The 1963–1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (C2) is a classic design whose styling holds up well today. One reason for that was the selection of attractive paint choices. Let’s take a look at an array of C2 Corvettes in the full range of factory color options, and see how popular they were when they were new.
1963 Corvette
1963 was the first year of the C2 Corvette, and the only year of this generation for which complete color production totals aren’t available. There were seven factory color choices, but production totals are only available for three of them, which when added together account for only 11,603 of the 21,513 Corvettes built that year.
Three of the initial batch of C2 colors were named for raceways: Riverside Red, Daytona Blue, and Sebring Silver (with the latter available only at extra cost). The others were Silver Blue, Tuxedo Black, and Ermine White. Here’s what they all looked like:
Riverside Red
James Schefter’s 1996 book on the development of the C5 Corvette proclaimed All Corvettes Are Red. That wasn’t true of the C2, although red was popular. There are no production totals for Riverside Red in 1963, but almost 24 percent of buyers ordered it in 1964, and I’d be startled if the 1963 figure was under 20 percent.
Silver Blue
These light blues really flatter the Sting Ray — they have more character than white, but they’re more forgiving of surface imperfections on the fiberglass body than a darker color, or black.
It’s not known how many 1963 buyers felt the same way; no production total is available for Silver Blue.
Daytona Blue
Speaking of dark colors: Daytona Blue looked very good on the C2, at least from 20 feet … but even on a factory-fresh example, it might have shown off uneven finish more than one would like, and I fear it would look dirty almost as fast as black.
Still, 3,475 buyers ordered Daytona Blue in 1963, 16.2 percent of production.
Sebring Silver
Silver is so common on modern cars and trucks that it barely registers today, but it wasn’t that common on American cars of the ’60s. Ordering Sebring Silver on a 1963 Corvette cost an extra $80.70, but it really brings out the curves and creases of the Sting Ray design, making it look like something special.
I think this one also benefits from the eye-popping red interior, which adds a dramatic contrast with the silver exterior.
A total of 3,516 buyers ordered Sebring Silver, 16.3 percent of 1963 production.
Saddle Tan
I’m not so wild about this one: It’s different, so if you wanted a Corvette that didn’t look like every other Corvette, it had its pluses, but I’m not it looks right.
For my money, Saddle Tan looked better on the inside than the outside.
No 1963 production figures are available for this exterior color, but Saddle Tan returned for 1964, so it can’t have been a complete sales rout.
Tuxedo Black
Uncontroversial, classy, but unforgiving, Tuxedo Black looked very handsome on a Sting Ray … if it was clean, and if the quality of the finish was in good nick, which, sadly, wasn’t always the case even for newly delivered cars. I also have mixed feelings about the detachable hardtop, a $236.75 option ordered by 5,739 of the 10,919 people who bought Sting Ray convertibles in 1963: The notchback profile it creates is an interesting change of pace from the fastback split-window coupe, but from some angles, it does make the Corvette look like it has a crew cut.
There are no 1963 production totals for Tuxedo Black, but I’d guess something between 1,800 and 2,000 cars.
Ermine White
White was becoming a very popular choice on bigger American cars (by 1965, it would be the most common Impala color). On sedans, it could seem rather milquetoast, and even now, ordering a truck or van in white tends to make you look like a delivery driver. Somehow, Ermine White managed to seem racier on a C2 Corvette — you wouldn’t be surprised to see numbers painted on the doors.
Alas, no 1963 production figures are available for Ermine White.
1964 Corvette
For 1964, all of the 1963 colors carried over except Sebring Silver, which was replaced by a different shade called Satin Silver, no longer an extra-cost option.
Satin Silver
Satin Silver was more blue, which didn’t “pop” the way Sebring Silver did, and I find it a bit less appealing than Silver Blue on these cars.
Incidentally, while the 1964 Corvette deleted the controversial split window, many buyers shunned the coupe in favor of the convertible, which outsold coupes by 13,925 cars to 8,304 in 1964.
Of those 22,229 Corvette buyers, 2,785 ordered Satin Silver, 12.5 percent of 1964 production.
Here’s how the other color choices fared in 1964:
- Riverside Red: 5,274 cars (23.7 percent)
- Silver Blue: 3,121 cars (14.0 percent)
- Daytona Blue: 3,454 cars (15.5 percent)
- Saddle Tan: 1,765 cars (7.9 percent)
- Tuxedo Black: 1,897 cars (8.5 percent)
- Ermine White: 3,909 cars (17.6 percent)
- Other (non-standard special orders): 24 cars
1965 Corvette
The 1965 model year brought four-wheel disc brakes, the optional Turbo Jet 396 big block engine, and a shake-up of color choices. All of the previous paint options were dropped except Tuxedo Black and Ermine White, and yellow and green joined the lineup.
