This material borrowed from Marcel Chichak; see more at http://www.starchak.ca/

In the United Kingdom, the British Standard BS-AU7 determines colour coding of automobile wiring.

Lucas uses a 7-colour set in which plain colours - purple, green, blue, red, white, brown and green are
supplemented by a further group using a base colour with a thin line trace of a different colour, thus:
 
Black earth (ground) connections
Green feeds to auxiliary devices controlled by the ignition switch, e.g. wipers, flashers, etc.
White base colour for ignition circuits
Red sidelights (parking lights) and rear lights
Blue with white trace main beam headlamp; with red trace - dip (meeting) beam headlamp
Purple auxiliary devices not fed via the ignition switch, e.g. horn, interior light
Brown main battery feed

Other colours are used, according to equipment specifications, e.g. light green, pink, slate. Handbooks
are usually printed in black and white only, so the cable colours are identified by a lettering code:
 
B Black P Purple
U Blue G Green
N Brown S Slate
R Red W White

When a cable has a base colour and a second colour trace the code is shown as two letters; for example:
WG = White with green trace
 
Main Tracer Destination
Black   All earth connections
Black Blue Tachometer generator to tachometer
Black Brown Tachometer generator to tachometer
Black Green Screenwiper switch to screenwiper (single speed) relay to radiator fan motor
Black L. Green Vacuum brake switch to warning light and/or buzzer
Black Orange Radiator fan motor to thermal switch
Black Pink  
Black Purple  
Black Red Electric speedometer
Black Slate  
Black White Brake fluid level warning light to switch and handbrake switch
Black Yellow Electric speedometer
Blue   Lighting switch (head) to dipper switch
Blue Black  
Blue Brown  
Blue Green  
Blue L. Green Screenwiper motor to switch
Blue Orange  
Blue Pink Headlamp dip beam fuse to left hand headlamp (when independently fused)
Blue Purple  
Blue Red Dipper switch to headlamp dip beam. Headlamp dip beam fuse to right-hand headlamp (when independently fused)
Blue Slate Headlamp main beam fuse to left hand headlamp or inboard headlamps (when independently fused)
Blue White Dipper switch to main beam (subsidiary circuit – headlamp flasher relay to headlamp). Headlamp main beam fuse to right-hand headlamp (when independently fused). Headlamp main beam fuse to outboard headlamps (when outboard headlamps independently fused). Dipper switch to main beam warning light
Blue Yellow Long range driving switch to lamp.
Brown   Main battery feed
Brown Black Alternator warning light, negative side
Brown Blue Control box (compensated voltage control only) to ignition and ignition switch, e.g. wipers, flashers, etc lighting switch (feed)
Brown Green Dynamo ‘F’ to control box ‘F’ Alternator field ‘F’ to control box ‘F’
Brown L. Green Screenwiper motor to switch
Brown Orange  
Brown Pink  
Brown Purple Alternator regulator feed
Brown Red Compression ignition starting aid to switch. Main battery feed to double-pole ignition switch (a.c. alt. system)
Brown Slate  
Brown White Ammeter to control box. Ammeter to main alternator terminal
Brown Yellow Dynamo ‘D’ to control box ‘D’and ignition warning light. Alternator neutral point
Green   Accessories fused via ignition switch (subsidiary circuit fuse A4 to hazard switch (terminal 6)) 
Green Black Fuel gauge to fuel tank unit or changeover switch
Green Blue Water temperature gauge to temperature unit
Green Brown Reverse lamp to switch
Green L. green Hazard flasher unit to hazard pilot lamp
Green Orange Low fuel level warning light
Green Pink Choke solenoid to choke switch (when fused)
Green Purple Stop lamps to stop lamp switch
Green Red Left-hand flasher lamps
Green Slate Heater motor to switch (or to fast)(on 2-speed motor)
Green White Right-hand flasher lamps
Green Yellow Heater motor to switch, single speed (or to ‘slow’ on two-speed motor)
L. Green   Instrument voltage stabilizer to instruments
L. Green Black Screen jet switch to screen jet motor
L. Green Blue Flasher switch to left-hand flasher warning light
L. Green Brown Flasher switch to flasher unit ‘L’
L. Green Green  
L. Green Orange  
L. Green Pink Flasher unit ‘L’ to emergency switch (simultaneous flashing)
L. Green Purple Flasher unit ‘F’ to flasher warning light
L. Green Red Fuel tank changeover switch to right-hand tank unit
L. Green Slate Fuel tank changeover switch to left-hand tank unit
L. Green White  
L. Green Yellow Flasher switch to right-hand flasher warning light
Purple   Accessories fused direct from battery
Purple Black Horn or horn relay to horn push
Purple Blue  
Purple Brown Horn fuse to horn relay (when horn is fused separately)
Purple Green  
Purple L. Green  
Purple Orange Aerial lift motor switch DOWN
Purple Pink  
Purple Red Boot light switch to boot light
Purple Slate Aerial lift motor to switch UP
Purple White Interior light to switch (subsidiary circuit—door safety lights to switch )
Purple Yellow Horn to horn relay
Red   Side and tail lamp feed
Red Black Parking switch to left-hand side lamp
Red Blue  
Red Brown Variable intensity panel lights (when used in addition to normal panel lights)
Red Green Lighting switch to side and tail lamp fuse (when fused)
Red L. Green Screenwiper motor to switch
Red Orange Parking light switch to right-hand sidelamp
Red Pink  
Red Purple Map light switch to map light
Red Slate  
Red White Panel light switch to panel lights
Red Yellow Fog lamp switch to fog lamp
Slate   Window lift
Slate Black Window lift
Slate Blue Window lift
Slate Brown Window lift
Slate Green Window lift
Slate L. Green Window lift
Slate Orange Window lift
Slate Pink Window lift
Slate Purple Window lift
Slate Red Window lift
Slate White Window lift
Slate Yellow Window lift
White   Ignition control circuit (unfused) (ignition switch to ballast resistor)
White Black Ignition coil CB to distributor contact breaker. Rear heated window to switch or fuse TAC ignition
White Blue Choke switch to choke solenoid (unfused). Rear heater fuse unit to switch. Electronic ignition TAC ignition unit to resistance.
White Brown Oil pressure switch to warning light or gauge
White Green Fuel pump No. 2 or left-hand to change-over switch
White L. Green Screenwiper motor to switch
White Orange Hazard warning feed (to switch)
White Pink Radio from ignition switch
White Purple Fuel pump No. 1 or right-hand to change-over switch
White Red Solenoid starter switch to starter push or inhibitor switch
White Slate Tachometer to ignition coil
White Yellow Starter inhibitor switch to starter push. Ballast resislor to coil. Starter solenoid to coil
Yellow   Overdrive
Yellow Black  
Yellow Blue Overdrive
Yellow Brown Overdrive
Yellow Green Overdrive
Yellow L. Green Screenwiper motor to switch
Yellow Orange  
Yellow Pink  
Yellow Purple Overdrive
Yellow Red Overdrive
Yellow Slate  
Yellow White