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W123 original color code + pics

223K views 65 replies 40 participants last post by  Dark Green 1977 230 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys maybe we could collaborate on this useful topic. Some people might want to know how a particular color of a classic MB looks like so I thought we could post our known and original car's paint with images to boot so that the rest can see the differences between color codes.

While www.paintscratch.com has a useful chart as well, it's difficult to judge the exact colors by simple paint samples/squares so I thought some images from members would be helpful.

Before panicking, here's the particular section of the hood latch tab that designates what the car's color code is:



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To start, here's a good list of paint codes that Greg originally posted:

Code Color (* = metallic)
040 black (schwarz)
050 white (weiss)
122 pearl grey (perlmattgrau)*
124 arabian grey (arabergrau)
125 pearl grey (perlgrau)
131 pastellweiss
140 silver grey (silbergrau)
143 fern white
147 arctic white (arcticweiss)
149 polar white (polarweiss)
153 snow white (schneeweiss), glacier white
157 beige grey (beigegrau)
158 white grey (weissgrau)
160 tropic black*
162 blue grey (blaugrau)
164 dark grey (dunkelgrau)
166 blue grey (blaugrau)
169 light stone grey (steingrau hell)
171 stone grey (steingrau)
172 anthracite grey (anthrazitgrau)*
173 anthracite grey (anthrazitgrau)
178 medium grey (mittelgrau)*
180 silver grey (silbergrau)*
181 light beige (hellbeige)
185 melanite black*
186 cement grey (zementgrau)
189 greenish-black (emerald black) (smaragdsschwarz)*
190 graphite grey (graphitgrau)
195 meteor grey (meteorgrau)*
197 obsidian black*
199 black pearl (blue-black) (blauschwarz)*
218 lindgrün
221 dark green (dunkelgrün)
226 moss green (moosgrün)
229 medium green (mittelgrün)
231 perlmutter grün
249 spruce green (malachite) (malachit)*
254 pine green*
256 crystal green*
259 forest green (waldgrün)
260 oasis green (oasengrün)
261 willow green*
268 dark green (dunkelgrün) blaugrün?
269 tourmaline green (turmalingrün)*
270 blue green (blaugrün)
272 amazon green (amazonitgrün)*
274 light green (hellgrün)*
278 tundra green (tundragrün)
279 vivianite green (vivianitgrün)*
282 jungle green (dschungelgrün)*
291 dark olive (dunkeloliv)
304 horizon blue (horizontblau)
312 labrador blue
317 grey blue (graublau)
320 blue (blau)
332 dark blue (dunkelblau)
334 light blue (hellblau)
335 mercedesblau
339 violane (violan)*
341 aquamarine blue (aquamarinblau)*
348 ice blue (pearl blue) (perlblau)*
350 medium blue (mittelblau)
353 light blue (hellblau), teallite blue
3538 chassisrot
355 diamond blue (diamintblau)*
356 light blue (hellblau)
359 tanzanite blue (tansanitblau)
366 azurite blue (azuritblue)*
375 atoll blue*
380 delphinblau
381 violet (floraviolett)
387 blue (blau)*
396 medium blue (mittelblau)*
404 milan brown (milanbraun)*
406 cayenne orange (cayenneorange)
408 havana brown (havannabraun)
409 dark brown (dunkelbraun)
4100 cement grey (zementgrau)
412 beige
419 ikonengold*
4200 light blue (hellblau)
422 byzanzgold*
423 dark tobacco brown (tabakbraun dunkel)
424 topaz brown (topasbraun)
427 russet brown
430 autumn beige (herbstbeige)
432 havana brown* (also bisonbraun?)
439 cream (creme)
441 desert taupe (impala brown) (hellbeige)*
442 deer brown (rehbraun)
444 sand beige
459 maroon brown
460 dark red brown (dunkelrotbraun)
461 bronze brown (broncebraun)*
462 beige*
463 copper (kupfer)*
467 sandbeige*
470 coloradobeige
473 champagne (champagnermetallic)*
475 nutria*
476 golden brown
479 walnut brown (also moorbraun?)
480 manganese brown*
481 blackberry (bornite) (bornit)*
482 apricot orange
483 volcanic red (vulcanrot)*
485 rosewood (rosenholz)*
501 orient red
504 english red (englischrot)
512 garnet red (almadine red) (almandinrot)*
513 bordeau red (bordeauxrot)
514 carnelian (agate) red (karneolrot)
516 medium red (mittelrot)
519 red, light red (rot)
525 brilliant red (brillantrot)*
526 mercedes red (mercedesrot)
5328 standard blue (standardblau)
534 fire red (feuerrot)
538 red brown (rotbraun)
540 desert red (barolo red) (barolorot)
542 dark red (dunkelrot)
543 strawberry red (erdbeerrot)
567 maroon (lasurrot)* (also titanite red, titanitrot)*
568 signal red (signalrot) (hellrot)
571 brilliant red (rot)*
572 ruby red (rubin)*
573 dark bordeau red (dunkelbordeauxrot)
574 spindelrot
576 red (rot)
581 inca red*
582 imperial red (imperialrot)
585 mesa red
587 cabernet red (pajettrot)*
589 jupiter red
594 ember red (glutrot)
597 saturn red*
606 maple yellow (ahorngelb)
608 ivory (elfenbein)
618 mimosa yellow (mimosangelb)
620 light ivory (hellelfenbein)
623 light ivory (hellelfinbein)
6277 standard green (standardgrün)
6285 pine green (fichtengrün)
6286 unimog green (unimog-grün)
630 corn yellow (maisgelb)
651 pueblo beige
658 ivory (elfenbein)
670 light ivory (hellelfenbein)
673 sahara yellow (saharagelb)
680 sun yellow
681 manila beige (also weizengelb?)
684 pastel beige
690 light ochre
691 light yellow (lichtgelb)
693 travertine beige*
696 night black
702 smoke silver (rauchsilber)*
706 moonlight silver (mondsilber)*
716 grey beige (graubeige)
717 papyrus white (papyrosweiss)
7186 pearl grey (perlgrau)
7187 standard grey (standardgrau)
721 onyx grey (onyxgrau)*
723 cubanite silver (cubanitsilber)*
726 beige grey (beigegrau)
728 beige grey (beigegrau)*
733 phantom grey (phantomgrau)
735 astral silver (astralsilber) (bundt style wheels)*
737 classic white (classicweiss)
740 pastel grey (pastellgrau)
744 brilliant silver (brillantsilber)*
745 crystal silver*
747 perlite grey*
748 comet grey*
751 ascot grey (liasgrau)
752 carrara grey
753 (tektitgrau)
761 polar silver*
791 dune gold*
801 mangrove green*
803 moss green
815 agate green (achatgrün)
816 agate green, andradite green
822 forest green
824 sea green (seegrün)
825 deep green (tiefgrün)
834 moss green (moosgrün)*
858 mesa red?????
860 green (grün)
861 silver green (silbergrün)*
862 pine green (piniengrün)*
867 kaledoniengrün
870 nickelgrün
874 citrus green (citrusgrün)*
875 mango green
876 cypress green (zypressengrün)*
877 blue green (also petrol?)*
880 cactus green (agavengrün)
881 thistle green* (also silberdistel?)
888 teal blue (beryl) (beryll)*
891 alexandrite green (alexandritgrün)*
900 deep blue (surfblau)
903 blue (blau)
904 midnight blue (dark blue) (dunkelblau)
906 grey blue (graublau)*
917 aqua (aquablau)
920 deep blue (tiefblau)
922 pastel blue (pastellblau)
929 nautical blue (nautikblau)*
930 silver blue*
931 magnetite blue (magnetitblau)*
932 lapis blue (lapisblau)*
933 deep-sea blue (tiefseeblau)*
934 china blue (chinablau)
940 marine blue
941 (aragonitblau)
945 lapis blue (lapisblau)
949 cascade blue (kaskadenblau)
958 reef blue*
960 light ochre????? also alabaster white?

