Targa Blue 1972 Chevrolet Corvette We found some examples of 1972 Corvette in the Targa Blue color scheme. These...
CORVETTE RESEARCH
Corvette Colors: Every Factory Paint Color, 1953 to Today
Every color the factory has ever sprayed on a Corvette — 196 named paints over 74 model years — with the GM code, the years, how many were built, which sold best in each generation, the paint-shop codes, and a picture of a real car in every color and year. Start with a color, a family of colors or a model year.
Quick Nav: The Story · The Families · Top Colors · By Generation · By Family · By Decade · Color Pages · Latest · Wallpapers · FAQs
The Basics
Colors: 196 named factory colors, 1953–2027, plus the D84 two-tones of 1981–87
The Most Popular: Black (246,175), Torch Red (138,514), Arctic White (104,561) by GM’s counts
By Generation: Ermine White (C1), Nassau Blue (C2), Classic White (C3), Bright Red (C4), Torch Red (C5), Black (C6), Arctic White (C7), Torch Red (C8)
The Rarest: Corvette Chartreuse (one 1977), the 1981 Bright Blue Metallic (one), Copper Metallic 1986 (four), the four black 1954s, Aztec Gold 1998 (15 experimental), Corvette Copper 1955 (15)
The Pages: 77 color pages, 12 family pages, a page for every model year’s chart
Pictures: 638 picture posts, one per color and year, 1953–2020
Paint Codes: GM order codes on every page; WA / PPG / DuPont formulas where documented
The Overview
This is the index to the Corvette’s paint. Chevrolet has offered 196 named colors on the Corvette since the Polo White of 1953 — about three new ones a year — and every one of them is here with its years, its code and, where GM kept the records, the number of cars built. The counts add to more than 1,743,442 Corvettes.
Three ways in. The color pages (Torch Red, Arctic White, Black and 74 more) follow one paint through every year it was offered. The twelve family pages (Red, Blue, Black, White, Silver, Yellow, Gray, Green, Orange, Purple, Gold, Brown) list every shade of a color side by side. The Colors by Year page indexes the full chart of each of the 74 model years, which lives on that year’s research page.
The charts on this page rank every color and every family by production, show each generation’s winner and the decade-by-decade story, and the directory at the end links every page. The two features the site has written on the subject — the most popular colors by generation and seventy years of the least and most popular — are linked throughout.
Seventy-Five Years of Corvette Colors
A Corvette’s color is the first fact anyone knows about it and the last one restorers argue over. Chevrolet has used it to sell the car since 1953 — the white car with the red interior, the Nassau Blue Sting Ray, the Bright Red C4, the Millennium Yellow Z06, the Torch Red C8 on every cover — and the record of what was painted, in what quantity, is one of the most complete production records the hobby has, because GM counted cars by color on the assembly line from 1957 onward, with a few gaps.
What the numbers say
By the counts, black is the all-time Corvette color: more than 240,000 cars since 1977 alone, after the strange seven-year gap of 1970–76 when no black Corvette was built. Torch Red is second, Arctic White third, and the three of them take roughly half of every C7 and C8 year. But every generation has had its own favorite: white for the C1 and C3, blue for the C2, red for the C4, C5 and C8, black for the C6, white again for the C7. The charts below rank every color.
How colors were named
The C1 colors were colors — Polo White, Venetian Red, Cascade Green. From 1963 to 1975 most Corvette colors were race tracks, from Sebring Silver and Daytona Blue to Mille Miglia Red and Bryar Blue; the 1970s went plain (Silver, Yellow, Red, Dark Blue); the C4 and C5 went metallic and the C5 brought the first extra-cost tintcoat (Magnetic Red, 1999); the C7 revived the track names (Laguna, Long Beach, Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, Sebring) and the C8 names its colors like paint (Rapid Blue, Red Mist, Hypersonic Gray, Sea Wolf Gray, Cacti Green, Hysteria Purple).
How to use this research
Identify a car’s color from its trim tag or service parts label with the GM code on the color page or the year chart. Check a claim of a rare color against the counts, remembering that 1956, 1962–63, 1969–70 and 1973–74 have no records. Match paint with the WA, PPG and DuPont formulas where the page lists them. And see what the color looks like on a real car: the site photographed every color of every year from 1953 to 2020, one post per color and year, and those posts are linked from every table.
MORE: THE MOST POPULAR COLORS BY GENERATION / 70 YEARS OF LEAST & MOST POPULAR / COLORS BY YEAR
Corvette Colors by Family: The Directory
The twelve color families, each with a page listing every shade the factory offered; the colors with their own pages are linked under each family.
