1990 Ferrari Touch Up Paint (23 OEM Colors)

The 1990 Ferrari Vibe

1990 was a hell of a year for the Prancing Horse. The F40 was still the king of the poster wall, and the 348 was just starting to bring that baby-Testarossa energy to the streets. While everyone else was obsessing over the "mandatory" red, we've focused our attention on the sophisticated survivors-the ones who knew that Argento Metallic and White were the real ways to show off those side strakes without looking like you were trying too hard. In 1990, Ferrari was moving away from the thick, hand-rubbed lacquers of the past and leaning into the high-tech (for the time) world of high-solids finishes. It looked like glass on the showroom floor, but as any painter with a few grey hairs will tell you, it didn't always stay that way.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the "Peeling Era." By 1990, Ferrari had fully embraced the basecoat-clearcoat system, especially for those sleek metallics like Argento. The problem? Early clear coats and factory application methods weren't exactly "forever" products. If your 1990 beauty has spent any time baking in the sun or facing down a high-pressure wash, you're likely staring at delamination. That's the fancy term for when the clear coat decides it's had enough and starts lifting off the base color like a bad sunburn. You might also notice a bit of "orange peel"-that wavy, dimpled texture that Maranello was notorious for back then. It's a classic sign of the era: fast production, early clear tech, and a lot of Italian "character."

Restoration Tip

The golden rule for 1990 paint: Seal your stone chips the second you see them. Because these clear coats were applied in thick, brittle layers, a single chip creates an "edge" where moisture and air can get underneath. Once that happens, the clear coat starts to lift, and once it starts peeling, there is no "buffing it back." Use a precision touch-up to seal the wound immediately. If you catch it early, you keep the clear anchored to the car; if you wait, you're looking at a full respray. Don't let a tiny pebble turn your hood into a flaking mess.