Rally Red
I’d have to see a Rally Red ’65 parked next to a Riverside Red ’64 to decide how to characterize the difference, which I can’t really discern either from memory or from photos. (Given corporate management’s determination to crack down on under-the-table racing support, I can’t help but wonder if somebody at Chevrolet decided naming paint colors after racetracks was a little too provocative, so maybe the change was mostly the name?)
Corvette buyers weren’t as enthusiastic about red this year: 3,688 customers (15.6 percent of 1965 production) ordered Rally Red.
Goldfire Yellow
Yellow tends to be a divisive color for cars and trucks, and it looks better on some models than others. Goldwood Yellow was a well-considered shade: There was a lot of white undertone, which I think made it look classier than some brighter, louder yellows.
However, 1965 Corvette buyers were not persuaded — only 1,275 ordered Goldwood Yellow, 5.4 percent of production.
Glen Green
By contrast, Glen Green was the second-most-popular color choice in 1965. It was ordered by 3,782 buyers (16.1 percent of production), making it slightly more popular than Rally Red.
That popularity surprises me, because Glen Green seems less common today than a lot of other C2 colors. Personally, I think it was the right color on the wrong car — it would have been a knockout on a ’65 Riviera or even a Malibu Super Sport, but maybe not on a Sting Ray.
Nassau Blue
Nassau Blue, on the other hand, looked just right on the C2 Corvette: bright but not loud, attractive in many different lighting conditions.
Buyers felt so too: Nassau Blue was the most popular 1965 Corvette color, ordered by 6,022 customers (25.6 percent of production).
Milano Maroon
Milano Maroon strikes me as a not-altogether-successful experiment. It looks good in some lighting and from some angles, but not so great from others. The dilemma this color posed on the Corvette was that the sharp creases and dramatic curves of the Sting Ray body made it harder to get a good angle — I think it would look better on a more rounded shape, like the 1968–1972 GM A-body coupes.
Buyers seemed to like it, though. Milano Maroon was ordered on 2,831 cars this year (12.0 percent of 1965 production).
Silver Pearl
Silver Pearl replaced Satin Silver for 1965, but this more grayish hue wasn’t as popular.
Only 2,552 buyers ordered Silver Pearl in 1965, 10.8 percent of production.
Here’s how the other choices fared for 1965:
- Tuxedo Black: 1,191 cars (5.1 percent)
- Ermine White: 2,216 cars (9.4 percent)
- Other (non-standard special orders): 5 cars
1966 Corvette
For 1966, Nassau Blue, Rally Red, Milano Maroon, Silver Pearl, Tuxedo Black, and Ermine White all returned, but there were four new color choices:
Sunfire Yellow
The brighter, yellower Sunfire Yellow replaced Goldwood Yellow for 1966, and was much more popular. Unlike Glen Green, Sunfire Yellow also seems to be quite common on modern survivors. I’m not that fond of it: In bright light, like the photos above and below, it has a chalky quality that tends to accentuate the shapes of the C2 body in unflattering ways. A good color can make a blah-looking car appealing; a bad color can make even a Sting Ray look awkward.
Sunfire Yellow was ordered by 2,339 Corvette buyers in 1966, 8.4 percent of production
Mosport Green
Glen Green sold so well in 1965 that I’m surprised Chevrolet discontinued it after only a single year, but its replacement, called Mosport Green, which looked much better on the Corvette, didn’t go over very well. It’s too bad, as this was one of the classiest colors ever seen on a Corvette, with a pleasingly icy sheen.
Contemporary buyers weren’t as enthusiastic as I am about Mosport Green — 2,311 ordered their Corvettes in this color, 8.3 percent of 1966 production.
Laguna Blue
An attractive dark blue (though not as dark as the discontinued Daytona Blue), Laguna Blue wasn’t as flattering on the Sting Ray as the brighter Nassau Blue, and it didn’t sell as well.
Laguna Blue was ordered by 2,054 buyers in 1966, 7.4 percent of production.
Trophy Blue
The lighter Trophy Blue looked better on the C2 than Laguna Blue did, but it was perhaps a little too similar to the brighter Nassau Blue to stand out, so it was rare.
Only 1,463 Corvette buyers ordered Trophy Blue in 1966, 6.8 percent of production, and it was dropped after this one year.
