LanciaInfo Blog

Screen shot from Lechler’s online paint selector, with even wheel paints listed.

Finding the right color for your old Lancia has always been a challenge. Original period paint samples are quite rare, and even they have faded with time. Another way is to find some hidden bit of original paint on your car, not aged in daylight, and use that to establish the paint color, but that is not so easy either. Ideally, someone has researched the historic Lancia paints.

Paints for the 1960s Lancias were listed in the workshop manuals, and for the Flavia and Fulvia, the paint colors are more readily accessed. However, Lancia was in the process of changing paint systems at the time, and some of their favorite paint manufacturers, Max Meyer, do not have cross-indexing to other more current paint manufacturers. Its even harder for the older cars.

In 1990, Lechler (a European paint company) published current paint codes for vintage Lancias. That list was a key milestone in efforts to reconcile past and present paints and can be found elsewhere on this blog (search under “color”). However, Lechler paints are not available in the US (the one Canadian distributor is non-responsive) and so there is no way here in the US to know if their new paint colors truly match up with the older paints.

Since then, the paint world has made some strides. Lechler has now made their vintage paint selector available online. Go register on their site, type in Lancia, and up pops a wide list of paint colors used on Lancias. They give dates for when the paint color was used, and they look reasonable at first glance, but no guarantees. Its complicated, but its possible to get the paint mix from this site.  Again, I’ve never seen a Lechler paint sample, so I have no idea how close it is to the original, but you can even order a spray can of it, and try it out.
Lechler paint explorer
spray can samples from German

Glasurit has long been active in paints and has a good US presence. THere are a few Glasurit paint chip cards around from the 1980s that list paints (and in some cases, even a formula) going back to the 1960s. Its still a bit tricky as Lancia used different mixes for some of their standard colors (even for Lancia blu) so you have to pick the right one for your car.

Glasurit now publishes their paints for vintage cars online also. Their site is tricky to navigate, with over 100 paints listed, but for many its possible to get the color formulas. In some cases, multiple listings are provided for a color (for different eras) reflecting that they too (like Lechler) are aware that the original color formulas were modified by Lancia over the decades.
Glasurit color on line

Things to look for
There are three things to look for in the new paints: color and sheen (level of shine) are most widely understood. However, one more factor, the depth in the look, should be taken into consideration. This last one is probably a function of the paint system but its worth considering when you are thinking of new paints. When urethane paints first came to the market, early applications were rather thick and didn’t look right, but by now, a skilled applicator can make them really look much closer to the original so that their use is not a problem. They aren’t quite as deep, nor lay as thin as the old nitro-cellulose lacquer, but they are available, durable and easily repaired. I have this on my B20 and am quite happy with it.

There is continued interest in original Lancia colors. Earlier blog posts have identified the Lechler and Glasurit colors, and the difficulties with getting original Lancia use of Max Meyer paints into the current paints available.

I’ve not been active in this for some time. Perhaps someone has found a way to go from the Max Meyer paint codes to the newer systems – Paul Mayo has been working on a master list. Listed here are a few of the linkages, examples and samples that have been accumulated over the years. Perhaps this is helpful.

1. a collection of Max Meyer paint chips, and their numbers, from the period 1960-1980.
2. a listing of Max Meyer color formulas, taken from a booklet of theirs c. 1969. This can be used for “mix your own” Meyer paints, if one finds a good enough paint shop.
3. a list of Max Meyer paints listing the models that used them, and cross indexed as much as possible to other paints. Its a start.

So what color were those Lancia white wheels?  In general, stock steel wheels from Lancia (Aprilia through Fulvia) were painted a Lancia creamy white, often called Avorio Antico. Finding that color in today’s paints can be difficult, although there is one English paint company that lists it on a website. People have tried to determine a modern equivalent to this color:

1. Jean Marie Levallois did some careful research on Aurelias and found some original white color (unfaded) behind some bits on his car before it was painted. He noted:

“On the back-side of the half-ring of horn control, there is an original avorio antico paint having resisted time (fading)… It matches Dupont de Nemours for fiat/lancia: code color 234, avorio antico, 1967 to 1975 (old colors were translated into new chemical formules), number 36194. You use it in one measure with two of pure white and you will have the right colour…with patina.”

2.    I have used the color of Summer Beige, Nissan RF, 1994-2006, or Glasurit SM 003.50 to match Jean Marie’s white. I was quite happy with this color. For my B20, which is painted a light beige, I used this color in the central part of the wheel, and the outer rim was painted the  color of the car. This “two tone” approach was used in period by Lancia, although perhaps not consistently.

