Black leather interior- What colour should car be

[colinroverp5]

I have recently purchase a P5 Saloon 1971 . The interior is black leather seats with light green carpets. Car was a light green when it was purchased , but mot log book showed the car colour as Grey.
The car has been stripped back to the bare metal .
So to keep the car original with the interior trim , what are the correct colour paint options with this trim.
Was there two tone paint options for the car in that year

Any advise welcome.

[dorsetflyer]

Colin, P5B Saloons were all a single colour. Only the Coupes' were two tone.
If the log book says it was Grey, then this would have been Burnt Grey.
The black (Ebony) seats are correct for the car, but light green carpets do seem a bit strange. They should be Silver Grey.
Hope this helps.

[Phil Nottingham]

Both trim colours and paint colours were a mix and match option for the owner from the standard colours - P6 colours were quite often used as well but its must have been a strange choice to have green carpets with grey body and black seats as green carpets were not a P5B option.

I have seen the "Mortlake brown" which looks like a dirty grey, with black seats and Siver Birch body though. I think one or two V8 saloons did have the roof two-toned from new but thei certainly was not a Rover standard option and does not look right in opinion


If you check carefull under the bonnet area or boot you may see traces of the original colour

[Smallfry]

I agree with Phil, two tone saloons with the roof a different colour look abysmal. It really does not suit the car at all.

If you must two tone it, do the sides of the car beneath the trim strips, but its difficult to get a good division because the trims do not go right to any convenient edge......if that make sense ?

[colinroverp5]

Guys
Great feedback ,this has cleared up the option of twin tone paint as a no no.

Thanks all for the information on the correct paint colour as burnt grey with silver grey carpet for the black leather seats etc.

As it looks like i am going to have to change the carpets.
Is there any other Colors that are correct with black leather interior and what colour would the carpets be ?
So I can work out the final choice to proceed?

Any feedback more than welcome.

Thanks
Colin

[Phil Nottingham]

Black seats, grey paintwork is supposed to have silver grey carpets

[lagain]

My log book states that my car is Grey and it is Silver Birch, which is a lovely shade of very pale grey ! (like Phil's car) Although my car has a mulberry interior many Silver Birch cars had black interior. Have you tried removing some underseal from a wheel arch to see if there is any paint underneath. I can't understand how the carpets can be green, could they have been taken from an earlier P5.
If you were to choose Silver Birch, which is a solid colour (not metallic) you need to ensure that the correct paint is supplied, as Austin Rover later used the same name for a metallic silver!

[dorsetflyer]

Good point George, I had forgotten that silver Birch was two different colours in that ours was a solid colour and the later was metallic. After that I believe it became 'Silverleaf'.

It's interesting that on the log books it can give a colour which doesn't add up. My Mklll Humber Sceptre is listed as Grey in the logbook but it's correct colour is 'Pewter'.
Going back through all the old MOT's sometimes it's listed as Grey, sometimes Gold, and sometimes Green as it tends to take on the colour of it's surroundings.