CORVETTE COLORS
Crystal Red Corvette: Every Year, Code and How Many Were Built
Crystal Red Tintcoat on the Chevrolet Corvette, 2008–2015: 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 · C6 · C7 · Related · Paint Codes · More Red · Wallpapers · FAQs
The Basics
The Color: Deep metallic red tintcoat, extra cost, 2008–2015
GM Codes: 89, GBE
Years Offered: 2008–2015 (8 model years)
Generations: C6 (2005–13), C7 (2014–19)
Built: 18,128 with GM counts
Best Year: 2008, 5,420 cars (15.3% of the year)
Color Family: Red (every red Corvette color)
Also Called: Code 89 (2008–13), GBE (2014–15); Crystal Red Metallic Tintcoat, then Crystal Red Tintcoat on the C7
Extra Cost: $750, $850, $995 (a tintcoat or premium paint in those years)
Paint Codes: 2008–2015: WA505Q / PPG 915635
Pictures: 8 picture posts on the site, one per model year
The Overview
Crystal Red Tintcoat was offered on the Corvette in 2008–2015: 8 model years across the C6, C7 generations. GM’s color counts put 18,128 Crystal Red Corvettes on the road, 5,420 of them in 2008 alone.
Deep metallic red tintcoat, extra cost, 2008–2015. Its share of a year’s production ran from 6 to 15 percent. It was an extra-cost paint ($750, $850, $995). The interiors most often paired with it were Ebony, Gray, Jet 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 Crystal Red 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 Red Corvettes page lists every red the factory ever sprayed, and Corvette Colors by Year has the full chart for each model year.
The Story of Crystal Red
Crystal Red Metallic Tintcoat was new for 2008 and the color of that year’s Z06 427 Limited Edition (505 cars, all Crystal Red with a Wil Cooksey signature). It cost $750, then $850 and $995 on the C7, and it sold 5,420 cars in its first year before settling at 1,100 to 2,000 a year through the end of the C6.
On the 2014 and 2015 C7 it was Crystal Red Tintcoat, the deep red beside Torch Red, with 3,020 and 2,191 cars. Long Beach Red replaced it for 2016. It is a three-stage paint — base, tinted clear, clear — which gives it the depth and makes it the hardest Corvette red to touch up.
The Crystal Red Cars to Know
2008 Z06 427 Limited Edition (505, Crystal Red only); 2014 Stingray Z51 in Crystal Red; 2009–13 ZR1s in Crystal Red.
MORE: THE MOST POPULAR COLORS BY GENERATION / 70 YEARS OF LEAST & MOST POPULAR COLORS / ALL RED CORVETTES
Crystal Red by Generation
Crystal Red 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 C6 HUB / THE C7 HUB
| GENERATION | YEARS | CODE(S) | BUILT | BEST YEAR | INTERIORS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C6 Corvette | 2008–2013 | 89 | 12,917 | 2008 (5,420) | Ebony |
| C7 Corvette | 2014–2015 | GBE | 5,211 | 2014 (3,020) | Gray, Jet Black |
Crystal Red by Year: How Many Were Built
GM’s production counts for Crystal Red in every year it was offered. The peak was 2008 at 5,420 cars; the full table for each year, with codes, shares and interiors, is in the generation sections below.
