1988 Jaguar Touch Up Paint (20 OEM Colors)

The 1988 Jaguar Vibe

Welcome to 1988, the year Jaguar decided to show the world that "British Elegance" didn't just mean wood trim and leather you could fall asleep in-it meant a color palette as deep as a London fog. Whether you were piloting a sleek XJS V12 down the coast or showing off the high-tech (for the time) XJ6 "XJ40" at the country club, you were spoiled for choice. We're talking about a 20-color buffet that defined the era. From the regal Westminster Blue and the iconic Jaguar Racing Green to the sophisticated flash of Talisman Silver Metallic and Bordeaux Red Metallic, Jaguar wasn't just painting cars; they were tailoring suits for the road. It was the height of the metallic boom, and if your Jag wasn't shimmering under a streetlamp, you were doing it wrong.

Paint Health Check

The 1988 models sit right in the heart of what I call The Peeling Era. Back then, the industry was perfecting the basecoat/clearcoat system-giving you that deep, "wet" look-but the clear coat tech hadn't quite figured out how to handle twenty years of UV rays without a fight. If your Jag has been sitting out, you've likely seen the "Snake Skin" effect. This is delamination, where the protective clear layer decides it's tired of holding onto the color coat and starts lifting in brittle, translucent sheets. Once that clear coat fails on the "boot" or the roof, the underlying metallic pigments like Arctic Blue or Tungsten Metallic start to oxidize almost instantly, turning your prize cat into a patchy mess.

Restoration Tip

The golden rule for 1988 Jaguar paint? Seal chips immediately before the clear lifts. In this era, a rock chip isn't just a cosmetic blemish; it's an entry point for moisture and air to get under the clear coat and start the peeling process. If you see a nick in that Signal Red or Silver Birch, don't wait. Clean it, dab it with a precision color match, and most importantly, seal it with a fresh dab of clear. By sealing the edges of the chip, you prevent the clear coat from losing its "grip" on the basecoat. Catch it early, and you keep the rest of the panel from becoming a total respray job.