That’s a 1959 Chevrolet advertising slogan. But it somewhat applies to my ’59 Biscayne even now, as it goes from solid color to fantastic two-tone!
1959 Chevrolet color chart: For passenger cars, there were 13 solid colors and 10 two-tones available. Corvettes had 7 choices–apparently you couldn’t get a single-tone Corvette. It’s interesting that the two-tones were limited to certain combinations, and only one pair was reversible (Harbor Blue & Frost Blue). When you try to visualize “unspecified” combinations, you quickly realize, “Yeah, that wouldn’t work.” The GM color stylists were true artisans–they knew what they were doing.
So here’s my car “before”: Nice car, but I think it looked a little too “red”. Some of the paint is original and some is respray. The color is officially called “Cameo Coral”, and it can only be combined with “Satin Beige”.
Here’s the “after” . . .
Wow! That Satin Beige (almost a creamy white) really makes things pop! The original Cameo Coral on the rest of the car was retained. 1959 was the only year GM used this kind of radical two-toning–not just the roof but the trunk and the fins too! It’s like a whole new car!
In the brochure, the Biscayne sedan is shown in the Cameo Coral/Satin Beige combination, and I always thought it looked best that way. In a previous CC post I asked readers whether I should leave mine the way it is or repaint in a two-tone. The majority of respondents said leave it as is, but a few people said go for it. I decided to side with the minority in this case, and these are the results! (Democracy is so overrated!)
View from the side. The effect is more subtle from this angle, but it makes a definite difference! Looks sleeker somehow.
Now if this were a Bel Air or Impala, I would need these special “paint separators”–bright metal strips that separate the two colors along the rear doors below the windows. But since this is a Biscayne, the paint is just masked off in a graceful curve right where the fin begins.
Here are some more “before & after” views. Generally speaking, I think these low-trim level cars from the low-priced three during this era (Chevrolet Biscayne, Ford Custom 300, Plymouth Savoy and Plaza) really benefit from the two-tone treatment.
In the top view the car looks lighter red because it was sunnier that day. But I do think the Satin Beige has the effect of making Cameo Coral look a little different.
A few more “after” shots . . .
“If it’s beauty on a budget you’re after, the Chevrolet Biscayne is your car!” (Quoth the Gospel According to Chevrolet Sales).
Vinnie’s Auto Body in Boonton NJ painted the car and Joe (above) and his crew did a fantastic job! They’re located just three blocks from my house! (How convenient!)
I put a vintage Earl Scheib sticker on the back window (as a joke).
So into the garage it goes. This Chevy survived 64 years as a single-color, but now takes on a whole new personality as a factory-correct two-tone in the year 2023. I think it was a great decision!
Yes, good decision!
I also toyed with the idea of getting a second color on the Hillman Minx I owned. It did not have the best color, a greyish white. It would have a red as the second color because the interior was also red. I got as far as buying the dividing chrome strips from a dismantled car but never took the plunge. I left it to the new owner.
It looks magnificent! Makes the car look way more upscale then before. Well done!
The 59 Chevrolet is one of the few cars I really struggle with on whether it looks better with or without two-tone paint. This body gave the designers a real challenge in trying to find a way to come up with a way to divide the two colors in a way that works with the body lines. I remarked the other day that GM always came up with great two-tone treatments, but this was one of the weaker ones in concept. But after looking for several minutes, I can’t think of a better way than what they did.
That said, I totally get why you wanted to make the change. I agree that the single color makes the car look a bit plain, and that this dresses it up nicely. My problem is more with the way Chevrolet did the treatment originally than with doing it on this car.
I also agree that new cream upper changes the way the lower color looks, and in a good way. Wow, when the classic-car-painting bug bit you, it bit very deeply! 🙂
Beautiful!
Had you considered painting the wheels cream as well? It’s not original but maybe should’ve been and would look especially good if you go to blackwalls at the next tire-change time.
Nice! A good look on this car.
Have you written about a certain 1958 Ford we see through the windshield?
I have pics of my Dad’s 1955 Dodge, some are two tone, but then others are monotone. I’m not clear on which came first. I was just a kid, after all.
