CORVETTE COLORS
Dark Red Corvette: Every Year, Code and How Many Were Built
Dark Red Metallic on the Chevrolet Corvette, 1975, 1977, 1986–1995: 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 Red · Wallpapers · FAQs
The Basics
The Color: Deep red, solid on the C3 and metallic on the C4
GM Codes: 74, 83, 68, 75
Years Offered: 1975, 1977, 1986–1995 (12 model years)
Generations: C3 (1968–82), C4 (1984–96)
Built: 31,728 with GM counts
Best Year: 1987, 5,578 cars (18.2% of the year)
Color Family: Red (every red Corvette color)
Also Called: Code 74 (1975), Corvette Dark Red 83 (1977), Dark Red Metallic 74 / 68 / 75 (1986–95)
Paint Codes: 1975: WA4533; 1977: WA4987; 1986–1988: WA8748 / PPG 3823 / DuPont B8610; 1989–1995: WA9239 / PPG 4177 / DuPont B8947
Pictures: 13 picture posts on the site, one per model year
The Overview
Dark Red Metallic was offered on the Corvette in 1975, 1977, 1986–1995: 12 model years across the C3, C4 generations. GM’s color counts put 31,728 Dark Red Corvettes on the road, 5,578 of them in 1987 alone.
Deep red, solid on the C3 and metallic on the C4. Its share of a year’s production ran from 2 to 18 percent. It was a no-cost color. The interiors most often paired with it were Black, Graphite. 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 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 Dark Red
Two colors share the name. The C3 Dark Red of 1975 and the Corvette Dark Red of 1977 were solid dark reds beside the brighter Medium Red and Mille Miglia Red, about 3,400 cars each year. The Dark Red Metallic of 1986 to 1995 was the C4’s maroon, the quiet alternative to Bright Red and then Torch Red, and it sold 5,578 cars in 1987 before tailing off to a few hundred in 1993 and 1,500 a year in 1994–95.
The C4 version changed code three times (74, 68 and 75) without changing much in the can; the 1989 ZR-1 press cars and a good share of the early ZR-1s were Dark Red Metallic. It left after 1995 with the C4, and the C5 covered the same ground with Magnetic Red.
The Dark Red Cars to Know
Early C4 ZR-1s (1990–91) in Dark Red Metallic; The 1975 Dark Red convertibles; 1995 Dark Red Metallic (the last year).
Also on the site: a 1979 picture post titled Dark Red — picture posts with no matching row on that year’s chart, kept here for the pictures.
MORE: THE MOST POPULAR COLORS BY GENERATION / 70 YEARS OF LEAST & MOST POPULAR COLORS / ALL RED CORVETTES
Dark Red by Generation
Dark 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 C3 HUB / THE C4 HUB
| GENERATION | YEARS | CODE(S) | BUILT | BEST YEAR | INTERIORS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C3 Corvette | 1975, 1977 | 74, 83 | 6,776 | 1977 (3,434) | Black |
| C4 Corvette | 1986–1995 | 74, 68, 75 | 24,952 | 1987 (5,578) | Black, Graphite |
Dark Red by Year: How Many Were Built
GM’s production counts for Dark Red in every year it was offered. The peak was 1987 at 5,578 cars; the full table for each year, with codes, shares and interiors, is in the generation sections below.
Dark Red on the C3 Corvette (1968–82)
Dark Red on the C3 (1968–82): offered 1975, 1977 as code 74, 83. 6,776 cars by GM’s count, the best year 1977 with 3,434. 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 1977 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C3 COLOR POSTS / ALL C3 COLORS
Dark Red on the C4 Corvette (1984–96)
Dark Red on the C4 (1984–96): offered 1986–1995 as code 74, 68, 75. 24,952 cars by GM’s count, the best year 1987 with 5,578. 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 1987 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C4 COLOR POSTS / ALL C4 COLORS
| YEAR | CODE | BUILT | SHARE | INTERIORS | PICTURES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 74 | 5,002 | 14.2%, #3 of 13 | Graphite, Saddle | Pictures | — |
| 1987 | 74 | 5,578 | 18.2%, #2 of 12 | Graphite, Saddle | Pictures | — |
| 1988 | 74 | 2,878 | 12.6%, #4 of 12 | Black, Saddle | Pictures | — |
| 1989 | 68 | 3,409 | 12.9%, #4 of 10 | Black, Saddle | Pictures | — |
| 1990 | 68 | 2,353 | 10.0%, #4 of 10 | Black, Saddle | Pictures | — |
| 1991 | 75 | 1,311 | 6.4%, #5 of 10 | Black, Saddle | Pictures | — |
| 1992 | 75 | 1,148 | 5.6%, #7 of 9 | Black, Light Beige, Light Gray, White | Pictures | — |
| 1993 | 75 | 325 | 1.5%, #10 of 10 | Black, Light Beige, Light Gray, White | Pictures | — |
| 1994 | 75 | 1,511 | 6.5%, #6 of 10 | Black, Light Beige, Light Gray | Pictures | — |
| 1995 | 75 | 1,437 | 6.9%, #5 of 10 | Black, Light Beige, Light Gray | Pictures | — |
Colors Related to Dark Red
The colors that came before and after Dark 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Claret | 1980–1982 | 4,645 | Red | See the Dark Claret page |
| Magnetic Red | 1999–2002, 2004–2005 | 19,294 | Red | See the Magnetic Red page |
| Bright Red | 1984–1992 | 70,860 | Red | See the Bright Red page |
| Medium Red | 1974, 1977 | 4,057 | Red | See the Medium Red page |
| Mille Miglia Red | 1971–1975 | 8,013 | Red | See the Mille Miglia Red page |
Dark Red Paint Codes: GM, WA, PPG and DuPont
The codes a body shop or a judge needs for Dark 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 74 | WA4533 | — | — | Dark red metallic (C3); same WA4533 listed as Medium Red Metallic in 1974. (confidence: medium) |
| 1977 | 83 | WA4987 | — | — | Dark red (C3). (confidence: medium) |
| 1986–1988 | 74U | WA8748 | 3823 | B8610 | Dark red metallic. |
| 1989–1995 | 68U (1989–90) / 75U (1991–95) | WA9239 | 4177 | B8947 | Dark red metallic (revised); automotivetouchup lists as 'Brilliant Red Metallic'. |
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 Red?
1975, 1977, 1986–1995: 12 model years on the C3, C4. Two colors share the name.
What is the GM paint code for Dark Red?
GM used 74, 83, 68, 75 across the years; the code changed when GM changed its coding system, not the paint. The paint-shop codes are 1975: WA4533; 1977: WA4987; 1986–1988: WA8748 / PPG 3823 / DuPont B8610.
How many Dark Red Corvettes were built?
31,728 by GM’s counts (5,578 in 1987, the biggest year).
Which Corvette models and editions came in Dark Red?
Early C4 ZR-1s (1990–91) in Dark Red Metallic; The 1975 Dark Red convertibles; 1995 Dark Red Metallic (the last year). 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 Red a metallic, a tintcoat or a solid color?
Deep red, solid on the C3 and metallic on the C4. It was a no-cost color in every year it was offered.
What was the most popular year for Dark Red?
1987, with 5,578 cars, 18.2% of that year’s production.
What colors are similar to Dark Red?
Dark Claret, Magnetic Red, Bright Red, Medium Red. 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 Red Corvettes?
The site has a picture post for each year Dark 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 Dark 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.
