The 1970s were an unusual time by just about any standards. A time of major changes and new ideas. Look no further than the cars of at the beginning and end of that decade. From their sizes to their shapes to their shifting emphasis from efficiency to performance, no other era transformed so radically or rapidly.
Despite all the heavy changes brought on by high fuel prices and new regulations, you may also recall something particularly light and cheery about those times. Color. Starting in the late ‘60s, designers started experimenting with wild new hues, perhaps inspired by psychedelic themes of the days’ youth movements. Whatever they were dropping for mind-expanding motivation, the color palettes got decidedly more groovy.
By the mid ‘70s, everyone seemed to have reached peak color, which got us thinking about the current season. So we jumped back in time to look at the fall-like colors that filled the showrooms of 1973. Here are some of our favorites, along with a reference to where you might see the same tones in nature this time of year. Who knows, maybe that’s how the designers came up with these colors in the first place.
Check them out for yourself by jumping onto the Eastwood OEM Select color finder tool, or maybe hunt for something from another season entirely to inspire your next project.
Porsche Burgundy Red – This deep shade of red includes slightly purple undertones, unique for a German sports car of the time. Much darker (and far less popular) than the Porsche’s signature Guards Red, the overall appearance of a Burgundy Red 911 closely resembles that of a sugar maple leaf late in its color change.
Ford Burnt Orange – The name is practically synonymous with “autumn” all by itself. Softly muted and a bit darker than a summertime tangerine, the tones are familiar to anyone who likes candy corn. It’s perfect for a classic F-100 pickup, but made the rounds on plenty of other models in the day. Out in nature, you might find the same color in the leaf of a hawthorn tree as it transitions.
Dodge Aztec Gold – All kinds of cars were painted various shades of gold in the ‘70s, with the color even making its way onto the full-size Charger. Aztec Gold, like many of these fall colors, is a bit more muted than other variations that tended toward being more brilliant. The leaves of an English oak are a close match, with slightly red undertones accenting a mostly golden-tan field.
Corvette Yellow – A prelude of sunnier times ahead, the ’73 Corvette was offered in this brilliant (if not brilliantly named) shade. Not unlike Ferrari’s Fly Yellow, which the Italians occasionally applied to the Corvette’s spiritual rival, the 365 GTB/4 coupe, better known as the Daytona. It gave America’s sports car a particular flair that seemed right for the times, even if that year’s Vette was a fairly neutered version of its recent predecessors. Nature likes the color too, turning birch leaves the same shade as the seasons change.
Land Rover Lincoln Green – The earliest Range Rovers were bathed in festive colors including Tuscan Blue and Bahama Gold, but one of the most British colors (colours?) in the palette was Lincoln Green. Light and sagey, it was a fresh take on the traditional Bronze Green seen on early series Land Rover models. With its yellow undertones, it’s a close match to the leaves of an elm tree just as they start to turn.