Here’s the Ford article:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/multiple-curbside-classics/curbside-comparison-1957-ford-custom-1958-ford-custom-300-getting-the-most-for-your-money-in-the-late-50s/
I bet it’ll make the car feel cooler in the summer too, what with the white top reflecting more of the sun’s rays…?
I was thinking the same thing; cooler in the summer and good looking too.
Brilliant idea, and it really picked up the looks of your `59!! PLEASE….some time though, please consider a set of period-correct whitewalls for your Chevy! The combination of the tires and your new two-tone paint would really make it stand out!! Either way, you made the right choice in painting it. (Might’ve been a whole $25. option in `59?)
Looks good either way to me. How does it drive?
I wrote about that here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-for-sale/cc-for-sale-1959-chevrolet-biscayne-one-lady-owned-never-modified-or-messed-with/
Interesting. Love the old styling on these.
Love the two and three tone combinations on 50s cars. ESPECIALLY THREE tones on Packard and DeSoto. Don’t recall two tone Chevys, but definitely adds much to the new for 59 styling. As usual, most of the remaining CARS today (as opposed to SUVs) are totally devoid of any distinctive character.
Dodge came up with some three-tone dazzlers too. If this car were all white, all gray, or all yellow it wouldn’t look nearly as good:
You are right! Special 1956 Dodge LA Femme in white, light gray and Lavender was a one year beauty with matching umbrella 🌂 and purse 🤔 aimed at women! Was based on a show car with another special aimed at men which never saw production.
Chevy didn’t offer 3-tones but this layout would work just as well as one – coral (or some other color) main body, cream/white roof, black trunk deck.
Looks great! Makes quite a difference.
I should show this to one of my tenants that has the exact same car and color!
I think the two-toning makes a dramatic difference!
I like the new look a lot; adds a subtle touch of class to the Biscayne’s appearance without being gaudy. Kind of like saddle shoes (which were already a thing of the past in 1959, but still good-looking, in my humble opinion).
I’m somewhat biased in favor of two-toning, though, since my ’64 Bel Air is a two-tone as well.
I echo the sentiments of the many above. I really like the ’59 sedans, particularly the Impalas, but not going to ignore lesser models. My original problem was that the monochromatic “Cameo Coral” looked more like “Oxidized Red”. The two tone treatment really has upped this car’s curb appeal (from dowdy to eye-catching in a good way), and much more noticeable and even “shiny”. And kudos to the body shop that did the paint job. I’m now ready for a remake of “American Graffiti” with your car on the boulevard.
I didn’t know, and wouldn’t have expected, two-tone paint on a Biscayne in ’59. I mean the fact that it could have been ordered that way. I guess I’m thinking in modern terms where base models can’t be ordered with fancy options. Still, I can’t imagine too many Biscaynes did come from the factory with two-tone paint, for the Biscayne was the trim level for pikers.
Definitely the right decision! Kudos to Vinnie and his team for delivering great results.
The body of the ’59 bat-wing Chevy gives a clear line of demarcation between the colors, never mind the trim. You can’t say that about all cars.
Excellent! Really a great improvement. Congrats!
Love the new look, a definite improvement. The contrasting color on the deck lid really brings the design to life. Painting the wheels beige would really make your car pop without going overboard by adding custom wheels, and would look great with the thin whitewalls.
Personalizing your car makes it more special, it’s a shame that more people don’t have their cars painted in their favorite color. I’ve had several cars painted in my color choice
and it makes the car more enjoyable. I had my ’70 Mustang painted Highland green from the original “lime greenish color” a huge improvement that let me live out my “Bullitt” fantasies. I think you made the right choice. If only Earl could still do it for 29.95!
Good decision on your part, great work by the shop, a great title for your article … and a great looking Biscayne.
1959 and ’60 Chevy’s are not my favorites, even tho my dad bought a 2 tone biscayne 4 door sedan backed with a 3 on the tree.
However the color inside and out was certainly far more pleasing than the hideous WhiteGrayBlack of today……..beyond boring!!
