Candy apple red is the name code used by manufacturing companies to define a shade of red similar to the red sugar coating on candied apples. The typical method for producing a candy apple finish is to apply a metallic base-coat, followed by a translucent color coat. A final clear coat adds additional gloss.
Variations
Candy pink
Displayed at right is the color candy pink. The color candy apple red is not mentioned in the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color by Maerz and Paul. However, a color called candy pink is mentioned, the first recorded use of which as a color name is recorded as being in 1926.
In culture
Airline colors
Virgin Atlantic began using candy apple red on the tails and engine nacelles of their fleet in July 2010.
Automobiles
A color named Candy Apple Red was first officially used on a production car by Ford in 1966, but it was a bright, non-metallic red. It was not until 1996 that Chrysler, and GM in 2001, had a similarly named production paint. An automotive paint search of "apple" shows that historically the name was associated with a green color going back to the early 1930s. Candy apple red is a popular color for car companies to manufacture automobiles in because "candy apple red" colored automobiles sell quickly. The "candy apple red" is not just the name of a color, it is also implies a specific paint process for cars and other objects: The phrase candy apple red, describes a very specific paint process first used on custom cars and hot rods sometime in the early 1950s with candy apple red finish. An early use of candy apple red by an automobile manufacturer was Ford's 1963 Thunderbird Italien concept car that appeared in North American auto shows in 1963 and in the New York Worlds Fair in 1964 in Ford's pavilion. But because of the complexity and time required to apply real candy apple red paint to a car, no production cars have been factory-painted with true candy apple red paint unless the car came from a smaller specialty manufacturer willing to customize paint to customer's request/sample. Candy apple red paint with silver metallic reflective undercoat looks quite different from candy apple red with gold metallic reflective undercoat. The gold gives the color a warmer look while the silver undercoat gives an intensely red appearance to the paint without the extra warmth of the gold. A more neutral/pure red is the result when silver reflective undercoat is used. Because light reflects in different directions from objects like cars, as you move around the vehicle and see direct and reflected light from different angles, the appearance of the candy apple red paint changes as the light getting to the car and reflecting off of the car changes. This gives real "candy apple red" paint more "life" than more conventional solid red or metallic red paints used on cars, trucks and other vehicles. The original candy apple red car paint had no metallic or pearl. When you viewed the original candy apple red paint, it was simply transparent red paint with no "add ins". More recently, painters have mixed-in metallic, pearl, or metal flake with candy apple red to produce different effects in the finished paint job. Candy apple red has expanded to a whole range of "candy" colors in every shade imaginable. All follow same process of superior body preparation, primer, multiple coats of highly reflective metallic undercoat, many coats of the candy color, and multiple coats of clear paint on top. There is a big difference between real candy apple red paint and some car or locomotive color that just happened to be named candy apple red without being real candy apple red paint. Mazda's current signature "Soul Red" and "Soul Red Crystal" are genuine examples, having a metallic silver basecoat, red transparent color coat and a top clearcoat for protection.
The song Candy Apple Red Impala was released on a 45 rpm record in 1962 by rock and roll musicians Little E and the Mello-Tone Three, although the bright red offered in 1962 on an Impala had a promotional name of Roman Red. Singer-songwriter R. Dean Taylor released a single titled "Candy Apple Red" in 1971. Minneapolis post punk trio Hüsker Dü entitled an album "Candy Apple Grey". Fender introduced Candy Apple Red as a custom color for their Stratocaster and Telecaster range of guitars in 1963. The color quickly became one of Fender's most popular colors after Sunburst and Black. Pink Floyd's David Gilmour's main instrument of choice from 1984 to 2005 was a 1983 Candy Apple Red Fender American Vintage 57 Stratocaster.
Railroad
Since the late 1990s, the color has been used by Canadian Pacific Railway as part of the company's name change from CP Rail to Canadian Pacific. The color is still being painted on the locomotive fleet, along with the 'block' style lettering, which was also introduced in the change. The CP Rail painted locomotives were in CP's 'Action Red' scheme.
