- BMC engines were green until 1970 and black after. MG's B-series was maroon until 1971 and black after. The reference records it by engine and year.
- Every green and maroon record is disputed, because the suppliers' tins do not agree. The article names the evidence each pick rests on.
- Frost's tins carry RAL numbers. That does not make them the factory colour, but it makes them a defined one you can compare an original against.
- Look under a bracket on your own block before you strip it. An original patch beats every record here.
- Price per 100 ml is shown on the day from Amazon's figure.
Which engine, which colour
The OEM colour reference covers the A-series of the Minis, Minors and small Austins, the B-series of the MGA, MGB and Farina saloons, and the C-series of the big Healeys and the MGC. Each record names the colour and finish, how sure we are, and the modern cans sold as matches.
Read your engine's record first. The picks here are the cans those records name, ranked by how well the evidence supports them and by the makers' figures. None of the BMC records is measured yet, and most are marked disputed, which means the sources disagree about the shade rather than that the colour is unknown.
Green until 1970, black after
The A-series block was BMC engine green from 1951 until 1970 and black from then until the end. Two cans are listed for the green on the reference: Frost's BMC Green tin, with RAL 6003 on the label, and Fascinating Finishes' BMC and MOWOG green, in an aerosol and in tins. The Farina B-series record lists the same two.
The record is disputed because the greens in the suppliers' tins differ from each other, and because no one has yet put a spectrophotometer on an unfaded original. That is what the reference exists to do, and the preparation guide explains how to find and photograph an original patch before a block is stripped, and where to send the picture.
For the black of the seventies, the reference lists VHT's gloss black, which is also the can with the most heat margin here: 288°C intermittent against 170°C for Frost's tins. The engine enamel page explains what those figures mean.
Maroon until 1971
The MGA and the MGB to 1971 had a dark red block. The reference lists Frost's MG Maroon, RAL 3004, and POR-15's MG Maroon on both records, and Fascinating Finishes' maroon tin on the MGB. From 1971 the MGB went black, with the same VHT gloss black as the Mini.
Frost's and POR-15's maroons are not the same paint. Frost's is a 170°C brushing enamel with a RAL number. POR-15's is a self-levelling enamel at about 80% solids, rated to 300°F, which is about 150°C, that wants four to six days before the engine runs and its own prime coat on bare metal. The finish favours POR-15; the heat margin and the defined colour favour Frost. Both records are disputed, so an original patch under a bracket settles more than either tin.
The Healeys
The C-series in the Austin-Healey 100-6 and 3000 was a grey-green that the record names two ways, Healey engine green and steel dust grey, and the record is disputed between them. POR-15's Austin Healey Green is the one can for it on Amazon UK; the club suppliers sell their own, which the record also lists. The MGC's green is on a separate record with a club supplier's tin and no Amazon listing yet.
What to check before you buy
Your engine's record, and its years. A 1968 Mini is green; a 1972 Mini is black. An MGB of 1970 is maroon; one of 1972 is black.
The part. A block or a rocker cover takes any of these. Nothing here is for a manifold; those take a very high temperature coating.
Brush or aerosol. Frost and POR-15 are tins, Fascinating Finishes and VHT are aerosols, and applying engine enamel has each maker's figures.
Then the price per 100 ml, shown on the day from Amazon's figure.