The lacquer explains a lot, terminology is the problem here. Base coat & clear coat type paint jobs are different then a base color & another color on top of it. The lacquer is why you can buff the "base", if it was an acrylic base that wasn't cleared buffing it wouldn't work to shine it up, you'd probably rub thru it instead.
look forward to the pic's of your car. See the link for an example of cut & buff of a hood I did - base & clear....
http://www.spiuserforum.com/showthread.php?161-Sanded-amp-buffed