MORE: COLORS BY YEAR / THE MOST POPULAR COLORS BY GENERATION
The Most Popular Corvette Colors of All Time
Every named color ranked by GM’s production counts over all its years. Black, Torch Red and Arctic White lead because they have been on the chart longest; the by-generation table shows who won each era.
The Most Popular Corvette Color of Each Generation
How many colors each generation offered, its three best sellers by GM’s counts and the years with no records. Each generation hub has the full story of its colors.
| GENERATION | YEARS | COLORS | MOST POPULAR | NO COUNTS FOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 Corvette | 1953–62 | 32 | Ermine White (6,895), Snowcrest White (5,831), Polo White (5,128) | 1956, 1962 |
| C2 Corvette | 1963–67 | 23 | Nassau Blue (12,122), Ermine White (9,668), Rally Red (9,395) | 1963 |
| C3 Corvette | 1968–82 | 74 | Classic White (45,506), Silver (38,736), Black (35,427) | 1969–1970, 1973–1974 |
| C4 Corvette | 1984–96 | 35 | Bright Red (70,860), Black (60,922), White (42,518) | — |
| C5 Corvette | 1997–2004 | 23 | Torch Red (51,136), Black (47,941), Light Pewter (20,677) | — |
| C6 Corvette | 2005–13 | 22 | Black (46,507), Victory Red (26,038), Machine Silver (21,027) | — |
| C7 Corvette | 2014–19 | 22 | Arctic White (35,936), Black (31,084), Torch Red (29,758) | — |
| C8 Corvette | 2020– | 29 | Torch Red (31,750), Arctic White (28,727), Black (24,290) | — |
Corvettes Built by Color Family
Every named color grouped by shade. Red leads because the Corvette has had a red on every chart since 1954 and three generations chose one first; black is close behind on one name.
Corvette Colors Decade by Decade
How many colors each decade’s charts carried, the decade’s best sellers and the new names that arrived.
| DECADE | COLORS | BEST SELLERS | NEW NAMES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953–1962 | 32 | Ermine White (6,895), Snowcrest White (5,831), Polo White (5,128) | — |
| 1963–1972 | 55 | Rally Red (12,313), Nassau Blue (12,122), Ermine White (9,668) | — |
| 1973–1982 | 42 | Classic White (40,868), Silver (38,736), Black (35,427) | — |
| 1983–1992 | 29 | Bright Red (70,860), Black (46,226), White (42,518) | Black Rose, Bright Aqua, Competition Yellow, Polo Green II, Quasar Blue, Steel Blue… |
| 1993–2002 | 29 | Torch Red (58,102), Black (50,828), Arctic White (23,110) | Admiral Blue, Competition Yellow, Copper, Dark Bowling Green, Dark Purple, Electron Blue… |
| 2003–2012 | 26 | Black (55,438), Victory Red (26,038), Machine Silver (25,693) | Atomic Orange, Blade Silver, Carlisle Blue, Crystal Red, Cyber Gray, Inferno Orange… |
| 2013–2022 | 32 | Arctic White (49,344), Torch Red (46,109), Black (41,929) | Accelerate Yellow, Admiral Blue, Amplify Orange, Black Rose, Caffeine, Ceramic Matrix Gray… |
| 2023–2027 | 26 | Arctic White (18,257), Torch Red (17,295), Black (16,323) | Admiral Blue, Blade Silver, Cacti Green, Competition Yellow, Hysteria Purple, Pitch Gray… |
The 77 Color Pages
Every color with three or more model years has a page: the years, the GM code, how many were built, the interiors, a picture of every year and the related colors. In order of production.
