Black Kidney Grilles

[BIGJO]

BLACK BLACK BLACK!

[suchy]

Not necessarily- I agree it does indeed look very black with a couple of highlights but it is possible to use black reflectors to create black 'highlights'. I've used black reflectors and black backdrops for product shots to create a similar look on stuff definately not black!!

[dobbie82]

It's black, black, Black! Black! You lock me in the cellar and feed me pins!

[Gibson]

Im voting for a combination of bad lighting, and dodgy 80s printing on a CHROME grill!

[march109]

Black

[dobbie82]

lol i think its chrome too, its just i fancied getting that fast show quote in

chrome has a mirror finish so it will be reflecting the black that is around it?

[Gibson]

lol i think its chrome too, its just i fancied getting that fast show quote in

chrome has a mirror finish so it will be reflecting the black that is around it?

Bingo.... i reckon thats it....

[suchy]

Im voting for a combination of bad lighting, and dodgy 80s printing on a CHROME grill!

I don't think it's dodgy lighting or printing. If it is a chrome grill then you have to know what you're doing lighting wise to reflect black into it. It takes me quite a long time to light stuff properly but to shoot the front of a car in what would be a large space would indeed be a skill. Anyway it could still be some European option that was offered to have a black grill

[Rosc0PColtrane]

I don't think it's a photo. Looks like a graphic up close.

[suchy]

I think it might be from a shoot, but looking at it again I'm gonna go with GLOSS black kidneys shot with one main directional light source (which would be pretty large judging from the size of highlight on the gloss finish kidneys) the grill looks normal but I'd have to go with gloss black on the kidneys as the front lip of the bonnet has a highlight running right across it which would reflect on a chrome kidney. One main directional light source from the large highlight on the gloss kidneys and the shadow thrown by the roundel on the rear of it's recess..... that geeky enough for you?

[oakey]

Get a chrome grill place a black sheet of paper in front of it and see what colour it appears to be. The light reflecting of that grill is not the type of shine you would get from a painted grill unless it had been flatted back immaculately.

[suchy]

Get a chrome grill place a black sheet of paper in front of it and see what colour it appears to be. The light reflecting of that grill is not the type of shine you would get from a painted grill unless it had been flatted back immaculately.

yeah i know that, that's why i originally went with chrome grill lit with indirectional light source and black reflectors, but the roundel throws a shadow which indicates direct light source and the lip of the bonnet has a highlight running right across it meaning direct light source. If it's a direct light source, the red bonnet would reflect in the top of a chrome kidney way more than on a gloss back kidney......

[Demlotcrew]

I have the same book here and its not Black!

A

[suchy]

I have the same book here and its not Black!

maybe they changed it especially for your copy then?

[Gibson]

But arent we all in agreement that there was never a black kidney grille offered on any production E30? so it cant be! its just a printing or lighting trick!

[Rosc0PColtrane]

I think it might be from a shoot, but looking at it again I'm gonna go with GLOSS black kidneys shot with one main directional light source (which would be pretty large judging from the size of highlight on the gloss finish kidneys) the grill looks normal but I'd have to go with gloss black on the kidneys as the front lip of the bonnet has a highlight running right across it which would reflect on a chrome kidney. One main directional light source from the large highlight on the gloss kidneys and the shadow thrown by the roundel on the rear of it's recess..... that geeky enough for you?

The reflection from the roundel, gloss black again, is a good measure point. Seeing how the light is reflecting from the black there is enough to indicate the kidney is a gloss black.

Cheers for the geeky insight!

Any geeks have any idea what inspired the decision to have a black grille in print?

[projectmick]

Defo one directional light source - possibly 45 degree(ish) angled down at the car - which is lighting the top lip of the bonnet, which does reflect to the rear of the top part of the grill.

If you look lower down the kidney grill where there is a fallout of light, you see it matches the rest of the front grill in colour. Don't look where the light hits the grill, compare where it DOESN'T. A bright enough light hitting a black surface can reflect back, giving a chrome appearance.

So in short BLACK - but don't ask me why!

[Chris]

The grill on that handbook cover is CHROME, all E30's from the factory had CHROME grills. Black wasn't an option.

The reason it looks ( if you turn your head and squint a bit) black is due, amongst other things, to the low resolution printing technique used.

it's Chrome relax, buy a tin of halfords satin black and be done with it.

Chris

[march109]

Its black, if you spin in a cricle and lick your lips before looking at it through a milk bottle its clearly black.

[beemerbird]

..... no it's not - it's chrome.....

[big_jof]

Hammerite all the way! whoo hoo!

[Rosc0PColtrane]

I didn't start this thread to speculate from armchairs about the possible colour of the grille. It is black, infact gloss black. End of. Period. FACTOID.

Nothing to do with lighting, nothing to do with resolution. It's black. Any one who states otherwise, is clearly over familiar with the introduction of gangrenous phallus to their rectal sphincter.

The reason for the thread was more a curiosity, a certain level of irony as many zoners blacken their grilles. The curiosity being that the cars contemporary to the image would have had chrome grilles. Was artistic licence employed? Was it a nod to the owner of a specific red e30, who painted it black? Was it a European option?

[nickstoner]

looks black too me lol

[tailoutcharlie]

I still say its chrome

[march109]

Its black, ffs get over it.

[Alyman]

I reckon it's chrome, but had all the reflections except for the white highlights on it airbrushed out to make the design look clean enough to be the front cover of the manual.

[Rosc0PColtrane]

It's off the 80's. They didn't have airbrush. They had felt tips.

[Chris]

I didn't start this thread to speculate from armchairs about the possible colour of the grille.

Of course they had 'airbrush', basic forms of computer aided graphical manipulation.



Its Chrome

[stonesie]

Its chrome, it has this strange and mystical property of reflecting things.... Including shadow's

[nickstoner]

ive looked at this loads now its deffo black !!!!

[stonesie]

Got the same handbook with mine and it looks too silvery to be black where its lit up, don't forget that out of everyone in this topic i doubt any 2 monitors are set the same for colour, contrast ect.

[march109]

noir!

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Got the same handbook with mine and it looks too silvery to be black where its lit up, don't forget that out of everyone in this topic i doubt any 2 monitors are set the same for colour, contrast ect.

So the black part of the roundell is actually chrome too? It's reflecting the light in exactly the same manner. The grille is too black to be chrome.

Having two handbooks in my hand, they are black. No monitor calibraiton excuses.

It's gloss black, you know, as in shiney. We're used to seeing them sprayed satin black, to match the grille. We just haven't explored gloss black.

I think I'll spray mine gloss, then laquer it to protect it better from chips. It'll give a shine like that no problem. With a decent light source and a slight over exposure, that shine should be straight forward to achieve.

[Gibson]

Its quite obviously chrome....

[mr_dink]

It's Alpina Blue!!!

Sorry a bit of deja vu there......