Contents:

Colours & codes
- BROWNs
- REDs
- ORANGE
- YELLOWs
- GREENs
- BLUEs
- VIOLETs
Codes & colours
Trim codes
1966: Ref. 9301/EX 1/86/25 'Colour schemes' brochure
1974, March
Pinchin Johnson

The Imp Site

Colours & Codes

What I would like is to put the actual colours on this page, but where do I get a sheet to scan them ?

The paint code can be found on the chassis plate - an alloy plate located on the front panel to the left of the bonnet catch.

Polar White

108

Foam White

008

Ascot Grey

Balmoral Grey

Balmoral Grey

Platinum Metallic (silver)

Silver Mist

141

Embassy Black (on special order)

001

Coffee Brown: 111
Spice Metallic (mid brown): 147
Golden Bronze Metallic: 124
Golden Sand Metallic: 129

Tartan Red

Maroon (a dark purple-ish red, in some lights nearly black): 70
Claret Metallic: 126
Tango Metallic: 160
Signal Red: 122
Tartan Red: 77 & 85 !!
Firecracker (red): 151

Wardance (orange): 156
Tangerine metallic: (CUK 133)

New paint shop for Rootes Motors, Ryton-on-Dunsmore. - Product Finishing (London). vol. 22 (1969) no. 10 (Oct). - p. 45-6, 49-54.
Built by the carrier Engineering Co, Ltd, to a demanding Rootes specification, the new paint shop is claimed to be one of the most advanced in the world. Fully assembled 'bodies-in-white' are completely cleaned, fully rust-proofed by total immersion in an electrophoretic primer dip-tank, where the coating enters every fold and crevice, and finally sprayed with three coats of one of Rootes 15 standard colors.

Yellow Gold: 112
Sundance (yellow): 152
Spring Yellow: 115
Limelight (luminous green-yellowish): 153

Phantom Mist (bright silver metalic green)

GREENs149 - first used about 1971

Willow Green

104

Lincoln Green Metallic

125

Glade Green Metallic

132

Forest Green (more or less BRG)

Marina Green (greeny turquoise)

Glenalmond Green - Sir William Rootes loved Scotland, along with other members of the Rootes family. In 1946 he had bought a large estate at Glenalmond in Perthshire.

Glenalmond Green

Orchid Green

109

Turquoise Metallic (greenish blue)

127

Golden Olive Metallic (not before 1971 ?)

144

Phantom Mist is apparently an original colour for (late ?) Imps. It is a very pale metallic green.


Skye Blue (not unlike Halford's Ford Nordic Blue): 72
Loch Blue (the very first Imp was Loch blue): 78
Oxford Blue: 102
Capri Blue (a pale 'baby blue', common to early Dulon lacquer: 586-2433) Capri Blue (a pale 'baby blue', common to early Dulon lacquer: 586-2433) 110 Capri Blue ?
Capri Blue (a pale 'baby blue', common to early Dulon lacquer: 586-2433): 110; 110
Bermuda Blue: 105
Aquarius metallic Blue: 150
Electric Blue Metallic: 145
'French Blue' (still looking for the correct name. The colour is sort of half way between Royal and Navy blue, not metallic, and bright rather than pastel.: 146
Ming Blue: 123
Midnight Blue: 58

Lilac Metallic and Electric Blue Metallic

Lilac Metallic: 164

There must be other colours...
Moonstone is mentioned as a white colour for wheel trims, but I've also come across it as a bright light blue metallic.

Codes & Colours

001 Embassy Black
008 Foam White
48 Ascot Grey
58 Midnight Blue
70 Maroon
72 Skye Blue
74 Marina Green
75 Glenalmond Green
77 Tartan Red !
78 Loch Blue
85 Tartan Red !
86 Forest Green
102 Oxford Blue
104 Willow Green
105 Bermuda Blue
108 Polar White
109 Orchid Green
110 Capri Blue
111 Coffee Brown
112 Yellow Gold
115 Spring Yellow
122 Signal Red
123 Ming Blue
124 Golden Bronze met.
125 Lincoln Green met.
126 Claret met.
127 Turquoise met.
129 Golden Sand metallic
132 Glade Green metallic

133 Tangerine metallic (CUK 133)
134 Pewter met. (brown/grey)
141 Silver Mist
144 Golden Olive metallic
145 Electric Blue metallic
147 Spice metallic
150 Aquarius met. (blue/green)
151 Firecracker
152 Sundance
153 Limelight
154 Carib Blue
156 Wardance (dark orange)
157 Prairie Wind (dirty beige / pale creamy beige)
160 Tango met.
161 Golden Glory met.
164 Lilac met.
165 Imperial Red (dark red)
167 Honey Gold met.
168 Sunflower
172 Orange Blossom (apricotish)
173 Pinewood met. (greenish black)
174 Kingfisher met
175 Deep Mango Red (reddish black)
176 Peppermint met. (silver green)
177 Gold Dust met.
178 Apricot (rather orange)
3076 Cherry
9363 Moonstone met.

