When you’re a fan of modern-day Dodge Chargers and Challengers, then you definately in all probability love how Dodge has dug into its bin of historical past and provided a choose variety of hues from the previous: Plum Loopy, Go Mango, Hemi Orange, Elegant, Inexperienced Go, B5 Blue and F8 Inexperienced. Most have puny names which will elicit a guffaw or snicker, however the latter two seem awkward — what’s the deal?
All of it has to do with the best way Chrysler Company coded colours beginning in 1969. Previous to the 1969 model 12 months, Chrysler had a specific methodology to suggest a automotive’s assembly-line construct utilizing a broadcast sheet (aka “construct sheet”) and fender tag (aka “information plate”); starting in 1969, Chrysler began utilizing a unique coding system that generally used three characters utilizing letters and numbers. To a layperson, this method is far simpler to grasp.
For instance, V-codes point out a collection of stripes and/or trim that normally contain shade. V6W is a longitudinal decal (6) in white (W), just like the “C-stripe” stripe on a 1970 Dodge Tremendous Bee. V7X is a painted longitudinal stripe (7) in black (X), which might be twin accent stripes for a 1970 Plymouth Sport Satellite tv for pc. V8B could be a bumblebee decal (8) in blue (B) for a 1970 Dodge Tremendous Bee. V9F could be a painted bumblebee stripe (9) in yellow (Y) for a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T.
| First Character | Second Character | Third Character | Stripe Colour and Kind |
| V | 6 | W | White longitudinal decal |
| V | 7 | X | Black longitudinal paint |
| V | 8 | B | Blue bumblebee decal |
| V | 9 | Y | Yellow bumblebee paint |
Notice how they’re grouped by place (longitudinal or rear) and materials (decal or paint). And in relation to colours, you’ll be able to see X is black, W is white, B is blue, Y is yellow (or gold). There are different shade codes, reminiscent of A for silver, F for inexperienced, Ok for orange, E for purple, J for vibrant inexperienced, T for tan, L for beige and Q for turquoise, amongst others.
Now that you simply perceive shade codes, what concerning the numbers in B5 and F8? They signify the lightness or darkness of a specific shade, with 9 being darkish and 1 being gentle. Understanding what you realize now, you’ll be able to infer that B5 is a medium blue, whereas F8 is a darkish inexperienced. In 1970, there additionally was a lighter B3 and darker B7, in addition to a lighter F4.
Prepared for me to complicate issues a bit? Maybe you might have seen colours with three characters — for instance, for the 1970 model 12 months, Chrysler added an additional character in entrance of shade codes. What beforehand was B5 or F8 was now often known as EB5 or EF8. What did that E stand for? The 12 months the colour was launched. E stood for 1969, F was 1970 and G was 1971. It’s value noting that the B5 formulation was adjusted barely for 1971 and, subsequently, any medium blue after 1970 was coded GB5. Older colours like L1 (beige) turned BL1, with the B signifying 1966 as its origin 12 months; Y3 (cream) turned DY3 to suggest a 1968 debut.
So, lastly, what’s so particular about B5 and F8 for Dodge to single them out by code fairly than title? B5 was Shiny Blue (Dodge) or Blue Fireplace (Plymouth) and a highly regarded shade. F8 was Darkish Inexperienced or Ivy Inexperienced, respectively, and likewise was fairly common. Collectors of traditional Mopars typically check with sure colours by their codes, so Dodge’s advertising division seized upon that cultural level for the trendy period. Each colours haven’t aged a bit and look nice on late-model Mopars, however now you realize from the place these bizarre shade names got here.