| COLOR | YEARS | BUILT | FAMILY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 1954, 1977–2027 | 246,175 | Black |
| Torch Red | 1993–2005, 2010–2027 | 138,514 | Red |
| Arctic White | 1993–2000, 2004–2027 | 104,561 | White |
| Bright Red | 1984–1992 | 70,860 | Red |
| White | 1980–1992, 2023 | 63,313 | White |
| Classic White | 1970–1979, 1983 | 45,506 | White |
| Silver | 1956, 1973–1982, 1985–1988 | 42,859 | Silver |
| Dark Red | 1975, 1977, 1979, 1986–1995 | 31,728 | Red |
| Victory Red | 2005–2009 | 26,038 | Red |
| Machine Silver | 2004–2008 | 25,693 | Silver |
| Red | 1976, 1978–1982 | 25,550 | Red |
| Dark Blue | 1973, 1977–1982, 1988–1989 | 23,140 | Blue |
| LeMans Blue | 1968–1969, 2004–2007, 2009 | 22,694 | Blue |
| Nassau Blue | 1965–1966, 1986–1989, 1997–2000 | 20,769 | Blue |
| Light Pewter | 1998–2002 | 20,677 | Silver |
| Velocity Yellow | 2005–2015 | 20,290 | Yellow |
| Millennium Yellow | 2000–2005 | 20,048 | Yellow |
| Magnetic Red | 1999–2002, 2004–2005 | 19,294 | Red |
| Sebring Silver | 1963, 1996–2000 | 18,506 | Silver |
| Crystal Red | 2008–2015 | 18,128 | Red |
| Blade Silver | 2009–2020, 2026–2027 | 17,826 | Silver |
| Ermine White | 1960–1967 | 16,563 | White |
| Polo Green | 1990–1996 | 15,976 | Green |
| Dark Brown | 1974, 1976, 1978–1980 | 12,791 | Brown |
| Rally Red | 1965–1968 | 12,313 | Red |
| Cyber Gray | 2009–2014 | 12,231 | Gray |
| Laguna Blue | 1966, 2014–2016 | 11,935 | Blue |
| Quicksilver | 2001–2003 | 11,827 | Silver |
| Yellow | 1973, 1977–1981, 1984, 1986–1989, 1991–1992 | 11,209 | Yellow |
| Charcoal | 1958, 1981–1982, 1988–1991 | 10,603 | Gray |
| Tuxedo Black | 1958–1969 | 10,496 | Black |
| Ceramic Matrix Gray | 2018–2024 | 10,408 | Gray |
| Long Beach Red | 2016–2020 | 9,292 | Red |
| Silver Beige | 1982, 1986–1987 | 9,142 | Brown |
| Admiral Blue | 1994–1996, 2016–2019, 2027 | 8,525 | Blue |
| Watkins Glen Gray | 2017–2019 | 8,352 | Gray |
| Medium Gray | 1984–1987 | 8,304 | Gray |
| Bright Yellow | 1974–1977 | 8,214 | Yellow |
| Light Blue | 1977, 1984–1985 | 8,184 | Blue |
| Mille Miglia Red | 1971–1975 | 8,013 | Red |
| Frost Beige | 1978–1980 | 7,707 | Brown |
| Silver Pearl | 1965–1967 | 7,471 | Silver |
| Mahogany | 1976, 1978, 1981 | 7,395 | Brown |
| Ontario Orange | 1970–1972 | 7,160 | Orange |
| Sebring Orange | 2018–2021, 2025–2027 | 7,072 | Orange |
| Atomic Orange | 2007–2009 | 6,762 | Orange |
| Bright Blue | 1975–1976, 1981–1982 | 6,705 | Blue |
| Jetstream Blue | 2008–2011 | 6,645 | Blue |
| Navy Blue | 1998–2001 | 6,294 | Blue |
| Silver Blue | 1958, 1963–1964, 1982 | 6,251 | Blue |
| Frost Blue | 1959, 1978–1979 | 6,187 | Blue |
| Corvette Racing Yellow | 2016–2019 | 5,776 | Yellow |
| Bright Aqua | 1992–1996 | 5,733 | Blue |
| Gold | 1982–1987 | 5,663 | Gold |
| Black Rose | 1992–1994, 2017–2018 | 5,640 | Purple |
| Night Race Blue | 2013–2016 | 5,525 | Blue |
| Dark Green | 1974, 1976, 1979–1980 | 5,308 | Green |
| Polo White | 1953–1957 | 5,128 | White |
| Speedway White | 2001–2003 | 4,907 | White |
| Roman Red | 1959–1962 | 4,865 | Red |
| Competition Yellow | 1990, 1993–1996, 2025–2027 | 4,795 | Yellow |
| Dark Claret | 1980–1982 | 4,645 | Red |
| Medium Red | 1974, 1977 | 4,057 | Red |
| Orange | 1973–1974, 1977 | 4,012 | Orange |
| Medium Blue | 1973–1974, 1979, 1984–1985 | 3,863 | Blue |
| Quasar Blue | 1990–1993 | 3,238 | Blue |
| Steel Blue | 1975, 1990–1991 | 2,916 | Blue |
| Honduras Maroon | 1960–1962 | 2,847 | Red |
| Dark Bronze | 1981, 1984–1985 | 2,833 | Brown |
| Supersonic Blue | 2011–2013 | 2,612 | Blue |
| Sateen Silver | 1960–1962 | 1,736 | Silver |
| Inferno Orange | 2011–2013 | 1,417 | Orange |
| Fawn Beige | 1961–1963 | 1,363 | Brown |
| Inca Silver | 1957–1959 | 1,215 | Silver |
| Gray | 1974, 1988–1989 | 869 | Gray |
| Cascade Green | 1956–1957, 1960 | 690 | Green |
| Copper | 1955, 1986–1987, 1994 | 222 | Orange |
Corvette Wallpapers by Color
The site’s wallpaper collections by color.
