There are some colors that just look awful on a vehicle (anything you can call “baby-poop yellow” doesn’t belong on even the lamest of machines). But then there are colors that look great because of the bodywork they cover and the context in which they exist. A great example of this is the brown Ferrari I recently saw.
Back in September, I highlighted a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC4 listed on ClassicCars.com as a Pick of the Day. Even though I was looking at it through a computer screen, I could tell it was a beautiful machine with the right combination of sexy curves and dramatic lines. Earlier this month, I saw another 365 GTC4, but this time it was light brown (Marrone Colorado, if I’m not mistaken) and I was able to admire it up-close. I consider myself fortunate to have had that opportunity because Ferrari only produced approximately 500 of those stunners from 1971 until the autumn of 1972 (unfortunately, I wasn’t able to snap a picture of it).
After I somehow managed to pull my eyes away from the Italian 2+2’s slinky lines, I started thinking more about its earth-tone finish and automotive paint colors in general. The 365 GTC4 would look great in almost any color (except baby-poop yellow, of course), but there was something about its brown paint that made it even more attractive. Yes, it was a nice shade, but I think context had a lot to do with it, too.
First, there was the context of Ferraris and the colors they typically wear. If you happen to spot a Ferrari while you’re out and about, especially one of a certain age, there’s a good chance it’s going to be covered in some shade of red. According to a March 2018 article from Ferrari Magazine, “At its peak in the early 1990s, a remarkable 85 percent of all Ferraris built were painted red. Even today, the figure is 40 percent. There is one shade of red in particular that sears out of Ferrari’s colour swatch catalogue: Rosso Corsa, which translates as ‘Racing Red’.” Marrone Colorado was completely unexpected. It not only made the 365 GTC4 stand out (more than a classic Ferrari already does), but it also made it seem even more exotic.
Then there was the context of brown itself. It’s typically not an exciting, attractive color for cars, particularly those made for high performance. I associate it with ’70s land yachts and ’80s econoboxes. The brown 365 GTC4 I came across was shocking at first, then alluring.
Writing this reminded that the 365 GTC4 wasn’t the first brown Ferrari that wowed me. How could I forget this rare 1985 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole I saw at the 2024 Future Collector Car Show?
