[cal dez rat]

It is a 606 code.

 

[WSSmolick]

It is a 606 code.

606 is for Shoreline Beige / Autumn Bronze. Wow; it appears lighter here than I've seen otherwise. Sweet looking car!

 

[iquitos46]

The Navajo tan somebody mentioned, what number is that?

 

[WSSmolick]

The Navajo tan somebody mentioned, what number is that?

Navajo Tan / India Ivory is 684. Here's a website with all of the '55-'57 Chevy paint codes. I'm surprised at the number of '55 factory "reverse" color combos. 1955, 1956, & 1957 Chevy Colors and Paint Codes (classicindustries.com)

 

[iquitos46]

Thanks. I finally had the sense to bookmark it. Still didn't see a Navajo Tan...nice sounding name though

 

[WSSmolick]

Thanks. I finally had the sense to bookmark it. Still didn't see a Navajo Tan...nice sounding name though

Navajo Tan is in there. It's not a mythical color.

 

[BamaNomad]

606

Shoreline Beige / Autumn Bronze

684

India Ivory / Navajo Tan

 

[CraigV]

My ‘57 Hardtop was originally Harbor Blue on the body with a Larkspur Blue top. Both colors you mentioned were “rare”.
View media item 76284

 

[iquitos46]

The Harbor Blue is my favorite 57 color and my car came out solid Harbor Blue, the PO decided it would sell better if he shot it black. It's too nice to justify a repaint now but when the time comes Old Blue wild become New Blue.

 

[CraigV]

This is a facsimile of what my car originally looked like. A 6 cylinder…..3speed manual.

 

[BamaNomad]

Harbor blue and larkspur blue... and a hardtop..

 

[angs1957]

I had a India ivory/larkspur blue exterior with harbour blue interior trim, great combination

 

[iquitos46]

I had a India ivory/larkspur blue exterior with harbour blue interior trim, great combination

Got any pictures of that? It sounds great.

 

[BamaNomad]

1957 Chevy- Larkspur Blue, India Ivory, and Harbor Blue- Frame Off- 283 Auto for sale

NO RESERVE- Meticulous frame off restoration performed in 1993. Only 4250 miles since. The car needs a new headliner. It has minor rust forming by the lower corners of the windshield, Only the cowl wo

classiccardb.com

 

[iquitos46]

1957 Chevy- Larkspur Blue, India Ivory, and Harbor Blue- Frame Off- 283 Auto for sale

NO RESERVE- Meticulous frame off restoration performed in 1993. Only 4250 miles since. The car needs a new headliner. It has minor rust forming by the lower corners of the windshield, Only the cowl wo

classiccardb.com

View attachment 372238

Nice presentation! He mentions it was changed from surf green for "obvious reasons". Maybe obvious to him but I've seen some surf green cars that looked great to me.

 

[ralph818]

any one happen to have a paint formula for dusk pearl

 

[itsnotabelaire]

How many 55 hardtops have you seen with India white on the front and Inca black in the rear? I usually see it flipped but it’s the originally color combo on my brothers new car

 

[Josed564drht]

I've always been interested in the stock factory colors on our beautiful cars. While I don't know if there might be regional aspects to the number of orders they took on these per color, I thought it might be fun to quiz you originality experts. I'll nominate two or three colors per year as rarest and most common, I am interested in your thoughts. We know Chevy didn't keep track of number of cars produced in each color, but our anecdotal observations must be worth something!

1955
Rare:
Autumn Bronze, solid or in a two-tone
Onyx Black solid or with India Ivory (not super rare but not common)
Shoreline Beige or India Ivory as a solid color
Copper Maroon
Navajo Tan seems fairly rare

Common:
Regal Turquoise/India Ivory
Glacier Blue
Neptune Green
Shadow Gray/Coral (I hesitate to say this great combo was exactly common, but I have seen a fair number of them over the years)

1956
Rare:
Dusk Plum/India Ivory
Inca Silver/Imperial Ivory
Dawn Gray (I'm vague on what this looked like; maybe I've mistaken it for Inca Silver).
India Ivory as a solid color
Onyx Black as a solid color on Bel Airs.

