# Why don't cars come in two-tone any more? SUV's do. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 18, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-tone-any-more-suvs-do/33641 "2000-09-18T19:14:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![saam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@saam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saam)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-tone-any-more-suvs-do/33641/1 "2000-09-18T19:14:04Z")
I realize that fashions go back and forth, but there should be someone out there who would say that if SUV’s can come in elaborate two-tones (e.g., KIA) that there would be a market for two-tone cars. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2000, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-tone-any-more-suvs-do/33641/2 "2000-09-18T20:28:20Z")
I think you answered your own question. Two tone paint on a car might see as anachronistic on modern designs. Most trucks and SUVs are still rather boxy and can look awfully plain with a single color. Fashions change and we may again find two-tone passenger cars as popoular as two-tone shoes once were. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2000, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-tone-any-more-suvs-do/33641/3 "2000-09-18T20:31:34Z")
The new Volvo V70 Cross Country comes in two tones - but that’s almost an SUV. The Lexus ES300 comes in two tones. ---
**Author:** ![saam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@saam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saam)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2000, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-tone-any-more-suvs-do/33641/4 "2000-09-19T00:08:54Z")
Well, that’s a couple, at least. Volvo has never been much of a trend setter, but a lot of cars compare themselves to the Lexus. I guess the original concept was to make a regular car look like a converatble. Maybe the next twotone will be to make a regular car look like an SUV. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2000, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-tone-any-more-suvs-do/33641/5 "2000-09-19T01:28:54Z")
I’d add that today’s cars look very different from the two-tone cars of the past. Back then, most cars had a wedge or box shaped body with the ‘greenhouse’ (is that the proper term? The windows, pillars and roof part) stuck on top. If you wanted to paint it two-tone, it was obvious where the dividing line would be. Today a car is a single aerodynamic (well, pseudo-aerodynamic) shape. There is no natural dividing line between two colors. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2000, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-tone-any-more-suvs-do/33641/6 "2000-09-19T02:25:32Z")
Check out the pre 98 Camaros. Some of the red ones had red body / black pillars and roof. Mostly T top ones. Some Eagle Talons were blue / black or red / black. They still make two tones. Just not as much. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![tshirts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tshirts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tshirts)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2000, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-tone-any-more-suvs-do/33641/7 "2000-09-19T18:29:44Z")
Actually, two-tones preceded the sedan. In the Behring Auto Museum in Blackhawk CA there are old horse-less carriages with different colored fenders and running boards. One old car there had 4-tones, all shades of blue, but it was a novelty demo car for the dealers’ showrooms. In the 50’s (56?) Packard came out with 3-tones. The third color was on a side stripe between rows of chrome. They could only find a few good sets of three colors though. I saw red(top)-white-black, white-pink-red, and an awful white-yellow-green.