1980 Bentley Touch Up Paint (1 OEM Colors)

The 1980 Bentley Vibe

Welcome to 1980, where the Mulsanne was the new heavy hitter on the block and the Corniche was still the king of the boulevard. This was a year of transition-the squared-off "modern" look was coming in, but the paint shop in Crewe was still doing things the old-fashioned way. Our database shows 1 survivor color for this year, and it's the only one that really matters: Racing Green. Back then, a Bentley wasn't just a car; it was twenty coats of hand-sprayed history. If you're looking at one of these today, you're looking at a masterpiece of deep, pigmented soul that makes modern "efficient" paint jobs look like a cheap wrap.

Paint Health Check

We are firmly in the Single Stage Era here. In 1980, Bentley was still using Thermo Plastic Acrylic (TPA) lacquer. There's no clear coat to peel off because the shine and the color are the same thing. The legend says these finishes were bulletproof, but the reality is they're prone to "oxidation"-that chalky, milky fade that happens when the sun eats the surface. You might also see "crazing," those tiny spider-web cracks in the deep layers where the thick lacquer has finally lost its flexibility after forty years. It's a thick finish, but it's a living one that hasn't stopped moving since it left the factory.

Restoration Tip

This paint needs wax or it dies. If your Racing Green is looking more like "Chalky Moss," you can usually buff it back to a mirror shine because there's so much "meat" on the panels. But listen to me: go slow. You're moving actual pigment when you polish a 1980 single-stage finish. Once you've leveled those scratches and brought back the depth, seal it immediately with a high-quality wax or sealant. Without that barrier, the oxygen will go right back to work on your fresh surface, and you'll be back to square one by next season.