Here’s how the other color choices fared for 1966. As you can see, Nassau Blue was once again the most popular Corvette color by a comfortable margin:
- Rally Red: 3,366 cars (12.1 percent)
- Nassau Blue: 6,100 cars (22.0 percent)
- Milano Maroon: 3,799 cars (13.7 percent)
- Silver Pearl: 2,967 cars (10.7 percent)
- Tuxedo Black: 1,190 cars (4.3 percent)
- Ermine White: 2,120 cars (7.6 percent)
- Other (non-standard special orders): 11 cars
1967 Corvette
1967 was the last year of the C2 Corvette. There were five new color choices, but the existing Rally Red, Sunfire Yellow, Silver Peal, Tuxedo Black, and Ermine White options carried over. Here are the new colors:
Goodwood Green
While I would have mourned the loss of Mosport Green for 1967, Corvette fans loved the new, darker Goodwood Green.
In fact, Goodwood Green was the most popular 1967 color choice: 4,293 Corvette buyers ordered it, 18.7 percent of production.
Elkhart Blue
Except for its odd name, Elkhart Blue might have been the best-looking of the light metallic blues offered on the C2: cooler than Trophy Blue, a bit richer than Silver Blue. In 1967, however, it sold about as well as ice pops during a blizzard.
Only 1,096 Corvette buyers ordered Elkhart Blue (4.8 percent of production), making it the second-least-popular color choice in 1967.
Lynndale Blue
Another less-than-mellifluous name for a shade of metallic blue that to my eyes just didn’t look right on the Sting Ray, Lynndale Blue was somewhat more popular than Elkhart Blue, but not by much.
Only 1,381 Corvette buyers ordered Lynndale Blue in 1967, 6.0 percent of production.
Marina Blue
My hands-down favorite of 1967 color choices, Marina Blue was also the second favorite of Corvette customers, who seemed to regard it as a satisfactory substitute for the popular but discontinued Nassau Blue.
Marina Blue was specified by 3,840 Corvette buyers in 1967, 16.7 percent of production.
Marlboro Maroon
Marlboro Maroon, which replaced the somewhat lighter, redder Milano Maroon for 1967, looked a bit better on the Sting Ray, and was surprisingly popular.
Marlboro Maroon was ordered by 3,464 Corvette buyers in 1967. Although it went on fewer cars than Milano Maroon had in 1966, it accounted for a bigger percentage of ’67 production: 15.1 percent, making it the third most popular choice.
Here’s how the other color choices fared in 1967:
- Rally Red: 2,341 cars (10.2 percent)
- Sunfire Yellow: 2,325 cars (10.1 percent)
- Silver Pearl: 1,952 cars (8.5 percent)
- Tuxedo Black: 815 cars (3.6 percent)
- Ermine White: 1,423 cars (6.2 percent)
- Other (non-standard special orders): 10 cars
Take Your Pick
Color preferences are perhaps the most subjective area of automotive styling: One person’s must-have favorite color may have someone else reaching for the airsickness bag, and people with red-green color blindness or other forms of color vision deficiency may (literally) not see what all the fuss is about. Nonetheless, the C2 Corvette offered a nice array of choices, and while some were preferable to others, there were few real duds. Given the extroverted high-performance character of the Sting Ray, most of its color choices were surprisingly restrained and quite tasteful — nothing like the loud, gaudy Chrysler “High Impact” colors of a few years later, although those have their own charm.
Which would you choose if you could order a C2 Corvette however you wanted?
Related Reading
1963 Corvette Sting Ray Split-Window Fastback: And Where Exactly Did That Come From? (by Paul N)
Vintage M/T Review: Fuel-Injected 1964 Corvette Sting Ray – Serious Performance For Weekend Warriors (by me)
Curbside Classic: 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible – Float like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Ray (by Tatra87)
Vintage M/T Review: 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Convertible – A Walk On The Mild(er) Side (by me)
Vintage Ads: 1965 and 1966 Corvette – When Copywriters Were Real Writers (by Paul N)
Curbside Classic Driving Impressions: 1967 Corvette L79 327/350 Convertible – A 50 Year-Old Dream Fulfilled (by Paul N)
Joe Biden’s 1967 convertible (327-300/4 Speed) is Goodwood Green. Given he was already 62 when Mean Girls was released in 2004, most assumed it must have been an intern who in 2022 provided the intelligence: (1) that October 3 is “Mean Girls Day” and (2) “Get in loser, we’re going shopping” is there for political re-purposing.