Many of these I saw in a car paint manual of Talbot United Kingdom. I could not find a year of publication in it. The year I took these notes was 1987.

Rootes Service Bulletin O-2: May 1964
Sunbeam Imp colors

Notice: colors, not colours - this was a bulletin for the U.S.A. market.

Your attention is drawn to the present Imp code numbers for the present series of cars. Listed below you will find the correct numbers for both Dupont and Ditzler mixes. By quoting the repective numbers, you should have no difficulty in obtaining the proper mixes from any authorized paint jobbers throughout the United States.

Rootes paint code	Color name	Ditzler code DAL - DQE	Dupont code
1	Embassy Black	9000
72	Skye Blue	12888	(246) 97119 Dco (93) 97119 Dulux
78	Loch Blue	12889	(246) 97123 Duco (93) 97123 Dulux
76	Bamoral Grey	32392	(246) 97121 Duco (93) 97121 Dulux
75	Glenalmond Green	43278	(246) 97120 Duco (93) 97120 Dulux
77	Tartan Red (Reno Red)	71426	(246) 97122-H Duco (93) 97122-H Dulux

Rootes Colour Schemes

Ref: 960
1/4/25

Hillman Imp saloon

Tartan Red with beige upholstery
Loch Blue with Azure Blue upholstery
Foam White with red upholstery
Balmoral Grey with Azure Blue upholstery
Skye Blue with dark blue upholstery
Embassy Black with red upholstery
Glenalmond Green with Apple Green upholstery

Issue no. 2, Jan. 1st 1968

Hillman	Imp de Luxe Super Imp Californian	Signal Red with Black upholstery Capri Blue with Black upholstery Forest Green with Green upholstery Polar White with Black upholstery Polar White with Red upholstery Polar White with Blue upholstery Yellow Gold with Black upholstery
Hillman	Husky	single tone Signal Red with Black upholstery Polar White with Black upholstery Polar White with Blue upholstery Polar White with Red upholstery Forest Green with Green upholstery Capri Blue with Black upholstery Coffee Brown with Ochre upholstery	two tone The first named colour is the predominant body colour and the second is the window surround panels. Signal Red / Polar White with Black upholstery Forest Green / Polar White with Green upholstery Capri Blue / Polar White with Black upholstery Coffee Brown / Polar White with Ochre upholstery
Sunbeam	Imp Sport	Signal Red with Black upholstery Polar White with Black upholstery Polar White with Red upholstery Polar White with Blue upholstery Turquoise Blue Metallic with Black upholstery Lincoln Green Metallic with Black upholstery Golden Bronze Metallic with Black upholstery
Sunbeam	Stiletto	Polar White with Black upholstery Polar White with Red upholstery Polar White with Blue upholstery Lincoln Green Metallic with Black upholstery Golden Bronze Metallic wilh Black upholstery Claret Metallic with Black upholstery Turquoise Blue Metallic with Black upholstery
Singer	Chamois II Chamois Sport	the first named colour is the predominant body colour and the second is the side flash. Forest Green/Polar White with Black upholstery Oxford Blue / Polar White with Blue upholstery Polar White / Oxford Blue with Black upholstery Coffee Brown / Polar White with Ochre upholstery Claret Metallic / Polar White with Ochre upholstery
Singer	Chamois Coupé	The first named colour is the predominant body colour and the second is the side flash Polar White / Signal Red with Red upholstery Polar White / Oxford Blue with Blue upholstery Polar White / Oxford Blue with Black upholstery Golden Bronze Metalilc / Polar White with Black upholstery Lincoln Green Metallic / Polar White with Black upholstery Claret Metallic / Polar White with Black upholstery Turquoise Blue Metalilc / Polar White with Black upholstery

Trim Code

000 = Non-standard
701 = Black
707 = Eucalyptus Green
708 = Saddle
709 = Red
713 = Light Blue
714 = Vellum
715 = Green Opalescent
716 = Pewter Opalescent
717 = Tan Opalescent
718 = Blue Opalescent
719 = Olive Opalescent
720 = Turquoise Opalescent
721 = Black Opalescent
722 = Beige Opalescent
723 = Mauve
724 = Vellum Print

