Who knows the story behind the bright green Vette color in '75? It only lasted a year, possibly because so few were ordered, but it seems like enough of a deviation to the usual mid-70s pallet that I'm curious why it was added in the first place.

 

It was the least popular color in 75, which may have had something to do with it, but it was probably more than that.

Colors are added and dropped every year, some at the last minute. In 76, dark green was to be offered, but was dropped after one was built. The same thing happened in 77 with chartreuse, and in 81 with bright blue metallic. The chartreuse 77 was VIN number 00001 and was a pilot car kept by GM for testing. The same appears to be the case with the bright blue 81, and probably the dark green 76. Possibly someone at GM saw the color on the pilot car and didn't like it, so it was cancelled. Who knows.

Automakers do surveys, have discussion groups, and do lots of other research before chosing interior and exterior colors. If it's fashionable for clothing and homes, it often becomes fashionable for cars. Look at the colors that were offered in the late 60s to 1970, not just the Hugger Oranges and yellows that GM had, but the "psychedelic" purples and lime greens that Mopar and AMC offered. Just like the "Mod" clothing all of us were wearing then, our cars were wearing those colors too.

It's hard to imagine, but from 70-76, you couldn't buy a black Corvette, it wasn't offered. In the 80's, few, if any greens were available, not just on the Corvette, but on any car. I was a fleet manager for a company in the 80s and 90s. When the automakers first started offering greens again, the leasing company we were using, charged a premium for leased company cars painted green. They knew from past experience, that green cars were harder to resell.

Tastes change, and so does what's popular in colors.

 

I've been searching for a picture of the chartreuse car for years and still haven't found one.

Green has been the red headed step child colour for years although it was the number one colour choice in 67 and 68. Polo green had a good run in the C4 series (90-96).

The bright green from 75 is a nice colour especially on a convertible.

 

Dark Green was a regular 1976 optional color. My friend had an original 56K mi 1976 Dark Green 1976 L-82 M-21 car that was an original paint Bloomington Gold Survivor/NCRS Top Flight car.

...color was virtually identical, IMHO to 1973 Blue Green. Had a few shows with it next to a '73 Blue Green roadster and color was a perfect match.

 

Donnybrook Green for 1970 was the most popular color also.

 

Brands Hatch Green would be the exception. Brands Hatch is nice.

 

Well I think its a great color, but I might be a little biased... I think it just screams 70s!
Im pretty sure, ill check here in a minute, that bright blue metallic was the least popular color that year. But your right tastes do change. Anyone seen the bright green metallic camaro they have been putting out?

Here are some pics so that everyone knows the subject of the convo

 

There was an article in Vette Vues around 1977 or 78 about the chartreuse 77. The pictures were taken at the GM test track in Arizona, by a GM employee. There were 2 color pictures of the car on the cover of the issue. I'm travelling this week, but I'll be home tonight, I'll try to post a picture of the cover tomorrow.

I agree with you about the 75 green, I've always liked it too. I had 2 freinds that bought 75's new in that color. One of them repainted his a darker green within a year of buying it, he got tired of people laughing at it.

I actually think there were 2 dark greens in 76, the one that went into production and one with a different paint code that only one was built in. It appears that just before the start of production, a change was made to the green that GM planned to offer.

There was a similar situation in 81. The bright blue was announced as a regular color choice, but at the last minute, it was dropped. In 81 though, the blue wasn't replaced by another blue, but instead was replaced with mahagony.

 

...another "odd" '75 color that nobody mentioned was 1975 Steel Blue. Only a three/four month run of that color. Was similar to a Dark Blue Gray(Grey?)that was on Pontiacs in the late '80s/early '90s.

 

It took me a little longer to find the Vette Vues issue with the pics of the chartreuse 77, but here it is.

The pictures were published in the August 77 issue, and were taken by Scott Leon, a Chevrolet Engineering Technician at the GM Desert Proving Grounds in Mesa, AZ. He described the car as a hand built "component car", carring VIN number 1 and powered by an L-48/automatic. The car was a GM test vehicle, so I guess it never left the proving grounds alive.

The chartreuse looks more yellowish in this photo, but on the actual magazine cover, it is definately green.

 

gbvette62 - Thank you for posting this. Any idea if there's a way I can purchase a back issue of this issue?

 

You may want to contact the magazine direct and see if they still have copies, though it's doubtful after 33 years?

I'll look through my stack of back issues, as I may have a duplicate. For some reason I was recieving 2 copies every month, at one point. I also have many other duplicates from a friend who gave me all his old issues years ago. No promises, but I'll try to check in the next couple days. It's not supposed to get out of the 30's here for the next 4-5 days, and I store all this stuff on the second floor of an unheated building. I have to get myself in the right mood (a couple shots of Southern or Jack helps) to go looking around up there, at this time of year.

Check with the publisher, William Wolf at 386-775-2512 in Orange City, FL. Their website is www.vette-vues.com.

You may want to call Jim Clemens at 321-636-3372. I think Jim is from around Lakeland, FL. Jim deals in Corvette literature and other memorabilia, including old Corvette magazines, such as Vette Vues.

 

Thank you. I got into the Vette hobby back in 1985 after I bought my first (82 CE) and I read about the chartreuse 77 but never found any pics. If you find a duplicate copy I would be happy to buy it from you. I'll check the sources you posted as well.

 

 

this is my factory color Dark steel Blue.. i belive its a hard to find color..

 

...it is. It was only a three/four month color run for whatever reason.

 

Hello,

I am just new on this forum, and I apreciate the quality of the paint and the pictures. I have been for exemple impressed by this last few one:

bright green Vette color in '75
Dark steel Blue

I am in fact looking for a picture for my Chevy Van 89.

I guess your are the best people who could give me some cool advice about color choice...

Please, feel free to let me know.

F

 

That color looks very similar to 1970 Laguna grey ( which was a rare color, too).

Jim

 

Welcome to the forum. Just FYI, resurrecting old threads from 2010 isnt the best way to get advice on this issue:


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/foru...s-or-more.html


Start a new thread on your question and let everyone get in on it!