In any color, the C2 looks so much better as a convertible than a fastback to me. There’s just too much going on in the coupe – scoops, bulges, cut lines, and of course the boattail. And the shape just looks oddly bulbous from some angles, yet it’s undeniably striking from others. The droptop looks good from any angle.
As for which color I’d order, I’m liking the Mosport Green, an elegant, stately color I’d more expect to find on a luxury sedan than a Corvette, yet it looks good here – different, distinctive, unexpected, yet normal enough not to stand out for all the wrong reasons. Close your eyes and think to yourself: “sports car”. Whichever car comes to mind for you, I’m guessing it’s not light metallic green.
Agree, convertible wins the looks challenge over the fastback.
Late to comment but I feel the same way, the convertible looks timeless.
I disagree with “All Corvettes Are Red”, but I will declare all Corvettes are convertibles!
I really enjoyed this. Imagine if there were enough survivors to run a similar thread showing examples in each color offered for every car written about on curbside.
I enjoyed this article, thanks for putting it together!
I think I lean towards the following in order of preference:
1. Marina Blue
2. Mosport Green
3. Goodwood Green
Owning and taking pictures of a truck that’s painted a dark blurple (by the previous owner) I’ve learned that dark colors can make lighting very difficult unless you’ve got your own car-sized studio to shoot in. I think Marina Blue does an excellent job of accentuating the design of the car from each angle, and it’s period-correct.
I really like the Mosport Green. It’s a shade darker (more green) than the even lighter hue of my 1985 BMW K100 motorcycle, which was called Madison. As for white, I like white cars but it doesn’t work for me on the C2. Last week I saw a white C7 at the gas station and it looked really nice, with the black trim used on those cars. Not so good with the C2’s chrome, to my eyes. Thanks for an interesting and colorful post.
I love the 1965 Glen Green – it is similar to the color of the 64 Cutlass I grew up in. I’m not normally a silver car guy, but that silver 63 is lovely!
I imagine many of these colors were shared across the Chevrolet line?
It’s funny how many Corvettes are restored with the owner’s favorite color at the time of restoration. This is probably why I have never seen a Saddle Tan 63 or a Mosport Green 66.
I recall the Goodwood Green roadster I saw sitting in the showroom of Tom Henry Chevrolet in Bakerstown, PA the summer of ‘67 when my grandmother had her ‘65 Monza in being serviced; I though it was the best looking Corvette ever built! Nothing in the subsequent 57 years has appeared to disabuse me of that notion.
Aaron, I really enjoy your research. Thanks!
For me it’s easier to choose the colors I really don’t like than the color I would have ordered. I was an undergrad 63-37 and as such all were unattainable.
Dave
My 1963 convertible was born in Silver Blue. A prior owner believed that “All Corvettes are Red” and had it repainted, probably along with some evident bodywork, in Riverside Red.
This was a treat; as a fan of the C2 I’ve never really stopped to properly consider all the colors in various years. That silver ’63 makes it quite apparent that Bill Mitchell used that color for the ’59 Stingray racer that was the genesis of the C2. And of course there’s that picture of him with it in his red suit and hat to match its red interior.
I (and the C2 too, it seems) favor the lighter colors and often those with silver in it. I rather like the Mosport Green. And Elkhart Blue, and others. But I also fell for Marina Blue, as blue is my favorite color.
Speaking of 1963, was the price for Sebring Silver really $80.70? While it certainly looks terrific, that’s a huge chunk of money for a specific color back then and I’m wondering if it’s a typo.
It’s not. I’m looking at the Chevrolet price list for June 14, 1963, and it says, “Paint, Exterior: Sebring Silver: $80.70; all other colors: N.C.”
As a point of comparison, when Cadillac began offering its fancier “Firemist” colors in this era, they charged $134 for them. The paint itself was more expensive, I think.
Mosport Green or one of the lighter blues for me (Silver Blue, Trophy Blue, Elkhart Blue)…
Daytona Blue is my pick.
Goldwood yellow is my favorite. Yellow looks good on all shapely Bill Mitchell era GM cars. There is something about metallic paint on a plastic bodied car that just seems slightly wrong to me.
I’m going to assume Glen Green is named for Scottish Glens, and is Chevrolet’s riff on British Racing Green, Scotland being part of Great Britain, after all.
I like it, but I’m partial to dark greens, my first car was a 1974 Chevrolet in “medium metallic green” which was darker than the name implies.
