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The Basics
The Color: Deep wine-red metallic, the last C3 maroon (1980–1982)
GM Codes: 76, 98, 99
Years Offered: 1980–1982 (3 model years)
Generations: C3 (1968–82)
Built: 4,645 with GM counts
Best Year: 1980, 3,451 cars (8.5% of the year)
Color Family: Red (every red Corvette color)
Also Called: Code 76 (1980), 98 at Bowling Green (1981), 99 (1982)
Paint Codes: 1980–1981: WA7112; 1981–1982: WA7421
Pictures: 3 picture posts on the site, one per model year
By Generation: C3
The Overview
Dark Claret Metallic was offered on the Corvette in 1980–1982: 3 model years across the C3 generation. GM’s color counts put 4,645 Dark Claret Corvettes on the road, 3,451 of them in 1980 alone.
Deep wine-red metallic, the last C3 maroon (1980–1982). Its share of a year’s production ran from 1 to 8 percent. It was a no-cost color. The interiors most often paired with it were Black, Camel. 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 Claret 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 Dark Claret
Dark Claret Metallic was the C3’s maroon for its last three years: 3,451 cars in 1980, 341 at Bowling Green in 1981 (St. Louis had a Maroon Metallic instead) and 853 in 1982, when it was also half of the Silver / Dark Claret two-tone. It is a deep wine color, usually with the Dark Red or Claret interior.
Dark Red Metallic took the slot on the C4 from 1986.
The Dark Claret Cars to Know
1980 Dark Claret Metallic (3,451); 1981 Two-tone Autumn Red / Dark Claret (Bowling Green); 1982 Two-tone Silver / Dark Claret.
MORE: THE MOST POPULAR COLORS BY GENERATION / 70 YEARS OF LEAST & MOST POPULAR COLORS / ALL RED CORVETTES

Dark Claret by Generation
Dark Claret across the 1 generation 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
| GENERATION | YEARS | CODE(S) | BUILT | BEST YEAR | INTERIORS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C3 Corvette | 1980–1982 | 76, 98, 99 | 4,645 | 1980 (3,451) | Black, Camel |
Dark Claret by Year: How Many Were Built
GM’s production counts for Dark Claret in every year it was offered. The peak was 1980 at 3,451 cars; the full table for each year, with codes, shares and interiors, is in the generation sections below.
Dark Claret on the C3 Corvette (1968–82)
Dark Claret on the C3 (1968–82): offered 1980–1982 as code 76, 98, 99. 4,645 cars by GM’s count, the best year 1980 with 3,451. 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 1980 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C3 COLOR POSTS / ALL C3 COLORS
Colors Related to Dark Claret
The colors that came before and after Dark Claret, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Red | 1975, 1977, 1979, 1986–1995 | 31,728 | Red | See the Dark Red page |
| Honduras Maroon | 1960–1962 | 2,847 | Red | See the Honduras Maroon page |
| Black Rose | 1992–1994, 2017–2018 | 5,640 | Purple | See the Black Rose page |
| Mahogany | 1976, 1978, 1981 | 7,395 | Brown | See the Mahogany page |
Dark Claret Paint Codes: GM, WA, PPG and DuPont
The codes a body shop or a judge needs for Dark Claret: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–1981 | 76 (1980) / 98 | WA7112 | — | — | Dark claret (maroon) metallic. (confidence: medium) |
| 1981–1982 | 99 | WA7421 | — | — | Dark claret metallic (revised). (confidence: medium) |
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 Dark Claret?
1980–1982: 3 model years on the C3. Dark Claret Metallic was the C3’s maroon for its last three years: 3,451 cars in 1980, 341 at Bowling Green in 1981 (St.
What is the GM paint code for Dark Claret?
GM used 76, 98, 99 across the years; the code changed when GM changed its coding system, not the paint. The paint-shop codes are 1980–1981: WA7112; 1981–1982: WA7421.
How many Dark Claret Corvettes were built?
4,645 by GM’s counts (3,451 in 1980, the biggest year).
Which Corvette models and editions came in Dark Claret?
1980 Dark Claret Metallic (3,451); 1981 Two-tone Autumn Red / Dark Claret (Bowling Green); 1982 Two-tone Silver / Dark Claret. 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 Claret a metallic, a tintcoat or a solid color?
Deep wine-red metallic, the last C3 maroon (1980–1982). It was a no-cost color in every year it was offered.
What was the most popular year for Dark Claret?
1980, with 3,451 cars, 8.5% of that year’s production.
What colors are similar to Dark Claret?
Dark Red, Honduras Maroon, Black Rose, Mahogany. The Red Corvettes page has every red the factory offered, with the years and counts side by side.
Where can I see pictures of Dark Claret Corvettes?
The site has a picture post for each year Dark Claret 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 Dark Claret 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.









