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Also, here's some charts provided by Mike:



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I'll start by doing code 681, Manila Beige, and some of its various hues/tones:

Overcast sky


Clear sky


Sunset w/ fluorescent lighting nearby


Sunset
 
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#10 ·
Pat your photos of your car don't really do the manilla beige justice. Before I saw your car I always imagined it lighter, much like the light ivory but it is a much yellower color than it appears.
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
Ok, for those that want to see what Manilla Beige looks like:


And while I am at it, here is the 1983 Standard Paintwork:


And the no cost option Metallic Paintwork:


Note: The colors are a little distorted by the scanner but I adjusted them to about as close as they appear in the 1983 Model Guide
Also note these are the colors that were available to the US market. The european market had a great deal more colors available.
 
#13 ·
Zack, now I see why your reaction was like that. I didn't realize the original factory "tone" of the paint was like that (more bluish or less reddish). Thanks for posting the scans! I guess all those years (and maybe, layers of wax? or detailing treatments?) did some effect on the paint.

Attached is how my car looked like on the first day I took pics of it.

I also was a bit puzzled because I was trying to replicate this manila beige color into GTA San Andreas (PC version) and the color scan was different than the color on my car. But we're getting off topic now...

Gatorblue and Don, thanks for posting wonderful specimens. I guess we could keep this thread alive after all.
 

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#14 ·
Pat your car still is very close to that color. It is just a difficult one to photograph. Of the 5 pictures in the book only one produced the true yellow tone it really posseses. It really is a nice color. I mean all of them are but it is very striking the first time you really see it.
 
#19 ·
How funny i just came across this thread and theres my car! representing Orient Red. :)

A buddy of mine has an 85 300D-T sedan, and it is finished in a Black Metallic. Much darker than Anthracite grey, but a little lighter than Black.

My 1984 Brochure does not show this color as an option, and in my 1985 Brochure it is not listed either. But it is certainly a color I see often enough!

I am trying to find out what it is called...

anybody have any ideas?
 
#34 ·
greetings all. and let my first post on the forums contain a quote. hehe

i JUST bought a 1985 300cd TODAY which is nautical blue. i'll post some photos soon. i'm taking it to a detail shop tomorrow and having the window tint removed, and will be doing a few other things as well.
 
#26 · (Edited)
040 black on Palomino MBTex
 

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