CORVETTE COLORS
Dark Blue Corvette: Every Year, Code and How Many Were Built
Dark Blue Metallic on the Chevrolet Corvette, 1973, 1977–1982, 1988–1989: what the color is, the GM paint code in every year, how many were built and what share of the year that was, the interiors it came with, a picture gallery for each year, the chart of its run and the colors that came before and after it.
Quick Nav: The Story · By Generation · Chart · C3 · C4 · Related · Paint Codes · More Blue · Wallpapers · FAQs
The Basics
The Color: Dark navy, solid on the C3 and metallic from 1980
GM Codes: 927, 28, 83, 38, 26
Years Offered: 1973, 1977–1982, 1988–1989 (9 model years)
Generations: C3 (1968–82), C4 (1984–96)
Built: 23,140 with GM counts; no counts for 1973
Best Year: 1979, 5,670 cars (10.5% of the year)
Color Family: Blue (every blue Corvette color)
Also Called: Code 927 (1973), Corvette Dark Blue 28 / 83 (1977–79), Dark Blue Metallic 28 / 38 / 26 (1980–82, 1988–89)
Paint Codes: 1973: WA4282; 1977: WA4983; 1978–1981: WA8075; 1981: WA7496
Pictures: 7 picture posts on the site, one per model year
The Overview
Dark Blue Metallic was offered on the Corvette in 1973, 1977–1982, 1988–1989: 9 model years across the C3, C4 generations. GM’s color counts put 23,140 Dark Blue Corvettes on the road, 5,670 of them in 1979 alone; no per-color records survive for 1973.
Dark navy, solid on the C3 and metallic from 1980. Its share of a year’s production ran from 1 to 10 percent. It was a no-cost color. The interiors most often paired with it were Black, Camel, Dark Blue. The chart below shows the run year by year; the generation sections carry every year’s code, count, share, interiors and picture.
This page has every year Dark Blue was offered with its GM code, how many were built, its share of the year and the interiors it came with, the site’s picture gallery for each year, a chart of the run, the related colors, and the FAQs. It is one of 77 color pages on CorvSport; the Blue Corvettes page lists every blue the factory ever sprayed, and Corvette Colors by Year has the full chart for each model year.
The Story of Dark Blue
Dark Blue was on the chart in 1973 and then from 1977 to 1982 and 1988 to 1989, under five codes. The 1977–79 cars were sold as Corvette Dark Blue — 5,670 in 1979, the biggest year — and the metallic version of 1980–82 had a separate Bowling Green code in 1981. The late-C4 Dark Blue Metallic of 1988–89 ran about 1,700 to 1,900 cars a year.
It is the navy of the L82 era and the base of the 1981 Silver / Dark Blue and 1982 Silver Blue / Dark Blue two-tones. Admiral Blue and Navy Blue are its C4 and C5 successors.
The Dark Blue Cars to Know
1979 Corvette Dark Blue (5,670); 1981 Two-tone Silver / Dark Blue (D84); 1989 Dark Blue Metallic.
MORE: THE MOST POPULAR COLORS BY GENERATION / 70 YEARS OF LEAST & MOST POPULAR COLORS / ALL BLUE CORVETTES
Dark Blue by Generation
Dark Blue across the 2 generations it was offered on: the years, the GM paint code each generation used, how many were built with GM’s counts, the biggest year and the interiors most often paired with it. Each generation has its own section below with every year.
MORE: THE C3 HUB / THE C4 HUB
| GENERATION | YEARS | CODE(S) | BUILT | BEST YEAR | INTERIORS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C3 Corvette | 1973, 1977–1982 | 927, 28, 83, 38, 26 | 19,534 | 1979 (5,670) | Black, Camel, Dark Blue |
| C4 Corvette | 1988–1989 | 28 | 3,606 | 1989 (1,931) | Black |
Dark Blue by Year: How Many Were Built
GM’s production counts for Dark Blue in every year it was offered, with the years GM kept no color records marked n/a. The peak was 1979 at 5,670 cars; the full table for each year, with codes, shares and interiors, is in the generation sections below.
Dark Blue on the C3 Corvette (1968–82)
Dark Blue on the C3 (1968–82): offered 1973, 1977–1982 as code 927, 28, 83, 38, 26. 19,534 cars by GM’s count, the best year 1979 with 5,670. No per-color counts survive for 1973. Every year links to its research page (the full color chart, options and prices for that year) and to the site’s picture post for the color.
