1979 Jaguar Touch Up Paint (21 OEM Colors)

The 1979 Jaguar Vibe

1979 was a transformative year for the Cat, marked by the arrival of the Series III XJ6 and the heavy-hitting V12 XJ-S. With 21 colors in our database, it's clear Jaguar wasn't shy about variety back then. This was the peak of the earthy, "British Leyland" aesthetic-where colors like Carriage Brown, Sable Brown, and Chestnut Brown Metallic reigned supreme. If you weren't feeling the browns, you were likely turning heads in Cotswold Yellow or the iconic British Racing Green. It was an era of thick, substantial finishes that gave these cars a regal, heavy-set presence on the road.

Paint Health Check

If you're staring at an original 1979 finish, you are dealing with the Single Stage Era. Back then, the color and the gloss were one and the same-there was no clear coat to act as a sacrificial lamb against the elements. The "Salty Painter" reality? These finishes are prone to Oxidation. Over the decades, the sun literally "cooks" the oils out of the paint, leaving behind a dull, chalky fade that makes your Signal Red look like a dusty pink eraser. The metal underneath might be legendary, but the surface is likely thirsty and tired.

Restoration Tip

The beauty of single-stage paint is that it's often "alive" under that chalky top layer. You can usually buff it back to a mirror shine, but you have to be disciplined. My old-school tip: It needs wax or it dies. Once you've polished away the oxidation to reveal that deep Regency Red or Jupiter Green, you must seal it immediately. Without a thick, frequent barrier of high-quality wax, the porous single-stage surface will start to oxidize again the moment it hits the air. Treat it like a vintage wooden yacht-if you don't keep the surface sealed, the environment will take it back.