CORVETTE COLORS
Competition Yellow Corvette: Every Year, Code and How Many Were Built
Competition Yellow Tintcoat on the Chevrolet Corvette, 1990, 1993–1996, 2025–2027: 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 · C4 · C8 · Related · Paint Codes · More Yellow · Wallpapers · FAQs
The Basics
The Color: Solid bright yellow on the C4, tintcoat on the C8
GM Codes: 53, GBK
Years Offered: 1990, 1993–1996, 2025–2027 (8 model years)
Generations: C4 (1984–96), C8 (2020–)
Built: 4,795 with GM counts; no counts for 2026–2027; still on sale for 2027
Best Year: 2025, 1,675 cars (6.5% of the year)
Color Family: Yellow (every yellow Corvette color)
Also Called: Code 53 (1990, 1993–96), GBK Competition Yellow Tintcoat (2025–27, $995)
Extra Cost: $995.00 (a tintcoat or premium paint in those years)
Paint Codes: 1990, 1993–1996: WA9804 / PPG 4266 / DuPont B9058; 2025–2027: WA233K
Pictures: 5 picture posts on the site, one per model year (none yet for the 2021–27 cars)
The Overview
Competition Yellow Tintcoat was offered on the Corvette in 1990, 1993–1996, 2025–2027: 8 model years across the C4, C8 generations, and it is on the 2027 order guide. GM’s color counts put 4,795 Competition Yellow Corvettes on the road, 1,675 of them in 2025 alone; no per-color records survive for 2026–2027.
Solid bright yellow on the C4, tintcoat on the C8. Its share of a year’s production ran from 1 to 6 percent. It was an extra-cost paint ($995.00). The interiors most often paired with it were Black. 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 Competition Yellow 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 Yellow Corvettes page lists every yellow the factory ever sprayed, and Corvette Colors by Year has the full chart for each model year.
The Story of Competition Yellow
Competition Yellow was new for 1990 (278 cars), skipped 1991 and 1992, and came back for 1993 to 1996 as the C4’s only yellow — about 500 to 1,000 a year, the color of a good share of the last ZR-1s and of the 1996 LT4 coupes. It is a solid, flat yellow, brighter than the 1980s Yellow.
The name returned on the 2025 C8 as Competition Yellow Tintcoat, a $995 three-stage paint that took 6.5 percent of 2025 production and stays on the 2026 and 2027 guides, the yellow of the ZR1 and ZR1X.
The Competition Yellow Cars to Know
1995 ZR-1s in Competition Yellow; 1996 LT4 Collector cars; 2025 ZR1 in Competition Yellow Tintcoat.
MORE: THE MOST POPULAR COLORS BY GENERATION / 70 YEARS OF LEAST & MOST POPULAR COLORS / ALL YELLOW CORVETTES
Competition Yellow by Generation
Competition Yellow 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 C4 HUB / THE C8 HUB
| GENERATION | YEARS | CODE(S) | BUILT | BEST YEAR | INTERIORS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C4 Corvette | 1990, 1993–1996 | 53 | 3,120 | 1995 (1,003) | Black |
| C8 Corvette | 2025–2027 | GBK | 1,675 | 2025 (1,675) | — |
Competition Yellow by Year: How Many Were Built
GM’s production counts for Competition Yellow in every year it was offered, with the years GM kept no color records marked n/a. The peak was 2025 at 1,675 cars; the full table for each year, with codes, shares and interiors, is in the generation sections below.
