Help - Blue or Brown?

Modeling Subjects Autos
1

I am building a 1/43 Chaparral 2. Very first rear engined Chaparral as raced in the L.A. Times Grand Prix at Riverside, October 11-13, 1963 and bearing the number 5.

The only color photo I can find shows that the lower body tub of this car is blue. The kit manufacturer claims that he contacted the Chaparral museum in Texas and they said is should be brown and that there must have been color shift in this photo because of it’s age.

I’m not convinced. Other things in this photo that should be brown are brown.

Does anyone know for sure. Should it be blue or brown?
HELP!!!

Thanks,
Pete

2

Car were (and still are) frequently painted for specific races… So it may well have been blue, and no record was kept of that particular paint job.

I would paint it the way you think looks best…

3

Like UPS says, BROWN!!! All Mk II models other than ones that were painted white on the lower are a brown color not too awfully far from the UPS color. The color comes from from the reinforced FRP tub that the Chaparrel uses. early cars did not have the tub painted therefor the rather unusual racecar color of brown.

Rick