Color Marketing Group must be under the influence of the WEF! 🙁 DFO
What a great job the shop did. In my eyes it looks a huge improvement, and unless someone decodes the data plate they won’t know it’s not original. I think it works so well because you don’t expect a two-tone on the Biscayne. With the contrasting colour it really has enough chrome on it – why pay for more?
Here’s (something like) that Frost Blue/Harbor Blue duo – I just used what came to hand. Sorry it’s not a Biscayne though! 🙂
Always a treat, to enjoy your work. Thank you!
And thank you. Another view:
Love it! Micro detailing is amazing, as usual.
I was 14 in 1959 and an avid car lover. I don’t have any data to back it up but most 59 Chevy 4 doors in my experience were two toned if they were privately owned and mono-toned if they were fleet vehicles. Two door hardtops were also more often mono-toned as the Impalas just looked better that way. Fords and Plymouths also seemed to follow that pattern. I think a two tone paint job in the lower series cars was a cheaper way to avoid the fleet vehicle look.
Beautiful decision!
Bravo! It looks great and does make it pop. WHen it comes right down to it; it’s most important that the owner likes it. My feeling is, it’s no great sin as long as it could have come from the factory that way and with OEM colors. I wrestle with this question on an antique car that I’m slowly restoring (1925 Dodge touring car). From the factory, they were all black but I find that boring. I’m going to do the fenders and splash aprons black and the body, probably a medium blue. Since there was no factory blue, I guess I’ll just have to deal with the guilt… Unless you’re dealing with a high dollar, investment-grade car, I think it makes sense to enjoy it now! Who are you saving it for?
Bravo, I love the 2-toning with your choice of colors!
Really looks great ! .
Well done .
-Nate
Beers stay cooler in the trunk and you stay cool under your hat, good shot . ” Democracy is so overrated! ” yeh …invest all these billions dedicated to the war and use them to be completely independent of asia instead. Oppressed country will revolt alone one day. Better that than no planet at all .
A good looking car either way! It appears from the first photo you have a set of correct full wheel covers. They’d look great with your gussied up two-tone!
Here it is with the full wheel covers back on. Before I thought the wheel covers looked too “fancy” for this car. But now with the two-tone, I think they look right. What do you think?
Biscaynes could come with the full wheel covers as an option. I have a photo of a ’59 Biscayne parked on a street in New York City in 1962 and it has the full wheel covers, not the little hubcaps.
@ Stephen ;
Doesn’t really matter what we think ~ YOU are footing the bill and driving it so do what you like .
I like those full size hub caps but I also like the ‘Dog Dish’ ones too .
-Nate
Uh, true . . . but I think the whole purpose of having a blog is to discover what OTHER people think and to learn from that.
-Maybe_ ;
I enjoy reading what others think and I learn a lot from reading the comments but I’ll always go my own way after due consideration of all the ideas given .
I used to get kicked out of car shows and junkyards for the jalopy survivors I like to drive, now every where I go folks look and point, give me thumbs up and offer more $ than I think it’ll ever be worth .
Had I your fine ’59, I’d go through the suspension replacing all the rubber bushings with polyurethane and adding gas shocks and probably an electronic voltage regulator then I’d run the wheels off in in America’s out back .
Most ’59 Chevies came with really soft coil springs causing them to sag and drag, if so I’d replace them too .
To each their own ~ I’d keep the original AM only radio and just install a better sounding dual cone speaker .
-Nate
Trifecta! Full wheel covers, two-tone and white walls fulfill an optioned up look!
Here’s that picture:
Great choice on the color! I didn’t think your Biscayne needed any “improvement” beforehand, but as with your ’60 Dart, the repaint does the car justice.
We’ve also had a good experience at Vinnie’s (a bit of rust remediation & touch-up paint), so would second your recommendation.
I’ve seen you driving around town in the then-monochromatic Biscayne any number of times while I’m out for my daily stroll. It reminds me a bit of the recurring theme in “American Graffiti,” where the Richard Dreyfuss character keeps seeing that mysterious woman (Suzanne Somers) driving by!
Unfortunately I’m not nearly as cute as she was 🙂