paint codes on my 64 Buicks

[ironhunter]

I have a 64 Skylark Sport Coupe and a 64 Super Wildcat Sport Coupe. Both are dark red with white tops and white bucket interiors. There is no paint code on either car, only a star. I was told by a retired dealer here that this was a special order combination that is Pontiac GTO red. I know its not a Buick color, so this makes sense. Yes, it is the factory paint and there is no chip in the 64 colors that match, even close, except the GTO red. All of my 64 sales literature shows red but not this red, and mentions nothing about an available option, or why there would be a star in place of the paint code. Any insight?

[TODD]

Ironhunter, everything that you describe makes sense. As late as 1976, the instructions for dealers on filling out vehicle order forms describe how to order non-standard paint colors, even for a single car. One 1976 example form shows how to order a car with a rose paint shade from a 1956 Cadillac model. This was 20 years later! The main concern was explaining to the customer that an extra charge was involved and there would be a fairly good delay in shipping the car. Don't remember the exact amount, but seems like it was around $100. for custom paint.

[Bob]

I also can confirm that they did custom original colors. My father ordered a brand new Olds 442 in 1969. In '69 they didn't offer the "bright" yellow being placed on the camaros, but that is what he wanted and got with a couple of black hood patches. The next year the color was offered by Olds. It was a real eye catcher for a year though.