Number Plates News

In the Pink

25 March 2011

The industrialist, Henry Ford, famously said that his Model T car would be available in "any colour . . so long as it is black". [And, yes, despite being American, he did insist on 'colour' with a 'u' in his 1923 autobiography - Ed].

The reason behind this intransigence was that black paint took the shortest time to dry on the production line. Since those days, of course, developments in body finishes have lead to a complete spectrum of hues to suit every taste.

Naturally, it is the masculine reds, blues and greens which initially proved the most popular and, currently, silver has found the most favour. However, recent statistics show that Mr Ford's original choice may well soon take the lead again.

But there could be a new outsider taking up the challenge. According to a well-known classified motoring publication, there has been a dramatic increase in the sale of pink cars. The figures suggest, though, that the increase cannot result from just the ladies favouring their stereotypical choice.

So, pink may be the new black. If the evidence of clothing rails in high street stores can be taken as significant, then there seems little reluctance these days for males to stick to the traditional dowdy browns and greens. Racks of bright pink and canary yellow T-shirts are offered in an abundance we have not seen since the 1960s.

The magazine survey does give salutary warnings of the danger of passing trends and the likelihood that resale values may prove significantly lower for unusual colours.

We are reminded of an apocryphal story from the 1970s in which police traffic patrols would play a bizarre game of 'snooker' by booking any red car, followed by the other colours in correct sequence, completing the set with, of course, Mr Ford's black.

Pink Plates in the USA