A Collector’s Guide to Rare Corvette Colors

Between 1953 and 1982, Chevrolet released the Corvette in dozens of colors that went far beyond the usual red, white, black, blue, and yellow. Many of these shades appeared for just one or two model years, making them some of the hardest-to-find classic Corvettes on the market today. Below is a breakdown of every major “other” color family complete with GM paint codes spanning the C1, C2, and C3 generations.

Orange Corvettes: Ontario Orange, Orange Flame & More

Orange Corvettes for sale are among the most sought-after rare-color Vettes. Here are the factory orange shades GM offered over the years:

• Code 990 Monaco Orange (1969) — A deep burnt orange, one year only. One of the rarest orange Corvettes ever produced.
• Code 991 Ontario Orange (1970–1971) — The iconic bright orange that defines the C3 era. Carried into 1972 as code 987 Ontario Orange.
• Code 980 Corvette Orange (1974) — Returned as code 66 Corvette Orange in 1977.
• Code 70 Orange Flame (1975–1976) — A warm, slightly reddish orange available in the final Stingray-badged years.
• 1973 Orange — Factory orange option grouped with that year’s Elkhart Green and Blue-Green.

The 1968–1972 Corvettes in Ontario Orange are especially collectible today. Whether you’re after a burnt orange convertible or an orange Stingray with a 4-speed, these don’t last long in our inventory.

Green Corvettes: From Cascade Green to Elkhart Green

Green Corvettes for sale span nearly every generation.

• Cascade Green (1956, 1957, 1960) — One of the earliest C1-era special colors.
• Code GG Glen Green (1965) — A rich mid-year C2 green.
• Code 982 Mosport Green (1966) — Named after the famous Canadian racing circuit.
• Code 980 Goodwood Green (1967) — The legendary final-year mid-year color. Extremely collectible.
• Code 984 British Green (1968) — Debuted with the Mako Shark C3 body style.
• Code 983 Fathom Green (1969)
• Code 982 Donnybrooke Green (1970) — A favorite among C3 collectors.
• Code 983 Brands Hatch Green (1971)
• Elkhart Green (code 946 in 1972, code 947 in 1973) — A bright, eye-catching green.
• Code 948 Dark Green (1974), code 42 Bright Green (1975), code 33 Dark Green (1976)
• Code 41 Corvette Chartreuse (1977) — More yellow-green than any other option.
• Code 58 Corvette Dark Green (1979) and code 58 Dark Green (1980)
• Code 40 Silver Green (1982) — A unique metallic unlike any green before it.

Many of these green C3 Corvettes came as T-tops, making them a great combination of rare color and open-air driving.

Maroon, Burgundy & Dark Red Corvettes

Maroon and burgundy Corvettes sit between true red and deep brown and are some of the rarest classic Vettes you’ll find:

• Honduras Maroon (1960–1961) — The original dark red Corvette from the C1 era.
• Code 988 Cordovan Maroon (1968)
• Code 988 Burgundy (1969)
• Code 37 Mahogany (1976), code 82 Corvette Mahogany (1978)
• Code 75 Dark Claret (1980–1982 Corvettes) — The signature late-C3 dark red.
• Code 06 Mahogany Metallic, code 79 Maroon Metallic, and code 80/98 Autumn Red/Dark Claret two-tone (1981)
• Code 13/99 Silver/Dark Claret two-tone (1982)

The 1980–1982 Corvettes, especially the 1981, offered the widest range of maroon and burgundy options. Also browse our red Corvettes page for similar shades.

Brown, Bronze & Tan Corvettes

The brown and bronze family is one of the most underrated and underpriced segments of the classic Corvette market:

• Corvette Copper and Harvest Gold (1955)
• Aztec Copper (1956–1957)
• Fawn Beige, Almond Beige (1961–1962)
• Code 932 Saddle Tan (1963–1964)
• Code 992 Corvette Bronze (1968), code 980 Riverside Gold (1969), code 993 Corvette Bronze (1970)
• Code 969 Dark Brown (1974), code 67 Medium Saddle (1975), code 64 Buckskin and code 69 Dark Brown (1976), code 80 Corvette Tan (1977)
• Code 59 Corvette Light Beige and code 89 Corvette Dark Brown (1978). Code 59 Corvette Light Beige and code 82 Corvette Dark Brown (1979)
• Code 47 Dark Brown and code 59 Frost Beige (1980)
• Code 59 Beige and code 50/74 Beige/Dark Bronze two-tone (1981)
• Code 59 Gold, code 59 Silver Beige(also listed as code 59 Silver-Beige Collector Car Color) (1982)

A brown or tan Corvette with manual transmission is one of the best values in the classic Corvette world right now. Browse our 1973–1977 and 1978–1979 Corvettes for the most options in this color family.

Well-preserved examples with automatic transmissions are popular with collectors.

Silver, Gray & Gold Corvettes

Silver has been a Corvette staple since the late 1950s, and the range of shades GM produced is remarkable:

• Inca Silver (1957, 1959), Charcoal (1958), Sateen Silver (1960–1962)
• Code 941 Sebring Silver (1963), code 940 Satin Silver (1964)
• Code QQ Silver Pearl (1965) — continued as code 986 Silver Pearl in 1966 and 1967
• Code 986 Silverstone Silver (1968)
• Code 986 Cortez Silver (1969–1970)
• Code 905 Nevada Silver (1971), code 924 Pewter Silver (1972)
• Code 992 Laguna Gray (1970), code 988 Steel Cities Gray (1971–1972), code 917 Corvette Gray (1974)
• Code 13 Silver / Silver Metallic (1977–1982) — Available every year in the late C3 era
• Code 84 Charcoal Metallic (1981)
• 1981 two-tones: code 33/38 Silver/Dark Blue, code 33/39 Silver/Charcoal, code 50/74 Beige/Dark Bronze
• 1982 two-tones: code 39 Charcoal, code 10/13 White/Silver, code 13/39 Silver/Charcoal, code 24/26 Silver Blue/Dark Blue

Other Unique Shades

A few classic Corvette colors don’t fit neatly into any single family:

• Regal Turquoise (1958)
• Classic Cream and Crown Sapphire (1959)
• Tasco Turquoise and Ermine White (1960)
• Code 989 War Bonnet Yellow (1971)
• Code 945 Blue-Green (1973) — A shade somewhere between the green and blue families

Find Your Rare Color Corvette

These uncommon shades don’t come up for sale every day, and when they do they move fast. If you see something you like in our inventory above, don’t wait. Give us a call at 814-937-4941 to get the full details and hold it before someone else does.

Need help tracking down a specific color or paint code? That’s what we do. We also offer nationwide and international shipping, financing, and you’re always welcome to visit our showroom in Martinsburg, PA by appointment. Use our Corvette search tool to browse everything we have in stock, or sign up for our email list to get notified when new rare-color Vettes arrive.