Crystal Red on the C6 Corvette (2005–13)
Crystal Red on the C6 (2005–13): offered 2008–2013 as code 89. 12,917 cars by GM’s count, the best year 2008 with 5,420. 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 C6 HUB / THE 2008 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C6 COLOR POSTS / ALL C6 COLORS
| YEAR | CODE | BUILT | SHARE | INTERIORS | PICTURES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 89 | 5,420 | 15.3%, #3 of 8 | Ebony, Light Cashmere, Light Titanium, Cobalt Red; Dark Titanium (427) | Pictures | Coupe 3,370; Convertible 1,545; Z06 505; new that year, $750.00; Z06: 427 Limited Edition only |
| 2009 | 89 | 1,987 | 11.7%, #4 of 10 | Ebony, Light Cashmere, Light Titanium, Cobalt Red | Pictures | Coupe 1,342; Convertible 645; $750.00 |
| 2010 | 89 | 1,714 | 14.1%, #3 of 8 | Ebony, Cashmere, Titanium, Red | Pictures | Coupe & GS coupe 935; Convertible & GS convertible 548; Z06 & ZR1 231; $850.00 |
| 2011 | 89 | 1,419 | 10.4%, #3 of 10 | Ebony, Cashmere, Titanium, Red, two-tones | Pictures | Coupe 261; GS coupe 581; Convertible 116; GS convertible 364; Z06 33; ZR1 64; $850.00 |
| 2012 | 89 | 1,117 | 9.6%, #5 of 10 | Ebony, Cashmere, Titanium, Red, two-tones | Pictures | Coupe 258; GS coupe 530; Convertible 57; GS convertible 240; Z06 21; ZR1 11; $850.00 |
| 2013 | 89 | 1,260 | 9.4%, #5 of 10 | Ebony, Cashmere, Titanium, Red, two-tones | Pictures | $850.00 |
Crystal Red on the C7 Corvette (2014–19)
Crystal Red on the C7 (2014–19): offered 2014–2015 as code GBE. 5,211 cars by GM’s count, the best year 2014 with 3,020. 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 C7 HUB / THE 2014 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C7 COLOR POSTS / ALL C7 COLORS
| YEAR | CODE | BUILT | SHARE | INTERIORS | PICTURES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | GBE | 3,020 | 8.1%, #6 of 10 | Jet Black, Gray, Kalahari, Brownstone (3LT), Adrenaline Red | Pictures | Coupe 913; Coupe Z51 1,126; Convertible 514; Conv. Z51 454; $995 |
| 2015 | GBE | 2,191 | 6.4%, #6 of 10 | Gray, Jet Black, Kalahari, Brownstone, Adrenaline Red | Pictures | Stingray coupe 1,345; Stingray convertible 446; Z06 coupe 301; Z06 convertible 99; $995 |
Colors Related to Crystal Red
The colors that came before and after Crystal Red, 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 RED CORVETTE COLOR / ALL CORVETTE COLORS / COLORS BY YEAR
| COLOR | YEARS | BUILT | FAMILY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach Red | 2016–2020 | 9,292 | Red | See the Long Beach Red page |
| Magnetic Red | 1999–2002, 2004–2005 | 19,294 | Red | See the Magnetic Red page |
| Torch Red | 1993–2005, 2010–2027 | 138,514 | Red | See the Torch Red page |
| Red Mist | 2021–2027 | 20,230 | Red | On the Red Corvettes page |
Crystal Red Paint Codes: GM, WA, PPG and DuPont
The codes a body shop or a judge needs for Crystal Red: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2015 | 89U / GBE | WA505Q | 915635 | — | Deep red metallic tintcoat; extra-cost. Sherwin-Williams 80748. |
Red Corvette Wallpapers
Desktop and phone wallpapers of red Corvettes from the site’s wallpaper collections.
Red Corvette Wallpapers — the color collection
All Corvette Wallpapers — by generation and by color
FAQs
What years was the Corvette offered in Crystal Red?
2008–2015: 8 model years on the C6, C7. Crystal Red Metallic Tintcoat was new for 2008 and the color of that year’s Z06 427 Limited Edition (505 cars, all Crystal Red with a Wil Cooksey signature).
What is the GM paint code for Crystal Red?
GM used 89, GBE across the years; the code changed when GM changed its coding system, not the paint. The paint-shop codes are 2008–2015: WA505Q / PPG 915635.
How many Crystal Red Corvettes were built?
18,128 by GM’s counts (5,420 in 2008, the biggest year).
Which Corvette models and editions came in Crystal Red?
2008 Z06 427 Limited Edition (505, Crystal Red only); 2014 Stingray Z51 in Crystal Red; 2009–13 ZR1s in Crystal Red. 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 Crystal Red a metallic, a tintcoat or a solid color?
Deep metallic red tintcoat, extra cost, 2008–2015. It was an extra-cost paint in some years ($750, $850, $995), 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 Crystal Red?
2008, with 5,420 cars, 15.3% of that year’s production.
What colors are similar to Crystal Red?
Long Beach Red, Magnetic Red, Torch Red, Red Mist. The Red Corvettes page has every red the factory offered, with the years and counts side by side.
Where can I see pictures of Crystal Red Corvettes?
The site has a picture post for each year Crystal Red was offered — real cars photographed in the real color — linked from the year tables above and in the picture grids on this page; the Red Corvettes page and the wallpaper collection have more.
How does the Crystal Red 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.
