Do some Red NSX's look orangish-red in pictures vs. in person?

Joined
23 March 2005
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256
Location
St. Louis, MO
I know the color question has been debated in many posts and I'm not here trying to start another one of those threads. Right now, I'm trying to refine my search in terms of what color I want and I'm pretty much going back and forth between Black and White, however I'm now starting to consider Red and I think I might actually like it the best.

My only concern is that in some pictures, the red cars look almost orangish/red, or faded. I read some posts and fading doesn't appear to be a problem. So, is it just an issue w/ the camera and the color that comes out in the pics? I haven't had the luxury of seeing many NSX's in my lifetime, so I can't say that I've even seen a Red NSX up close. I will most likely have to travel to buy my NSX, so I'm trying to refine my search before then, vs. traveling to see a Red NSX and then realizing I don't even like the color.

For example, check out the two links below. I love the way the Red looks in the first one, but not in the second. Anyways, I'm just looking for some reassurance about the Red NSX's before I start my search.

(a) http://www.nsxprime.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2950&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500

(b) http://www.nsxprime.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1663
 
I think it just depends on the lighting. I do remember reading that the Formula Red cars actually start as a shade of orange and the clear coat gets tinted red. Not 100% sure though.
 
Heres a picture of my car near dawn:
DSC05947.JPG


Heres a picture of the car needing to be washed, polished, and waxed, and in poor lighting :

DSC05823.JPG



So, to confirm your statement, it really does depend on the lighting, and the actual condition of the cars paint, ie, polish/wax, etc.
 
The quality (price) of the digital camera makes a huge difference as well. My old one would NOT accurately capture red. The newer one does in the right light. I didn't feel like laying out $500-800 for a super-duper camera just for this purpose.
 
If you do see a faded/orange different color on a red NSX in person, then it's probably because it was repainted. 15 years ago, I had a red car with some portion of the body was repainted, the faded/orange was obvious at the repainted section. I guess it's due to bad workmanship on the body shop.
 
If your referring to oxidization you normally dont see that on high-line cars. The NSX has a intensive paint process and I have never seen it occur on NSX
 
There are two reds, Formula Red and New Formula Red. I believe that the New Forumular Red replaces Formula Red since 1999.
 
Depends on the lighting, if theres too much light (eg. flash bulbs, direct sunlight etc) while taking pictures, you can get an orange like color from the Formula Red. I've seen it happen many times.
 
jkeen01 said:
I haven't had the luxury of seeing many NSX's in my lifetime, so I can't say that I've even seen a Red NSX up close.
That's your problem, right there.

Get in touch with NSXprime username matteni. He has a red NSX in St. Louis, and I'm sure he'll be happy to show it to you. Do it on a sunny day.

Taj said:
There are two reds, Formula Red and New Formula Red. I believe that the New Forumular Red replaces Formula Red since 1999.
In the North American market, Formula Red was used on all red 1991-1999 NSXs except the 1999 Zanardi NSX. New Formula Red was used on the 1999 Zanardi NSX and all red 2000-2005 NSXs.

The two reds are so similar in appearance that I could not tell the difference between two NSXs (one with each red) parked side by side on a sunny day. And I have a pretty good eye for color.
 
Not only has this to do with the lighting and the camera used, but many people will edit their pictures before uploading them to any site and this also can have its impact on the way the color will appear.
 
Is Formula Red different from New Formula Red in any other way besides color? I checked the FAQ and didn't find the answer. Are the paint processes for Formula Red and New Formula Red the same? Are they both three stage paint?
 
mickeylex said:
Are they both three stage paint?
Regarding the paint process from the FAQ:
The NSX uses a "4-coat, 4-bake" process. The layers (from top to bottom) are: Clear coat, Base coat, 2nd color-primer, 1st color-primer, Electro-deposition coat, Chromate coat, Bare aluminum.

These are applied in the following 27-step process (from start to finish): degrease / water rinse / chromate coat / water rinse / air dry / electro-deposition coat / water rinse / bake /anti-moisture sealant / anti-corrosion undercoat / bake / anti-chipping primer / first color-primer / bake / hand wet-sanding / forced-air dry / second color-primer /bake / base coat / forced air blow off / clear coat / bake / roof painting / flash-off / clear coat / bake / anti-corrosion hot wax injection / final assembly
 
hlweyl said:
Regarding the paint process:
The NSX uses a "4-coat, 4-bake" process. The layers (from top to bottom) are: Clear coat, Base coat, 2nd color-primer, 1st color-primer, Electro-deposition coat, Chromate coat, Bare aluminum.

Wow! Very cool! I've always heard "3-coat/stage process". So, its really four coats.
 
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