1965, September - 1966, May

Ref. 3351 / EX / LHD
1 / 95 / 15

Hillman Super Imp & Imp de Luxe Mark 2

Imp de Luxe Colour schemes

Tartan Red and Black upholstery
Bermuda Blue with Blue upholstery
Polar White with Red upholstery
Polar White with Blue upholstery
Willow Green with Green upholstery
Embassy Black with Red upholstery
Capri Blue with Black upholstery
Orchid Green with Brown upholstery

Super Imp Colour schemes

The first named colour is the predominant body colour, and the second is the side flash

Maroon / Black with Black upholstery
Maroon / Black with with Beige upholstery
Bermuda Blue / Black with Blue upholstery
Polar White / Black with Blue upholstery
Polar White with Black upholstery
Forest Green / Black with Black upholstery
Forest Green / Black with Beige upholstery
Capri Blue / Black with Black upholstery
Orchid Green / Black with Brown upholstery
Embassy Black / Black with Red upholstery

1966

Ref. 9301/EX
1/86/25

	Signal Red
	Bermuda Blue
	Willow Green
	Polar White
	Yellow Gold
	Forest Green
	Maroon
	Oxford Blue
	Coffee Brown
	Ming Blue
	Lincoln Green Metallic
	Golden Bronze Metallic

Imp de Luxe

Signal Red with black upholstery
Bermuda Blue with blue upholstery
Willow Green with green upholstery
Polar White with red upholstery
Polar white with blue upholstery
Yellow gold with black upholstery

Chamois

The first named colour is the predominant body colour, and the second is the side flash.

Forest Green / Polar White with black upholstery
Maroon / Polar White with Ochre upholstery
Oxford Blue / Polar White with blue upholstery
Polar White / Oxford Blue with black upholstery
Coffee Brown / Polar White with Ochre upholstery

Imp Sport

Signal Red with black upholstery
Ming Blue with blue upholstery
Polar White with black upholstery
Polar white with blue upholstery
Lincoln Green Metallic with black upholstery
Golden Bronze Metallic with black upholstery

1974, March

The brochure "The '74 Imps photographed in Edinburgh" (C154/1/50) gives the information below.

from the brochure The '74 Imp C154/1/50

Chances are these colours are less than accurate:

The printer may have been slightly off when reproducing
plus they seem to have had a problem with the metallic paints
The brochure paper has aged, the colours may have faded or may otherwise be affected
My scanner isn't professional
Your screen probably isn't calibrated professionally, either.

Colour and trim combinations

Body Colour	Imp	De Luxe & Super		Sunbeam Sport
Polar White	Black	Black	Blue	Black	Blue
Imperial Red	-	Black	Fawn	Black	Fawn
Wardance	-	Black	Fawn	Black	Fawn
Sunflower	-	Black	Sable	Black	Sable
Prairie Wind	-	Black	Sable	Black	Sable
Carib Blue	Black	Black	Blue	Black	Blue
Platinum Metallic	-	Black	Blue	Black	Blue
Aquarius Metallic	-	Black	Fawn	Black	Fawn
Grasshopper Metallic	-	Black	Sable	Black	Sable
Sandalwood Metallic	-	Black	Fawn	Black	Fawn
Haze Blue Metallic	-	Black	Blue	Black	Blue
Blue Metallic	-	Black	Fawn	Black	Fawn
Honey Gold Metallic	-	Black	Sable	Black	Sable

Pinchin Johnson

from an advert:

"Pinchin Johnson paints are on the new Singer Chamois (and other Singer cars). Flowline half-hour enamel is recommended for touch-up work and for complete re-sprays. Manufactured by Docker Brothers, Birmingham - a division of Pinchin Johnson and associates limited - Henrietta House, 9 Henrietta Place, London W1"

Pinchin Johnson was acquired by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). ICI automotive finishes was later acquired by PPG.

Various

A rare colour scheme has the Sunbeam Sport of '73 owned by Gary Harding:
Lilac metallic (164) with mauve interior trim (724). Another reason to go to the National Weekend. Spot the lilac Imp !
Anyone else out there with a seldom seen scheme ?

The Imp Site
Miscelaneous Imp info
Factory Service Bulletin: Paint Color Codes; Rootes all models

External links:

Russell's paint listing
Rootes Service Bulletin RSB 65-6: Exterior Paint Color Code Numbers at the Rootes part of Team dot net
Car care: Cleaning your paint

Colours

Light Grey 845