Bear with me on this (I'm looking for a fight)...

If you see car descriptions in police reports, most advertising, or just about anything related to cars and their colours, you will find that the top colour is mentioned first and the bottom colour second. Not so with the Mini. Why is that? Who started it, and why?
Mine is a White top, Indi Blue body. That would have equaled W/IB to me before I came on MCO, but now it's supposed to be IB/W. So do you own a CR/W (which is "really" a white over Chili Red), or a BRG/B (which is "really" a Black over British Racing Green), etc, etc?

Come on.

Ken
ps No lame ones like, "Well the Mini is just different" please.

 

Maybe because unlike most two-color cars, MINI's have a definite primary and secondary color. The Body color first, then the roof color. Every owner I've met refers to the body color first, then the roof color.

Also, when you look at the car, the roof color is not overly noticable. I would wager a police officer would not mention the roof color at all, just the body color.

_________________
I'm not a real BMW mechanic, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. :smile:

 

I suppose it comes from the numerous top color options available with each body color. When you select your MINI, you first select which body color you'd like, then you select Black, White or Body color roof (not all three are available in all flavas). So I think this is where the IB/W for instance comes from.

 

Mine's all one color.

Hey, you said 'bear with me'!

_________________
'03 MCS, Dk Silver, 17" R85s, NAV, DSC (often turned off!), Packs #1 and #3, Rally lights, etc, etc. Fulton, MD. FRS 7-21
Let's Get Small!

 

That would only be if half the car was one color and the other half was another color. Otherwise if it's less than 50:50 the main color is always listed first. Many convertible cars have a different colored roof and that is not their primary color thus it is listed last. The same with the MINI. The roof is the secondary color so the MINI, like convertibles and all other cars quite frankly, has its colors listed in the correct order.

 

Good points so far guys, but I'm not buying it yet.

It's colour A over colour B.

A bit like back in school when the teacher said 1 over 4 is the same as saying 1/4.

Keep 'em coming though. I did warn you I was looking for a fight.

Ken

 

Using that argument, a black car with white stripes would be considered white first, because it's the 'uppermost' color, and we all know that is in error. When ordering a MINI, you pick your car (primary) color first, and your (optional) roof (secondary) color next.

A black MINI (or any other car or truck for that matter) with a white roof is sometimes called 'white over black', the secondary color atop the primary. A popular option for trucks has been a two-tone paint scheme with the sides of the truck in a separate color from the main color, say a red truck with white sides.

You are confusing the color 'option' with the color 'description'. Around these parts people talk about the 'option'. A cop chasing down a speeding car will usually describe the car from the top down, or the 'description'

 

Ken... I see your point but we aren't talking about fractions with real, mathematical and statistical ramifications attached to their "order", we're talking about cars. And when you look at your MINI (which is an excellent color combo, I might add) you first see the IB. THEN you notice that the top is white.

Describing our cars is a metter of perception and so we list the colors in order of importance. Fractions, as I stated, have a whole bunch of meaning attached to their number placement--but the world will not be one stitch different whether we call our cars IB/W or W/IB.

 

i would say my primary color(body color) first, then the roof color...but thats me...

 

here's the reason my mom would have given, so i'll give it to you!

Because i said so!

and because you are just plain wrong. WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!

remember on Knight Rider they always described the car as a "black t-top" instead of a Firebird?!

fuh reel doh, i don't recall hearing a car described the way you are saying. i've usually heard black car with a white top, or grey car with a black top. if it's all one color then there's no need to specify the top color. unless it's got one of those fabulous Landau tops, then you simply must mention the partial top color. hey, someone should come up with one of those tacky faux-convertible top treatments for the Mini, that would be really cool here in St Petersburg, FL!! (also known as god's waiting room) anywhoo, there aren't too many cars out there with different color tops, unless they are convertibles, and then i've always heard the top color come second.

so see, you're just wrong!

i'm through!

 

You can fight or argue all you want but the bottom line is you're wrong!

 

Since I do hang out with my father and his hot rodding friends from time to time, I am quite familiar with the top down color description. White on black, red on white or whatever. That came about when two tone and tri-color cars were more common and there wasn't necessarily a "primary" color. The MINI has a definite primary color and thus its body color first description is appropriate for the car.

 

From Greatbear on, all the reasons are top notch.
Here's the kicker:
Open your bonnet, walk around to the passenger strut tower, read the sticker. What does it say? That's right, the body color. Your argument suddenly vanishes *poof*

 

It is a Brit thing. Have a pint and relax
John

 

Who cares?

Is it really that important?

 

>>Who cares?
>>
>>Is it really that important?

After some of the topics I've seen on here?! Are you kidding me?

Okay in a nutshell, this was meant as a joke, which I think some people got. But...whenever you refer to two things (colours or whatever) and you put one on one side of a slash and the other on the other side of the slash, the thing on the left side should be the one that's on top (i.e. Husband/wife).

Now I'll really head for the hills.

And Ryephile I'd love to go out and check under my bonnet and see what it says but sadly my car is at the dealer (again). ecu on it's way to NJ by now I hope. Are you saying that it will read, "IB/W"? I can't wait to check it.


Ken

 

Ryephile wrote:
>>Here's the kicker:
>>Open your bonnet, walk around to the passenger strut tower, read the sticker. What does it say? That's right, the body color. Your argument suddenly vanishes *poof*

Sorry to bring this up again, but I was just digging around in the tiny crevices of my car looking for a bottle opener (a what?!) and I happened across the little sticker that tells me my car is "Indi Blue". Well I knew that already didn't I? It didn't tell me that it was white over Indi Blue or even Indi Blue with a white top. Just plain old Indi Blue. But it isn't just Indi Blue, it's White over Indi Blue. Ryephile's little sticker should have read W/IB. imho.

Okay, go back to whatever you were doing.

Ken

 

My MCS is black over yellow. If you make a police report of your car being stolen it will be listed top color to bottom or front color to back color. Hopefully no one ever need to report a Mini stolen.

earl

 

>>My MCS is black over yellow. If you make a police report of your car being stolen it will be listed top color to bottom or front color to back color. Hopefully no one ever need to report a Mini stolen.
>>
>>earl


Finally somebody else who speaks sense. Thanks for the company Earl.

Ken