The Ford Mustang is fifty years old and over that time it’s seen some colors that have kept their popularity and others that have faded into memory.
A look at the color history of the Ford Mustang shows just how much our preferences have changed over the years. From dark browns and yellows to brighter colors and the perennial favorite, red, Mustangs have come in every color of the rainbow.
You’ll find a shade of red on approximately 21% of Mustangs ever produced making it the number one color choice over the car’s history. Despite being an overall favorite, it’s not actually the most popular color right now for a Ford Mustang.
That honor goes to black which has seen its popularity increase ten percent over the last decade. In 2013, 28% of all Mustangs sold were painted black.
Some colors have seen their popularity rise, fall, and then come back. Blue was once so popular that it adorned 30% of Mustangs back in 1968 and was offered in six different shades with names like Grabber Blue and Kona Blue. Blue fell out of favor in the ’90s but now it’s back and grabbed the number one color spot in 2010.
Some colors lost their appeal so completely that they were discontinued altogether or are only available in limited editions. Green and yellow now only see limited edition status, while the last brown Ford Mustang was built in 1989.
Other limited edition colors have come and gone over the years, but still hold a special place in owners’ hearts. You could buy a Dusty Rose or Playboy Pink Mustang in 1967, color-changing Mystichrome on the 2004 SVT Cobra or walk into a dealer today and pick up a Ford Mustang in Gotta Have It Green.
The colors may seem crazy, but they’re a large part of what makes a car special to owners. There are even car clubs out there devoted to specific colors of Ford Mustangs like the Yellow Mustang Registry which boasts nearly 9,000 members worldwide.
Colors make a car fun, which is why they’re not red or blue or black but Ruby, Sapphire and Midnight. The 50 year history of the Ford Mustang in all its many colors is proof of our color fascination.
I bet a few of you are driving cars with fun color names right now. Mine happens to be Titanium. What’s yours?
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.
