On Mon, 10 Jan 2000 SJagGo@aol.com wrote:
> Greetings,
> I will soon be painting my 1963 Mk1 Spitfire. The Thomason restoration books
> states that royal blue was introduced as a Spitfire color in 1964. Does
> anyone know if this color was available as a special order for earlier
> Spitfires? Was it available on any other Triumphs? There is a gentleman
> from Australia, John Broadbent, that lists a royal blue 63 Spit on the
> database. If a 63 royal blue spit were entered in a Triumph concours event
> would it receive a deduction for incorrect color?
> Bill Brockschmidt
Bill, I'll guess that your Spitfire is an early enough one NOT to show
paint and trim codes on the commission number plate. Am I correct? If so,
then you've very little to worry about unless you want to go out of your
way to ruin your chances in VTR concours by displaying the BMIHT build
certificate and removing any and all doubt as to the original color.
VTR judging provides for a mandatory 10 point deduction for incorrect
color. Note, however, that this assumes a detailed knowledge of model
range color options by at least the captain of that particular judging
team. Note also that colors sometimes might have been "tested" in small
production runs before they were formally introduced, and special orders
could have been had.
Where does all that leave us? Well, having judged at several VTR National
meets, I will offer my own opinion of your particular situation. If you
paint your 1963 Spitfire (with the presumably correct early-style
commission number plate that does not indicate paint and trim codes) a
relatively period-correct Triumph blue, I very likely would allow it
without much question. If you used a 1998 Honda or BMW metallic blue, or
if you used a 1950s (Salvador Blue) or late 1970s Triumph color (Aqua from
a TR8 or Pageant blue from a late Spitfire 1500), I very likely would NOT
allow it. If you chose to paint it Wedgewood Blue instead of Powder Blue,
I'd probably think about it but then let it go, as that change occured
around mid-1963. Most information I have seen points to Royal Blue being
added to the color range LATE in 1964, so I would think long and hard
about that one and probably defer to the call of the Chief Judge of VTR.
Finally, if your car was late enough to have had a commission plate with
trim code #32 for Signal Red, or even #26 for Wedgewood Blue, then I would
give you the mandatory 10 point deduction if you used Royal Blue or any
other Triumph blue even if period-correct. I would do the same if you
displayed your BMIHT certificate clearly stating the original color as
manufactured to be [whatever]. Why? Because there exists a "MODIFIED"
Class for cars that deviate in any major way from stock, original
condition.
That's how I would handle it, based on my reading of VTR's rules and my
judging experience. Others judging in VTR meets MIGHT handle it somewhat
differently.
For further information on how VTR handles it, see either
<http://www.vtr.org/rules/concours.html> or
<http://www.vtr.org/rules/judgform.html>.
--Andy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Andrew Mace, President and *
* 10/Herald/Vitesse (Sports 6) Consultant *
* Vintage Triumph Register <www.vtr.org> *
* amace@unix2.nysed.gov *
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