Boring colors plague the industry now. Try ordering something bold today. You will likely get gray. Maybe black. Blue if you are feeling lucky. Even Mazda holds back the bright shades for special editions. Audi showrooms look like they are stuck in fifty shades of… well, gray.
We forgot about color choice once. It existed. And this car remembers it.
Tahiti Coral is not just a paint job. It is an attitude.
This 1959 StudebAKER Lark VI Deluxe is for sale on Bring a Trailer right now. The hue matches 1950s tile work. It screams Mad Men. White gloves required. The grille isn’t aggressive. No one here knows the Nürburgring. The engineers didn’t care about drag coefficients or PR speak about “bold front ends.” It is just happy. Like the songbird it shares its name with. The exact opposite of that scowling Jeep Wrangler you see on the highway every day.
Looks deceive. Usually.
This one bites back. Under that curvy hood sits a Champion 169 inline-six. Stock power is around 100 horses. This specific engine has been punched up. Significantly. It gets a high-compression head. Offenhauser intake. Twin carbs. The pistons are overbore. Headers are ceramic coated. They ported it. They polished it. The owner didn’t list the final number, but it is certainly above factory spec.
And that matters.
Why? Because it weighs as much as a Honda Civic. A three-speed manual does the rest. Three on the tree. Shift it hard. You will not be last at the light. Highway merging is possible. These engines are overbuilt too. They survive.
The location helps.
It sits in Napa Valley. Think about the logistics. You fly in. You bid. You drive. The new owner picks up cases of wine on the way home. A sparkling rosé suits the vibe perfectly. It fits the pink aesthetic.
What do modern cars lack? Personality.
You could vinyl wrap a Civic if you wanted that shade. But the wrap peels. This color is baked on. This car has intent. It was built when buyers actually chose interesting hues without asking for permission. It cruises down the road smiling. It invites you to join the ride. Not just transport. Entertainment.
The auction closes on May 27. The clock is ticking.