3. Don Cross has noted that for Appias:
“The nearest match I  have found to the cream colour is a Rover colour called Arum White and I have used this on my cars.”

4. Paolo  (PG 1964 on line) notes that the correct color for Lancia wheels in the mid-1960‘s was Avorio Chantilly, which he noted as Lechler32/MaxMeyer12043,, with its color formula: 

5.Posted 10.2014 was this from Klaus Jeschke on VivaLancia.com. I don’t know him or how accurate this is, but he says the ICI Paint code for the wheels is:
buttermilk BS4800/10C31 ICI paint recipe: P425-900 356.0 gms, P420-904RT 372.4gm, P420-908RT 379.5gm, P420-905 408.8gm, P190-376 586.5 gm,Hellfenbein P4206Bp9

6. Recently (4.2016) from the Alfa Romeo BB, from Don000:” For those unable to access Lechler / Max Meyer color references, # 430B5 seems to be the best match in the Asko Sikkens book for the Lancia wheel color.”

Paint colors remain an issue. Original colors are no longer made; original samples, if found, have faded.

Finding and matching early Lancia paint colors is quite difficult. There is information on what colors were used, but typically Max Meyer numbers are given. I know of no conversion chart for them to current paints.

Lechler (Europe) made a major committment in the early 1990’s to convert vintage paint colors to current numbers, and they maintain a pretty current listing. Their list from early 1990 is on this blog, dated 5.2/06.

Unfortunately, Lechler is not represented in the US, and thus for the American, this is of little help (except for the friendly European, who sent paint swatches to me – thanks again!).

Glasurit and PPG are much more common in the US. In 1990, Glasurit paint chip books had a section on Lancia and listed paint codes back to 1968, thus of use to US Lanciste. The first page (of eleven) is shown above – but rather than rely on scans for colors, one should use the name and number and have the paint made up – and see if you like it.

There is a catch tho – some of the paints have slightly  different formulas for different years! There are multiple listings for: blu Lancia, amaranto, beige mirabello and rosso corsa. Still, one can work from this number list and make pretty good progress.

Thanks to Ed Levin (Fulvia, Los Angeles) for this information.

Here is the full list of Lechler paint codes for Lancias, as published in 1990 in Ruotoclassiche. The list is provided with thanks to Carter Hendricks.

Lechler numbers:

The color research is beginning to pay off. From Carter Hendricks comes a  xerox of a  1990 article in an Italian magazine, which says: “ from work by Elvira Ruocco & others… who worked to transfer old Fiat, Lancia and Alfa paint color codes to current Lechler and other color codes.”  So here are the 1990 Lechler codes for the Aurelias B20’s from that article (my transcribing, but their exact words!).  There are some later corrections from Lechler in Italy from recent correspondence, indicated by (  ).  One can assume the later numbers are more likely to be correct, but take care!

B20 1, 2 series:

• Argento Aureuil metall.               1325
• Celeste Ardenza metall.              1327
• Grigio Inglewood  met.                8001
• Grigio Marones                           8021
• Grigio Albany metallizz.              1358
• Grigio Newmarket met.               1338
• Grigio York                                      33
• Grigio Tor di Valle                       1336
• Grigio Cascine                            1334
• Grigio Montebello                        8042
• Grigio Vinovo                               1335
• Grigio Laurel Park                            13 (1181)
• Grigio Belmontpark                          57 (8083)
• Blu Scuro                                     1195  (Lechler uses same number called Grigio Scuro)
• Beige                                            1077

For the B20 s. 3,4,5 (6 isn’t listed separately):

• Celeste                                             8012
• Grigio Newmarket met.                    1338
• Grigio Chiaro, V/VI series                1194
• Grigio Metal.,V/VI series                    104  (Lechler calls this Grigio Milano Metal.)
• Blu Scuro                                          8015
• Blu                                                     1179
• Azzuro, V/VI serie                             1173
• Amaranto                                          8027 (1176)
• Rosso La Plata                                 1360
• Avorio                                               1196
• Beige                                                1077
• Verde                                                8013
• Nero                                                    122

A few more thoughts:

A Max Meyer colorwheel from the 1950’s lists some of these paints, but with older (no longer valid) numbers. In that wheel, the “Lancia Blue” is listed as  MM  # 1.272.7069, and is probably the same as the Blu above.

And the  Lancia beige is probably the same as Max Meyers’ “Beige Mirabello” (old # 1.252.3918). Jean-Pierre Baumgartner sent me the following sample which he said had some 30+ years of age on it:

For the B24, we have a color wheel (image from Steve Katzman) with the following paints:

color wheel with better color correction

B24 Spider color wheel