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Having seen a thread about Mantas, I decided to have a shooftie on Ebay. Saw this lovely example of a Manta with 'black bonnet' listed as a mod.

I dont really understand this. Why (not necessarily this car) do people fit black bonnets? is this some fashion statement that totally passed me by? Is it just the cheapskate way to get the 'carbon bonnet look when I pass you going really fast' ?

Answers on a postcard to Confused of Cambridge..

I expect its cos its the cheapest replacement bonnet after the engine brewed

Carbon Fiber bonnets are a trick and common mod. Cost a few hundred tho. Now matt black paint not only costs less it weighs less too.
Result !:smt003

http://www.garaget.org/?car=4048&image=499012

Proper Manta...Had two of these, a 1600 and a 1900SR

Great cars

Nods in agreement,

Better looking motor by far, tried to fit a 2.3 magnum engine in one, but couldn't get it to fit, great pity.

When I was in the rally scene many years ago (matt) black bonnets were a common mod - the explanation was that it prevented the driver being dazzled by reflections.

Meself I think they had a lot in common with go-faster stripes (we had them as well!)

I have a vague recollection that one of the Japanese manufacturers used to supply their hotter cars in white with a black bonnet. Before all the red R or GTi badge stuff?? Didn't Ford do some cars with a red oval grill badge?

OK, I realise my knowledge of cars is awful

Fausto wrote: Didn't Ford do some cars with a red oval grill badge?

No. Owners rubbed the backing off the badge and resprayed it to suit. The Ford Oval has always been Blue. It's a Reg'd Trademark

Yeah but it looked better, admit it...

Kwackerz wrote: Yeah but it looked better, admit it...

Blue or red the cars looked like sheds

BikerGran wrote:When I was in the rally scene many years ago (matt) black bonnets were a common mod - the explanation was that it prevented the driver being dazzled by reflections.
Meself I think they had a lot in common with go-faster stripes (we had them as well!)

Sorry to be an old fart again, but you got it spot on BG, it started with most of the "works" rally cars and got copied by other rally competitors. Then afterwards it was also used as a sales gimmick on the "sporting" cars in the range, best example was the Ford Capri GT, if you paid for the extra "XLR" package the black bonnet came free. Below is my old Capri 3000GT XLR Road rally car, getting a bit tatty by this stage and had been resprayed getting rid of the black bonnet with a dark blue and silver two tone paint scheme.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r164 ... n10013.jpg
Another non example of a black bonnet is my old Mk 1 Twin Cam Escort, most people sprayed their bonnets black but I liked to be different so kept it all red! This car was the real love of my life in those days, I even gave up bikes for a while to run this, (but kept the helmets to use in the rally car).
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r164 ... n10012.jpg
Me and the missus out on an the old Gamston airfield in Notts..
Those were the days, 115 down the gravel track through the centre of the airfield, then chuck it sideways both ways to slow it down before hitting the tarmac on a bend, (Oh yeh and don't get it wrong or you roll it when it starts to grip, bit like a highside I suppose).
Oh yeah, and most of the works Twin Cams were in white with black bonnets.
Also had two Mantas, loved them as well.
Fausto, you were also right Ford did use red backed badges on some of their "high performance cars" even some of the XR2s and XR3s

See you had the same trouble as everyone else Howard, couldn't see at night without proper light fittings

Hmm.. Dunno about the badges.. Possibly Cosworth used it, but not Ford.. I stand to be corrected tho' as I try to distance myself from Ford ownership nowadays..

Gio wrote:See you had the same trouble as everyone else Howard, couldn't see at night without proper light fittings

Possible, but really just showin off the new Super Oscar Rally lights, as they were a bit new and a bit bright at that time, (not long since introduced halogen bulbs and had just uprated the Oscars to 100W bulbs), "Night" rallies were never quite as dark again after these!
You try blatting down a single track Derbyshire "white" road at 80 plus on standard headlights, with the co-driver trying to "read the road" straight off an OS map. Sometimes the driver needed a little help.