MORE: THE C3 HUB / THE 1979 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C3 COLOR POSTS / ALL C3 COLORS
| YEAR | CODE | BUILT | SHARE | INTERIORS | PICTURES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 927 | no record | — | Black, Midnight Blue, Medium Saddle, Dark Red | — | — |
| 1977 | 28 | 4,065 | 8.3%, #6 of 12 | Black, Blue, Buckskin, Smoked Gray, White | Pictures | — |
| 1978 | 83 | 2,084 | 4.5%, #7 of 12 | Dark Blue, Light Beige, Oyster | Pictures | — |
| 1979 | 83 | 5,670 | 10.5%, #5 of 10 | Black, Dark Blue, Light Beige, Oyster, Red | Pictures | — |
| 1980 | 28 | 4,135 | 10.2%, #5 of 10 | Black, Dark Blue, Doeskin, Oyster, Red | Pictures | — |
| 1981 | 38 | 496 | 1.2%, #15 of 18 | Camel, Dark Blue, Silver Gray | Pictures | Bowling Green |
| 1981 | 28 | 2,522 | 6.2%, #8 of 18 | Camel, Dark Blue, Medium Red, Silver Gray | Pictures | St. Louis |
| 1982 | 26 | 562 | 2.2%, #12 of 12 | Camel, Dark Blue, Silver Gray | Pictures | — |
Dark Blue on the C4 Corvette (1984–96)
Dark Blue on the C4 (1984–96): offered 1988–1989 as code 28. 3,606 cars by GM’s count, the best year 1989 with 1,931. Every year links to its research page (the full color chart, options and prices for that year) and to the site’s picture post for the color.
MORE: THE C4 HUB / THE 1989 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C4 COLOR POSTS / ALL C4 COLORS
Colors Related to Dark Blue
The colors that came before and after Dark Blue, the ones it is confused with and the ones that shared its slot on the chart. Each has its own page or a line on its family page.
MORE: EVERY BLUE CORVETTE COLOR / ALL CORVETTE COLORS / COLORS BY YEAR
| COLOR | YEARS | BUILT | FAMILY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Blue | 1973–1974, 1979, 1984–1985 | 3,863 | Blue | See the Medium Blue page |
| Navy Blue | 1998–2001 | 6,294 | Blue | See the Navy Blue page |
| Admiral Blue | 1994–1996, 2016–2019, 2027 | 8,525 | Blue | See the Admiral Blue page |
| Bright Blue | 1975–1976, 1981–1982 | 6,705 | Blue | See the Bright Blue page |
Dark Blue Paint Codes: GM, WA, PPG and DuPont
The codes a body shop or a judge needs for Dark Blue: the GM order code on the trim tag or service parts label, GM’s WA formula number and the PPG / Ditzler and DuPont mixing codes where they are documented. Where a code is blank the sources did not list one; the notes say where a source disagreed.
MORE: THE RPO CODES LIBRARY / THE VIN DECODER
| YEARS | GM CODE | WA | PPG / DITZLER | DUPONT | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 927 | WA4282 | — | — | Dark blue metallic (Targa Blue formula). (confidence: medium) |
| 1977 | 28 | WA4983 | — | — | Dark blue metallic. (confidence: medium) |
| 1978–1981 | 83 (1978–79) / 28 (1980–81) | WA8075 | — | — | Dark blue metallic. (confidence: medium) |
| 1981 | 38 | WA7496 | — | — | Dark blue metallic (second 1981 formula). (confidence: medium) |
| 1982 | 26 | WA7414 | — | — | Dark blue metallic. (confidence: medium) |
| 1988–1989 | 28U | WA8743 | 3885 | B8618 | Dark blue metallic; automotivetouchup 'Black Sapphire Metallic'. |
Blue Corvette Wallpapers
Desktop and phone wallpapers of blue Corvettes from the site’s wallpaper collections.
Blue Corvette Wallpapers — the color collection
All Corvette Wallpapers — by generation and by color
FAQs
What years was the Corvette offered in Dark Blue?
1973, 1977–1982, 1988–1989: 9 model years on the C3, C4. Dark Blue was on the chart in 1973 and then from 1977 to 1982 and 1988 to 1989, under five codes.
What is the GM paint code for Dark Blue?
GM used 927, 28, 83, 38, 26 across the years; the code changed when GM changed its coding system, not the paint. The paint-shop codes are 1973: WA4282; 1977: WA4983; 1978–1981: WA8075.
How many Dark Blue Corvettes were built?
23,140 by GM’s counts (5,670 in 1979, the biggest year); GM kept no color records for 1973, so the true figure is higher.
Which Corvette models and editions came in Dark Blue?
1979 Corvette Dark Blue (5,670); 1981 Two-tone Silver / Dark Blue (D84); 1989 Dark Blue Metallic. In its years it was available on every body style and model unless the year’s note says otherwise; the year tables above say which.
Is Dark Blue a metallic, a tintcoat or a solid color?
Dark navy, solid on the C3 and metallic from 1980. It was a no-cost color in every year it was offered.
What was the most popular year for Dark Blue?
1979, with 5,670 cars, 10.5% of that year’s production.
What colors are similar to Dark Blue?
Medium Blue, Navy Blue, Admiral Blue, Bright Blue. The Blue Corvettes page has every blue the factory offered, with the years and counts side by side.
Where can I see pictures of Dark Blue Corvettes?
The site has a picture post for each year Dark Blue was offered — real cars photographed in the real color — linked from the year tables above and in the picture grids on this page; the Blue Corvettes page and the wallpaper collection have more.
How does the Dark Blue page fit with the rest of the Corvette colors research?
Every model year has a research page with the full color chart (codes, counts, interiors and soft tops), the Colors by Year page indexes them, every color with three or more years has a page like this one, and the twelve family pages (Red, Blue, Black, White, Silver, Yellow, Gray, Green, Orange, Purple, Gold, Brown) list every shade ever offered.