Interestingly, Chevrolet offered a Glen Green in the late 1950s (at least in 1958, possibly other years) as well, but that was a much lighter, almost turquoise color:
I’d presume Glen Green was a nod to Watkins Glen, following along with Chevy’s penchant for naming Corvette colors for famous contemporary road racing venues at which Corvettes were raced.
Porsche called their darker green paint “Irish Green” in this period.
Wonder what the non-standard speciel order colors were.
I was thinking just that myself.
Perhaps Pink. For Elvis or a high-earning Mary Kay participant?
I`m not choosy when it comes to colors on the `63 through `67 Corvette. I`ll take ANY color on ANY Corvette. Personally, I like navy blue with a gold-ish interior like the 1-25 th scale Revell model `63 convertible I built a few years ago. Maybe not an available interior color on the real deal, but it DOES look nice.
I like the ’65 Goldwood Yellow, but I probably would have picked the stunning Nassau Blue. To me, Goldwood Yellow looks very, very similar to the ’65 Crocus Yellow that showed up on other Chevy cars. I’ve seen brochure page scans that show a ’65 Impala in Crocus Yellow, but looking far more saturated than what I remember in real life. My brother bought a ’65 Corvair Corsa in Crocus Yellow and black interior that I thought was gorgeous.
Here’s a blurry photo of that Corvair.
My ’66 427/425 roadster was Nassau blue – my favorite color on a C2 and the color I had always dreamed about having. I love blues and love the name of that color, so was overjoyed to find an affordable C2 in that hue(y).
The ’63 fuelie looks great in Tuxedo which makes the red interior really pop. It’s a really striking combination.
If I had been able to order new I would definitely have chosen Nassau in ’66 and either the black, or silver in ’63, both with the red interior to prevent looking too formal.
A colleague at GM showed me pictures of the ’63 he had ordered new in Saddle Tan, which really gives the car a different vibe.
Lynndale blue would have been my choice in ’67 – such a sophisticated color and really nice how the highlites pop in the sun.
The colors I do not like on C2s are the non metallic reds and the Sunfire yellow, which make it look too plasticky….
I’m going to have to go with Glen or Goodwood Green (I’m leaning toward Goodwood). And I actually prefer the not-convertible. The boat tail is just so unique that I think that if I had to have one of these, I’d opt for the hardtop.
I don’t know if I’ve seen either of the greens in real life…but they both remind me of Hot Wheels cars from the times. That’s a good thing.
I do like the “Goodwood Green”, but damn, what a silly name for a color.
(So many car colors had goofy names though, so maybe it’s not that bad).
I’d take any of em. Some of those prices for these though… 200K? Nice as they are, I don’t think I’d pay that, even if I could.
What a great write-up. Thank you for posting!
It’s the blues and greens for me. I wouldn’t be too picky. Came close many years ago to buying a ’67 327/350 coupe in Goodwood Green. I thought it looked terrific, adding a tad bit of subtlety to an otherwise flamboyant car.
Given Chevy’s penchant for using famous contemporary race track venue names for some Corvette colors, Goodwood and Glen Green were no doubt named for the famed English Goodwood and Watkins Glen, NY circuits, respectively; and Elkhart Blue was likely a nod to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the location of Road America, aka “America’s National Park of Speed”.
Aaron, are you going to do a similar write up on C3 Corvettes? I currently have a ’70 Corvette LT-1 coupe in Laguna Gray, an intriguing metallic green-blue silver color.
Goodwood Green for me.
My favorite car color is blue, so I’d choose Nassau Blue, Marina Blue, and Silver Blue in that order for the C2.
I also like Mosport Green and Goldwood Yellow.
Why can’t we have such varied color choices today?
Years ago I responded to a Tom Klockau post on the 63 Fastback on CC: “I have a very clear memory of the first 63 Sting Ray split-window coupe I saw in Fort Wayne, IN at age 13. That silver blue car was so stunning it seemed not to belong on the same streets with ordinary cars.” I don’t know if I realized the color officially was Silver Blue but the color seemed perfect at the time and still does.
All Corvettes Are (Rally) Red!
Perhaps it’s the rarity but I actually really like Lynndale Blue. I agree with most of the assessments of flattering or unflattering shades of colors but I think that one has all the flattering traits as the light silver-blues but darker and certainly more unique.
That said I would still probably pick Marina Blue.
Silver Blue, Mosport Green and Glen Green in descending order. I simply can’t stand the reds and maroons on thise style car. Interior color can be so important too, not evey interior had to be black.
Lynndale blue for me please. Aaron thank you for bring these paint comparisons in full living color!