Post by indycals on May 14, 2023 18:32:02 GMT -5
OK we all know the controversy about the color of the Wasp and a quote by Ray Harroun to the effect of 'it was more orange'. But when he said that the car was horribly faded and a very pale, light yellow. I believe it was 1955 when the Wasp was restored and Ray himself picked the color for the restoration. As such we will NEVER have a better source than that. Now if you've seen the Wasp in the last 20-30 years, it's become darkened and dingy with age.
But parts of the color have been preserved.
Notably parts that were covered.
Such as where the hood strap goes.
Well, guess what. Almost every front engine car in the museum currently has their engine covers open. Including the Wasp. Which means the hood strap came off. Which means the true 1955 color is currently showing where the strap was in contact with the car. So if you go to IMS this month you can see it for yourself. But for those of you who won't make it, I took this photo with my iPhone 13. I immediately held it up to the car to make sure what I see on my phone is what I was seeing in front of me (it was). Now granted, different screens render colors differently, but current Apple products are pretty stable and consistent. If you have a recent iPhone, iPad or Apple monitor you should see what I'm seeing. (Apple color has gotten so good I don't even calibrate my monitors anymore).
So with all that in mind, I present the true color of the Wasp:
But parts of the color have been preserved.
Notably parts that were covered.
Such as where the hood strap goes.
Well, guess what. Almost every front engine car in the museum currently has their engine covers open. Including the Wasp. Which means the hood strap came off. Which means the true 1955 color is currently showing where the strap was in contact with the car. So if you go to IMS this month you can see it for yourself. But for those of you who won't make it, I took this photo with my iPhone 13. I immediately held it up to the car to make sure what I see on my phone is what I was seeing in front of me (it was). Now granted, different screens render colors differently, but current Apple products are pretty stable and consistent. If you have a recent iPhone, iPad or Apple monitor you should see what I'm seeing. (Apple color has gotten so good I don't even calibrate my monitors anymore).
So with all that in mind, I present the true color of the Wasp:
