1988 Ferrari Touch Up Paint (23 OEM Colors)

The 1988 Ferrari Vibe

It's 1988. Phil Collins is on the radio, the Testarossa is the undisputed king of the bedroom poster, and Maranello is pumping out 328s like they're going out of style. Everyone remembers the red ones, but the real movers were looking for that high-society "Miami" look. We've focused our database on the true survivors of the era: Argento Metallic and White. These were the colors of choice for the guys who wanted to look like they owned the bank, not just the car. Back then, Ferrari's paint shop was a place of high drama and low consistency-you were just as likely to get a masterpiece as you were a finish that looked like it was applied with a mop in a windstorm.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to The Peeling Era. By '88, Ferrari was leaning hard into early clear coat systems, especially for those sophisticated metallics like Argento. These early clears were about as stable as a three-wheeled chair; they looked deep and glossy on the showroom floor, but they hadn't quite figured out how to stay stuck to the base color for the long haul. If your '88 has spent any time in the sun, you're looking at the high risk of "Delamination." That's a fancy word for your clear coat deciding to jump ship. It starts as a tiny white bubble or a chip, and before you know it, the clear is flaking off in sheets like a bad sunburn, leaving the pigment underneath totally unprotected and ready to fade into a chalky mess.

Restoration Tip

If you see a stone chip on an '88, you need to move faster than an F40 on a straightaway. Seal those chips immediately. In this era, the bond between the color and the clear is the weak point. If moisture or air gets under the edge of a chip, it'll start lifting the clear coat from the inside out. Don't just dab some paint on and walk away-clean the area, fill the void, and make sure that edge is sealed tight before the delamination starts to travel. Once the clear lifts more than a few millimeters, you aren't looking at a touch-up anymore; you're looking at a full respray.