SOUTHFIELD, MI - BASF Coatings introduced the BASF Antique Color Chip CD-ROM, offering digital images of more than 5,700 color chips for American automobile models dated 1936 to 1972. Included are Chrysler, Ford and General Motors vehicles and cars made by several companies that departed from the U.S. auto scene years ago.

The CD-ROM "takes the guesswork and waste out of choosing and mixing" original colors used on antique cars, the company said.

"We know how important authenticity is when you're restoring or repairing a classic car," said Paul Marshall, Color Lab Technical manager, BASF Automotive Refinish, in Whitehouse, OH. "These cars are rare and often very valuable, and the owners are very particular about matching the original color-and matching it exactly. That was always a challenge, but this new CD enables a paint technician to determine the proper code quickly.

"When it comes to refinishing these beauties from long ago, this CD is like having a time machine in the paint shop," said Marshall, who led the team that developed the Color Chip CD.