My 1960 Puch Bergmeister was finished with red tinted clear coat over copper plating and it was beautiful. It was an extra cost option. It was pretty fragile, though. They didn't have the tough urethane clear coats that they have now. A gold or copper base coat yields a deeper, richer candy apple red than silver. Built a lot of model cars when I was a kid, so I have some experience with candy (or Kandy) colors.