Is it this one?


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

I've seen one of the Mazdas in that red colour locally, it was so nice I looked twice.....:thumb:


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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

This shows some of the pop and glow






Really depends on the lighting too for pics.
Like their Liquid Yellow.
A paint to die for 
At night it looks like a ball of fire.
Probably the paint that has been etched in my retinas for life.
Second only to Candy Apple Red


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## Derek Mc (Jun 27, 2006)

I also would go with Mazda Soul red Crystal a truly staggering paint that would be incredible on that body.


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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

Now I've never seen this Candy paint in the flesh, bit this YouTube video showing his 350z being prepped and painted in Candy Orange....OMG
Goto 15:00 to see the end result


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

HEADPHONES said:


> Now I've never seen this Candy paint in the flesh, bit this YouTube video showing his 350z being prepped and painted in Candy Orange....OMG
> Goto 15:00 to see the end result


Orange isn't my thing, but it does look amazing. Problem is that these paints end up being £2k+ on their own, which is out of my budget with the rest of the work I've had done, unfortunately!


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

HEADPHONES said:


> This shows some of the pop and glow
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Liquid Yellow is a cracking colour to own. 
The amount of comments you get... :argie:

The pearl/illusion effect in the Renault paints is very good


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## ikon66 (Jul 23, 2008)

Audi Misano red


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Alfa Competizione Rosso without a doubt.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

Brian1612 said:


> Alfa Competizione Rosso without a doubt.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


Thanks, I had forgotten about that.

VERY similar to Soul Red:


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

The Mazda colour is a good shout.

Surely some sort of Ferrari red should be considered? Red pearl or something like that?


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## AndyQash (Jul 28, 2019)

Go with the Mazda Soul Red, it is an amazing colour and looks great in all lighting conditions, when I bought the Qashqai I went with Magnetic Red because it was the closest colour they had to MSR.

Though, saying that the Ferrari Red Pearl looks very nice too.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

The Cueball said:


> The Mazda colour is a good shout.
> 
> Surely some sort of Ferrari red should be considered? Red pearl or something like that?


That's lovely, wasn't even aware it existed, going to try and look into it a little more, thanks a lot!

Nissan Gold Flake Red is also another new consideration:


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## WristyManchego (Sep 9, 2018)

If you decide on a Mazda red, make sure you go for Soul Red Crystal 46V, not soul red.

It’s the revised colour for better depth, richness and gloss.

Caveats: Higher repair expense, less material on panel (60-70 microns), prone to chipping, cant be repaired with touch-up and smart repair jobs aren’t worth the result (easy to match, difficult to mimic)


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

WristyManchego said:


> If you decide on a Mazda red, make sure you go for Soul Red Crystal 46V, not soul red.
> 
> It's the revised colour for better depth, richness and gloss.
> 
> Caveats: Higher repair expense, less material on panel (60-70 microns), prone to chipping, cant be repaired with touch-up and smart repair jobs aren't worth the result (easy to match, difficult to mimic)


Thank you very much! This was hugely helpful!


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## nbray67 (Mar 22, 2012)

We bought our MX5 after seeing the Soul Red in the dealers.

It's an epic colour indeed when prepped and coated well. There's a chap near us with the Reno red on his Clio and I don't think it comes near Soul Red, just my opinion of course.

Here's our old MX5 -


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## 350Chris (May 12, 2016)

Lexus have the new Infrared Red - that looks to be pretty impressive from all angels. Aston Martin also have Volcano Red

From a quick Google there is Dodge Stryker Red and Nissan Midnight Garnet


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## cole_scirocco (Mar 5, 2012)

What about the Nissan GTR burgundy colour they did a few years back? Wine Red I believe it's called.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

Cole_E91 said:


> What about the Nissan GTR burgundy colour they did a few years back? Wine Red I believe it's called.


Is that this one?









It's a bit dark and uninteresting for me if so.

On the other hand, their Gold Flake Red Pearl looks good, I'm just not sure if it beats the Soul Red...


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## Exotica (Feb 27, 2006)

That Mazda red is beautiful

Detailed one here


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

There are some very nice options here - who knew eh ?

Must admit, really do like the new Mazda Soul red


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

Exotica said:


> That Mazda red is beautiful
> 
> Detailed one here


Daaaaaaamn that looks good indoors, thanks for sharing!


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## Cyclonetog (Jul 22, 2018)

Brian1612 said:


> Alfa Competizione Rosso without a doubt.


This. Nuff said.