FAQs
How many colors has the Corvette come in?
196 named factory colors from 1953 to 2027, plus the two-tone combinations of 1981–87 and a handful of edition-only, experimental and export paints. Blue has the most names (more than 40), green and purple the fewest.
What is the most popular Corvette color?
Black, by GM’s counts, with more than 240,000 cars; Torch Red and Arctic White follow, and in most C7 and C8 years the three of them are about half of production. The most popular color of each generation: Ermine White, Nassau Blue, Classic White, Bright Red, Torch Red, Black, Arctic White and Torch Red again.
What is the rarest Corvette color?
Corvette Chartreuse, one 1977 car, and the single 1981 Bright Blue Metallic; then the four 1986 Copper Metallics, the four black 1954s, the fifteen 1955 Corvette Coppers and the fifteen experimental 1998 Aztec Golds. Among regular colors with a full year, the 1989 Gray Metallic (225, cancelled mid-year) and the 2017 Sterling Blue (921) are the scarcest modern ones.
How do I find my Corvette’s paint code?
On the trim tag (C1–C3, on the body under the glovebox or on the door-hinge pillar), the service parts identification label (C4 on, in the console or on the underside of the console lid or in the storage compartment) and the build sheet or tank sticker. The code is two digits or three characters; match it on the color page or the year’s chart.
What is the difference between a GM code and a WA or PPG code?
The GM code (41, GKZ) is the order and trim-tag code for the color in that year; the WA number is GM’s paint-formula number, and the PPG, DuPont and other numbers are the paint makers’ formulas for the same color. A body shop needs the WA or a maker’s code; the color pages list them where documented.
Which years have no color production figures?
1956, 1962, 1963, 1969, 1970, 1973 and 1974. GM kept no per-color records for those years, so every all-time count on the site is a minimum.
What were the race-track colors?
From 1963 to 1975 Chevrolet named most Corvette colors after circuits — Sebring, Daytona, Riverside, Nassau, Laguna, Marina, Elkhart, Lynndale, Goodwood, Mosport, LeMans, Monza, Monaco, Mulsanne, Bridgehampton, Donnybrooke, Ontario, Brands Hatch, Bryar, Targa, Mille Miglia — and the C7 brought the idea back with Laguna Blue, Long Beach Red, Watkins Glen Gray, Lime Rock Green and Sebring Orange.
Does color affect a Corvette’s value?
At the edges. A documented rare factory color adds to a collector car and a non-original repaint takes away; for drivers’ cars the popular colors sell fastest and the loud ones take longer. The buyer’s guides on the site cover how to verify a color with the tank sticker, build sheet and trim tag.
Were any Corvettes two-tone from the factory?
The 1956–61 cars could have a contrasting cove; the 1978 Silver Anniversary (silver over charcoal) and Pace Car (black over silver) were two-tones; the D84 option of 1981–87 paired silver, beige, blue, gray and bronze upper and lower bodies; and the 1988 35th Anniversary was white over black. The year charts list each.
What is a tintcoat?
A three-stage paint: a color base, a tinted clear that adds depth, and a clear. Chevrolet has sold them as extra-cost colors since Magnetic Red in 1999 — Millennium and Velocity Yellow, Crystal Red, Jetstream Blue, Long Beach Red, Sebring Orange, Red Mist, Competition Yellow — at $500 to $995.
Where are the pictures of each color?
The site photographed every color of every model year from 1953 to 2020, one post per color and year (more than 630 posts), and they are linked from every color page, family page and year chart; the wallpaper collections add desktop and phone images by color.
Where is the full color chart for one year?
On the model-year research page and in the year’s Pricing, Factory Options & Colors post; the Colors by Year page indexes all 74.
