Standard Norton Colours ?

Attached is the 1959 UK Sales Brochure, inner right page. I believe that the colours were similar for 1958. I also understand that the export models had Silver, Metallic Red and Metallic Blue as options but these colours were given alternative fancy names.

In those years, the factory offered the option of any colour that a customer requested but at significant extra cost. My first Slimline 99 was painted, from new, in Canary Yellow and Black. This was recorded as such in the logbook.

Attachments
model-88-99-rh-page-jpg

Seeing the picture of the blue Dommie recalls fond memories of my first Norton. Excactly the same colour as it had. Though mine was a -60 slimline 99. Bought it secondhand in mid sixties. Absolutely shure it was the original paint. Living in Sweden we usually got export models with more flamboyant colours than the domestic models. But on rare occations export models was sold in the UK.

Mike

P.S. A bit surpriced myself that I remember the colour so well 50 years later. Probably because it was very special to me.

Previously mike_haworth wrote:

Please can anyone tell me whether or not the colour of the 1958 Norton Dominator 99 is a standard colour ? It is described by the seller as "Polychromatic blue". This may just be his interpretation. I'm interested in buying this bike but would be concerned if it was a non standard colour.

hello

this colour is Metal sencent blue an export colour for 1958 and 1959 nearess paint match will be rolls royce le-mans blue met, in cellulose, nice looking and rare Norton just ride it and find out, it will be a real head turner good luck yours Anna J

Previously mike_haworth wrote:

Previously anna jeannette Dixon wrote:

Previously mike_haworth wrote:

Please can anyone tell me whether or not the colour of the 1958 Norton Dominator 99 is a standard colour ? It is described by the seller as "Polychromatic blue". This may just be his interpretation. I'm interested in buying this bike but would be concerned if it was a non standard colour.

hello

this colour is Metal sencent blue an export colour for 1958 and 1959 nearess paint match will be rolls royce le-mans blue met, in cellulose, nice looking and rare Norton just ride it and find out, it will be a real head turner good luck yours Anna J

Thank you for your input. I'm going to look at the bike on 3rd August - if the rest of the bike lives up to the colour I'll buy it !

Mike

hello you be having a nice motorcycle to ride then by now happy riding

yours anna j

My name is Coen and I live in Holland. Last year I bought a 1960 Dominator 88 (equiped with a 99 engine (with the same enginenumber and shopnumber as the original 88 engine..)) in what seems to be an original paintjob. Everything is Blue, including the inside of the headlampcowl. Is this Norton Blue as advertised in the 1960 brochures? 
The tank was in such a bad state that the seller gave me a policetank with an other colour but in the meanwhile I bought a later Atlas tank which should be painted somewhere in the future.

The problem with most of the original Norton colours is that they change a little with ageing.  A bit like all of us. If your bike was painted with a pre-1960 Polychromatic Blue it would probably now be a lighter shade and have a Greenish tinge (hue) to the colour.
To illustrate this see the picture below. Note the slight green tint where the spokes join the hub.
Finally in 1960 and 1961, the Slimline range of Norton 88 & 99 bikes only used Blue as part of a two-tone finish on the De Luxe models. The 650 Manxman was all Blue to begin with but not the same colour as the 88 & 99 range.

Hi everyone, here's a picture of my 1957 (model year 58) Metalescent blue 99 Dommie. built in November 57 hence 58 model year. Les Emery informed me that Norton's only specified it for two years (57& 58) and did it because the marketing deptartment noticed they were losing sales to Triumph who were punting out their "misty blue" Speed Twins in a very similar shade. This particular shade is as close as I could get it to original based on photographs of the era and is,as Anna has so rightly stated a Rolls Royce colour.  I also believe that Norton's did a very similar metallic shade but in pale green, called metalescent Green. I have only ever seen one Dommie in this green colour belonging to Terry Ansell who used to be a Bracebridge street test rider. The bike in question was featured in one of our big A3 calendars a few years ago. Interesting point was that Terry managed to fall off this bike when he was testing it and smashed himself up pretty badly. The bike was taken back to Bracebridge Street and repaired and then sold (You gotta love the sales team at Norton in the 50s). Years later Terry's two sons found the bike for sale and had it restored to as new condition for Terry. Terry rode it to the Norton Day that was held at Chasewater Park near Cannock in Staffordshire and he won the "Best Bike " on the day. 

Poly Blue, Solid Red, Black or Silver painted tanks were options well into 1959. Norton Blue or Norton Red then became options on the two-tone tanks fitted to some 99 De luxe models.  Forest Green or Norton Red plus Dove Grey were options on the 88 Deluxe models for the 1960 range.
These were the brochure options but the reality is that the Factory would paint the bike any colour you asked them to.........at extra cost of course.  Other variations of specification included Chrome or painted mudguards and primary cases.
There are even examples, in the records, of bikes sold with all Chrome tanks.
My own 1960 Slimline 99 was delivered with a Canary Yellow tank, mudguards, oil tank and battery box. It was noted in the Logbook as just Yellow..

According to the factory records it was grey, but there is not a single grey spot on the bike.

I can not imagine that a sixties painter would disassemble a complete bike and give even the inside of the headlamp and the rear part of the primary case a paint job. But labour was cheap in those days so who knows. 

This does not mean that I will not have to find a painter who can analyze the color and spray the tank in a color that comes somewhat close to the rest of the bike.

Philip. If it is not too much trouble, and still available, is it possible to re-post the copy of that page of the sales brochure, which you attached in 2018, please? The old attachments are not opening for me anymore? 

I have fairly recently become the custodian of a late 1957/1958 model 99 which is all silver. I can't find any record of that colour being an option, yet I am sure I have seen one or two in the past. In fact, when I went to buy a nice new s/s rear rack for it, the photo in the rack manufacturer's website shows one in what appears to be the same colour.

https://www.classicbikeracks.co.uk/product/norton-wideline/

However, if, as you said, it may have been an export option, it may not be listed on your brochure.

Many thanks

Ian C.