Common:
Matador Red/Ivory or Beige
Sierra Gold/Adobe Beige
Crocus Yellow/Onyx Black- my favorite '56 combo. Not super common, but I've seen a fair number over the years.
Tropical Turquoise/India Ivory

1957
Rare:
Laurel Green with or without Colonial Cream
Coronado Yellow solid or w/India Ivory
Harbor Blue (not super rare but kinda uncommon)
Larkspur Blue (ditto)
Highland Green (ditto)
Surf Green
Adobe Beige as a solid color
India Ivory as a solid color

Common:
Matador Red/India Ivory (on BelAirs, anyway)
Sierra Gold/Adobe Beige
Onyx Black (much more common on '57s than 55 or 56 I think)
Tropical Turquoise/India Ivory
Canyon Coral/India Ivory
Colonial Cream/India Ivory
Dusk Pearl/Imperial Ivory

Note that color I listed first above is main body color, second is top or contrast color. And in this era a solid color of any kind is rarer than a two-tone, except for the 150s.

Of interest to me also are possibility that certain colors are more common on certain models or bodies. For example, for awhile it seemed to me that every 1957 210 four-door sedan was Canyon Coral, whereas you would rarely see a Bel-Air Sport Coupe in that color. Also, Matador Red was often found on Sport Coupes but seemed rare on 150s.

Onyx Black seemed much more popular in 1957 than '55 or '56. Of course the speed streak on '57 BelAirs looks great on Black cars.

What do you guys think? Give me your rarest/commonest colors by year!

I have a 1956 chevy bel air 4dr ht in paint code India ivory for the whole care. I've always thought myself that It was rare.

 

[gotta56forme]

How many 55 hardtops have you seen with India white on the front and Inca black in the rear? I usually see it flipped but it’s the originally color combo on my brothers new car

I have seen one. A guy who went by the handle CNBELL on another website redid one he found, not too long before he passed. I think he was from California. It's the only one I remember seeing. It had a gray & ivory interior. Beautiful car.

I have a 1956 chevy bel air 4dr ht in paint code India ivory for the whole care. I've always thought myself that It was rare.

All white (Ivory) cars - a couple of comments... In the late 70's, early 80's, during highschool and college, I worked at the Bismarck Sears store as a service writer. One of the mechanics there told me some trivia about paint. Two details stuck with me all these years later, although I can't vouch for the accuracy. He told me 1) white paint was the quickest to rust through (based on what, I don't know), and 2) red paint was the most expensive because supposedly the pigment for red paint only came from one place on earth (I think he said Africa, but that I don't remember so clearly). And...

I've seen few original all white Ivory) tri-fives (and other 50's era cars) in all my years. But, I spot them more frequently than I would predict when I'm looking at vintage photos, or watching street scenes in old movies.

One of the most interesting all white tri-fives I remember seeing was an original paint India Ivory (only) '56 convertible for sale on *bay about 10 years ago or so. Usually the '56 Belairs beg to be two-tones with their distinctive side trim, but I have seen a number of single tone '56 Belairs of various models in photos or at shows.

Lastly, it goes back much farther in this thread, but I have seen two all Dusk Pearl '57 2dr HTs in my life, and one all Sierra Gold '57 2dr sedan. The first DP '57 I saw as a much younger man, and still stands out for me as the most beautiful '57 2dr HT I've seen in my entire life. The 2nd one I saw was in photos, taken by the guy I bought my first '56 Belair from. He found it after he sold me my '56, owned it a short while, then sold it to someone in Australia, IIRC. It was an original unrestored car, that was a little tired looking, but still in good condition for an all original car. Lastly, the all Sierra Gold '57 I saw, was from many years ago, and I've never seen another.

One more. Perhaps one of the most uniquely colored original tri-fives I ever remember seeing was a '56 sedan delivery in my hometown in NDakota, when I was in my teens & twenties. It had been purchased new I believe in adobe beige, with matador red roof. Local lore was everyone in town chased that old man around to buy his one-owner car and he wasn't selling. I'm to understand he had been some sort of service guy (TV repair? Plumber? Carpenter?) and that was what he used the car for until he retired. I still remember seeing that weathered old man behind the wheel of it whenever I saw the car. I don't know if I've ever seen another tri-five chev in original red over tan colors since.

I've always payed attention to the original colors and I could go on with other examples I witnessed, but this has gotten long.

Gotta56forme/Scott

 

[wagonman100]

I don’t know why either, but I’ve also noticed that white cars seem to rust more easily. I know that there used to something in green hues long ago, pre-90s, that made them less prone to rust.