Originally Posted by
cesafacamah
that would be a really interesting talk, with graphic designers of the time.
from what i read, red was preffered in usa, with a thicker layer of laquer on the paint.
i will probably go for the pearl light blue. i also saw on ray dobbins and another website a champagne italian 74
For me, I would not use a pearl color for that year. The pearl finish shows up later during the Prestige and 3V production, I would place it as 1983 onwards. I would use a fine grained metallic. Faliero was said to like the champagne color most. The champagne bike on the Ray Dobbins site is a respray, but pretty well done. There is a Masi Special on American ebay right now that looks pretty original as to color rendition, almost all now that get painted are too glossy. Too small for me and not cheap.
The "thicker" paint shows up on the American built bikes in 1981, save a color that was introduced in late 1976, California Burgundy. The color palette shifted in 1981 too, the opaque colors got darker and the graphics were buried in the clear coat. Part of this was fashion, and part was that the graphics were not all of the same type, some were waterslide or pressure sensitive adhesive and needed protection. The varnish fix transfers were much more effort to install.