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

nbray67 said:


> We bought our MX5 after seeing the Soul Red in the dealers.
> 
> It's an epic colour indeed when prepped and coated well. There's a chap near us with the Reno red on his Clio and I don't think it comes near Soul Red, just my opinion of course.
> 
> Here's our old MX5 -


Still a stunning motor mate :thumb:


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## paulb1976 (Nov 2, 2012)

honda nsx valencia red pearl :thumb:


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

paulb1976 said:


> honda nsx valencia red pearl :thumb:


Damn! This looks perfect. Hopefully it's within budget! Thanks a lot.


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## WristyManchego (Sep 9, 2018)

bildo said:


> Damn! This looks perfect. Hopefully it's within budget! Thanks a lot.


That colour only looks as good as it does due to the 7 layer construction and nigh on perfect painting process. It's the best in the biz when it comes to OEM paint.

I hope your shop know what they're doing if you choose it.


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

Agree with Brian - I nearly bought a car for the Competizione Red alone.

The Mazda red is as nice as anything else I have seen.


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## kh904 (Dec 18, 2006)

slim_boy_fat said:


> I've seen one of the Mazdas in that red colour locally, it was so nice I looked twice.....:thumb:


I also have to agree.
I often walk past a Mazda in the same Red colour on the way to work.
I also look back and admire the colour!


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## davies20 (Feb 22, 2009)

Another one for Alfa Competizione Rosso. 

Mainly because my Giulietta is that colour :lol:


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

My mate had the red renault paint and i know a part that needed respraying wasnt cheap, i think it has a clearcoat with flake before the final clearcoat. I know the rest could be probably be a similar process but i dont know. 

The mazda and the Alfa 4C are some of my favourites so far, deep and vivid and shiny.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

I've taken a look into a few of these now (availability, pricing etc.)

At the moment, Mazda Soul Red Crystal is leading the way!

Any more suggestions will be appreciated. It doesn't necessarily need to look like the pic in the opening post. Willing to consider anything red, really.


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## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

Lexus Massa red. 

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk


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## Zebra (Dec 2, 2010)

VW Tornado Red

Porsche Guards Red


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

Thread title says "Urgent", but the time-scale seems to be slipping  - what's the new 'deadline'....?


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

slim_boy_fat said:


> Thread title says "Urgent", but the time-scale seems to be slipping  - what's the new 'deadline'....?


Well spotted.

I'll be honest, I found a convenient House of Kolor Candy paint which looked incredible... In the sun.

I managed to find pics of it in the weather we're gifted with 99% of the year here in the UK and decided to go back to the drawing board!


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

Candy Apple Red?

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/ae/36/bf/ae36bfa5ddbed5b9a49a98ec4e253d66.jpg


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

slim_boy_fat said:


> Candy Apple Red?
> 
> https://i.pinimg.com/236x/ae/36/bf/ae36bfa5ddbed5b9a49a98ec4e253d66.jpg


I had actually planned for Brandywine, but when I saw what it looked like in the shade with a black basecoat it definitely wasn't what I wanted :doublesho

Shame, as it looks incredible under the sunlight.

I do like Candy Apple red, but I do think it's more of a lowrider colour, a little bit too obnoxious for my liking.


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

ZZ Top would definitely love it.....


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## cole_scirocco (Mar 5, 2012)

bildo said:


> On the other hand, their Gold Flake Red Pearl looks good, I'm just not sure if it beats the Soul Red...


That is the colour I meant, would look ace I reckon.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

Cole_E91 said:


> That is the colour I meant, would look ace I reckon.


It certainly is a lovely colour, I'm going to take a look into it, thank you!


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## WristyManchego (Sep 9, 2018)

bildo said:


> I've taken a look into a few of these now (availability, pricing etc.)
> 
> At the moment, Mazda Soul Red Crystal is leading the way!
> 
> Any more suggestions will be appreciated. It doesn't necessarily need to look like the pic in the opening post. Willing to consider anything red, really.


If you go with Soul Red Crystal, get a hearty layer of clear on it and get your painter to do some testing and samples with you to achieve the desired look.

Going by the book, your paint will have about 70microns on it. Not enough.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

WristyManchego said:


> If you go with Soul Red Crystal, get a hearty layer of clear on it and get your painter to do some testing and samples with you to achieve the desired look.
> 
> Going by the book, your paint will have about 70microns on it. Not enough.


That's really useful to know, thank you for your advice!


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

Fortunately, this is no longer urgent!

It finally got to see some paint again yesterday, and I'm really glad with how it's looking. I can't wait to get it out in the sun now!

I went with Mazda Soul Red in the end. A huge thanks to everyone for their contributions, although I loved some of them, the price/work involved didn't really seem worth it over the soul red.

Here's a quick preview from the booth:


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Looking nice. :thumb: 

Will look good once all back together and in the sun as you say :thumb:


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## WristyManchego (Sep 9, 2018)

Nice Bildo.

What sort of paint job is this? Concours resto?
Did they do the OEM Mazda process or customise it? What’s the paint depth?


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