I've seen some vehicles lately, mostly older pickups, that have been painted then distressed to create manufactured patina-spots of primer showing through, surface rust, etc. I was wondering what people thought of this trend?
I can appreciate the real thing,"Honest wear and life's journey". Not so much "relic" finishing. Saw it on guitars first, and did not care for it then, and on cars even less. That said, person can do what pleases them, and others can like what they like. I won't be unkind to them.
Manufactured patina on a car? I’m OK with it, unless it’s a newer car made to look old; just doesn’t work for me. On my wife? Never.
I wonder how the owners of those cars would react to a real scratch. That being said I like original paint cars and trucks with patina. The paint on my 66 is all cracked and shrunk. I really dig it.
It took a little while for me to appreciate it. That coming from someone who grew up in the era of fine and lengthy processes to get the custom finishes on cars. "Letting a car go" was just something a "responsible/sensible" person did not allow. Back in the day, "patinia" was "car cancer" (in early stages, or final stages), and we wanted nothing to do with it. (It is rumored, that people would not even park a nice car near one of those such stricken, for fear of one's car catching something...) But, I am finding that some cars actually look "good", in their natural state, if they are still in good overall condition. That may be because "some of us" owned cars that looked like that, because it was what we could afford, and we kept them in good working order, in spite of there appearance. At least that's my story, and anything anyone else told you I said, are lies...
As for my tastes, I've seen manufactured patina like the OP stated. A new paint job that is then distressed, or sanded, stripped, whatever....and it always looks wrong. I'll take original, aged...weathered paint any day over the fake ones. I have seen some that were done pretty good tho, reproducing rust stains etc, and they look pretty good too. Depends on the vehicle. I've been working on my 1956 Mack B-61 for quite a while now. It sat in the woods for 20 years before I got it. I love the look of all of the old paint jobs showing thru where the paint was thin or where the rain left rust marks! I don't ever plan on painting it. Almost every time I drive it someone will ask me what color will I paint it. I always answer, it took 63 years to get it to look like this, I'm not messing it up!
I have seen this done and by a master hot rodder. I wish I asked him but I still have his number. Well I seen it on his 32 Ford truck, he did it with a yellow to it. He was starting with a "patina"d truck. When I asked at the time if he could do it in another color he said yes. It was a process from what I remember. It looked good on his truck. Good luck and remember to never care what they think.
I personally dont care for the patina look, but each to his own. They came out of the factory with a nice paint job, thats how i like to build them. Steve
Patina look is a hard no for me. Probably stems from rejecting the guitar relic thing that the Fender custom shop does.
I can deal with it either way. Especially on an old truck/work truck. I like Phillips old Mack the way it is but I would drive this Mack I saw yesterday in our little town
I can't like patina either real or fake...hell, I can't even deal with a dirty car, but that's just me...YMMV.
We’ve got an old super beetle convertible with crappy paint, not sure if I should just leave it alone or take it to this level like this one. saw it at a Beetle show this year and kind of liked it.
I just think it's funny that what used to be just old crappy paint and rust has now become "patina". Man made attempts to replicate years of wear always looks fake and trying too hard in my opinion.