Competition Yellow on the C4 Corvette (1984–96)
Competition Yellow on the C4 (1984–96): offered 1990, 1993–1996 as code 53. 3,120 cars by GM’s count, the best year 1995 with 1,003. 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 1995 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C4 COLOR POSTS / ALL C4 COLORS
| YEAR | CODE | BUILT | SHARE | INTERIORS | PICTURES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 53 | 278 | 1.2%, #10 of 10 | Black, Gray, Saddle | Pictures | new that year |
| 1993 | 53 | 517 | 2.4%, #9 of 10 | Black, Light Beige, Light Gray, White | Pictures | new that year |
| 1994 | 53 | 834 | 3.6%, #9 of 10 | Black, Light Beige, Light Gray | Pictures | — |
| 1995 | 53 | 1,003 | 4.8%, #8 of 10 | Black, Light Beige, Light Gray | Pictures | — |
| 1996 | 53 | 488 | 2.3%, #7 of 9 | Black, Light Beige, Light Gray | Pictures | — |
Competition Yellow on the C8 Corvette (2020–)
Competition Yellow on the C8 (2020–): offered 2025–2027 as code GBK. 1,675 cars by GM’s count. No per-color counts survive for 2026–2027. 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 C8 HUB / THE 2025 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C8 COLOR POSTS / ALL C8 COLORS
Colors Related to Competition Yellow
The colors that came before and after Competition Yellow, 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 YELLOW CORVETTE COLOR / ALL CORVETTE COLORS / COLORS BY YEAR
| COLOR | YEARS | BUILT | FAMILY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | 1973, 1977–1981, 1984, 1986–1989, 1991–1992 | 11,209 | Yellow | See the Yellow page |
| Millennium Yellow | 2000–2005 | 20,048 | Yellow | See the Millennium Yellow page |
| Velocity Yellow | 2005–2015 | 20,290 | Yellow | See the Velocity Yellow page |
| Corvette Racing Yellow | 2016–2019 | 5,776 | Yellow | See the Corvette Racing Yellow page |
| Accelerate Yellow | 2020–2024 | 5,751 | Yellow | On the Yellow Corvettes page |
Competition Yellow Paint Codes: GM, WA, PPG and DuPont
The codes a body shop or a judge needs for Competition Yellow: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990, 1993–1996 | 53U | WA9804 | 4266 | B9058 | Solid bright yellow, non-metallic. CAC 1990 production page prints WA9504; the consolidated C4 chart and automotivetouchup give WA9804. |
| 2025–2027 | GBK | WA233K | — | — | Bright yellow metallic tintcoat; extra-cost ($995). Task listed 2017–19 for this name; not confirmed. The 2016–19 C7 yellow was Corvette Racing Yellow Tintcoat (GC6), see separate entry. |
Yellow Corvette Wallpapers
Desktop and phone wallpapers of yellow Corvettes from the site’s wallpaper collections.
Yellow Corvette Wallpapers — the color collection
All Corvette Wallpapers — by generation and by color
FAQs
What years was the Corvette offered in Competition Yellow?
1990, 1993–1996, 2025–2027: 8 model years on the C4, C8, and it is still on the 2027 order guide. Competition Yellow was new for 1990 (278 cars), skipped 1991 and 1992, and came back for 1993 to 1996 as the C4’s only yellow — about 500 to 1,000 a year, the color of a good share of the last ZR-1s and of the 1996 LT4 coupes.
What is the GM paint code for Competition Yellow?
GM used 53, GBK across the years; the code changed when GM changed its coding system, not the paint. The paint-shop codes are 1990, 1993–1996: WA9804 / PPG 4266 / DuPont B9058; 2025–2027: WA233K.
How many Competition Yellow Corvettes were built?
4,795 by GM’s counts (1,675 in 2025, the biggest year); GM kept no color records for 2026–2027, so the true figure is higher.
Which Corvette models and editions came in Competition Yellow?
1995 ZR-1s in Competition Yellow; 1996 LT4 Collector cars; 2025 ZR1 in Competition Yellow Tintcoat. 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 Competition Yellow a metallic, a tintcoat or a solid color?
Solid bright yellow on the C4, tintcoat on the C8. It was an extra-cost paint in some years ($995.00), which is what the tintcoat or tri-coat label means: a base coat under a tinted clear and a clear, deeper to look at and harder to touch up.
What was the most popular year for Competition Yellow?
2025, with 1,675 cars, 6.5% of that year’s production.
What colors are similar to Competition Yellow?
Yellow, Millennium Yellow, Velocity Yellow, Corvette Racing Yellow. The Yellow Corvettes page has every yellow the factory offered, with the years and counts side by side.
Where can I see pictures of Competition Yellow Corvettes?
The site has a picture post for each year Competition Yellow was offered through 2020 — real cars photographed in the real color — linked from the year tables above and in the picture grids on this page; the Yellow Corvettes page and the wallpaper collection have more.
How does the Competition Yellow 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.
