Aston Martin Vinyl Wrap: Cool Yellow

I've waxed poetic here in my blog and with friends about how much I love my 2007 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Having purchased it new in late 2006, I've now had it for 11.5 years and I suppose I just needed a minor change after all these years. I love the original color, Tungsten Silver, as it was one of the colors I had fallen in love with when I saw the Vantage concept car and the big brother car, the Vanquish, in that great metallic silver.  But, as anyone who knows me can tell you, I love colorful cars, and I am a fan of vinyl wraps. So, it was only inevitable that after 11-plus years of ownership that I would find a bright color I wanted to try on the Vantage.

For several years, I have also been trolling Craigslist, Autotrader, various car forums, and Bringatrailer.com for the perfect Speed Yellow Porsche 911. I just haven't found one that has caused me to jump into another P-Car, so the great epiphany came recently when I realized that I just needed to make the Vantage into my go-to bright yellow coupe. I looked at the 2005 Geneva Car Show Vantage in "Cool Yellow" and the 2006 Vantage N24 race car in "Rose Yellow" for inspiration.

I relied on the guys at Vinyl Styles in San Carlos, CA, as they have done a couple really good vinyl wraps for me on other cars. Lyle is the owner there and he suggested the perfect gloss yellow product with what he assured me was "great depth and gloss", so that the vinyl wrap would look as close to a paint job as possible.  Well, he was right, and I am very happy with the outcome.  The car looks great, sits nicely alongside the other colorful cars in the garage, and the yellow has depth and gloss and makes the car look absolutely new.  Just please don't waive me down and yell "Taxi!!", because this car is too old for Uber.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I like Vinyl Wraps: 2012 McLaren 12C Turns Blue

If you've read any of my prior blog posts, you may have come across the fact that I have had two cars fully wrapped in protective vinyl film in order to make a temporary color change. (see "Green Car Movement - The Gator gets a new skin" and "Pink Mini Cooper joins the garage"). One update I should have posted (and may still do so) is that we had the vinyl wrap removed from one of those cars after 3+ years and the paint underneath was a fresh as it was when the car was new in the dealer showroom.   So, yes, I am a fan of the vinyl-wrap craze (not sure if I can all it a "craze", since many people are still unaware of the possibilities for cars and vinyl-wrapping). Anyway, here's the next chapter...

I've owned my 2012 McLaren MP4-12C now for two years and about 8000 miles.  I still love this car and its capabilities on track and on road trips. And although I love the black exterior combined with the saddle/tan leather interior, I was looking to give the car a little change to create a bit more drama.  So I decided on a "wardrobe change" that would clothe the car in a vibrant blue, like the great blues of many car makers (Mexico Blue or Fistral Blue from McLaren, Sepang Blue from Audi, Adriatic Blue from Porsche, Cobalt Blue from Aston Martin, etc.).  The color chosen for mine is Gloss Intense Blue from Avery Dennison, and the car was wrapped by the guys at  Elite Auto Films in Fremont, CA.  I wasn't sure how I would like the bright blue with the saddle color interior, but  having seen a few cars done similarly, I took the plunge.  The transformation is pretty amazing, and the ability to reveal more of the car's angles and curves made it worthwhile.  Plus - I have no problem finding it in the grocery store parking lot!

As always, the great thing about a good vinyl wrap is that it gives you infinite color options, it protects the paint from chips and scratches, and it is fully reversible once you are tired of the color. Join the vinyl revolution!