[ponchjoe]

What can we discern from the data plate below?
69 GP, parchment interior, but what’s the - E for paint?

Thanks

[johnta1]

Not real sure (it being a GP) but I think it is Green?
(the dash is special paint probably for lower half)

[north]

287 is indeed standard (knitted look vinyl) parchment buckets. The dash on the lower color spot on the tag indicates a "special-order" color (not to be confused with the three GP-only "extra cost" paint colors any of these would have a code on the tag).

The E signifies that the upper body had a parchment Cordova top (vinyl roof). The Parchment vinyl top option was not the same color as the Ivory convertible top that year). Any indication looking at the car what the lower body color would have been?

On the PHS the special order paint option code was SPS versus SPR for extra cost paint

This car has special order paint which typically means a color offered on other GM cars that year but not offered on Pontiacs that year, or a color from recent previous model years.

By the way the SPR three extra cost colors exclusive to the GP were:
86-Claret Red (a redwine type of color)
88-Nocturne Blue (a very dark blue)
89-Castilian Bronze (brownish red)

Additionally, they were three SPR extra cost paints offered on 69 Firebirds (87-Windward Blue, 72-Carousel Red and 76-Goldenrod Yellow). These three colors were also offered on A and B and G body cars but as SPS instead of SPR

The distinction between SPR and SPS was important and shows up in pricing:

Firebird: SPR=$12.64, SPS=$115.85 or $100.05 on convertible or vinyl top car
A and B body: SPR=not offered, SPS=$115.85 or $100.05 on convertible or vinyl top car
G body: SPR=$=$12.64, SPS=$115.85 with or without a vinyl top

I imagine the reason the GP didn't get the discount on SPS with a vinyl top was because the Halo roof design meant that the whole thing needed painting. The GTO could only be ordered with SPS in the three above mentioned colors, 72, 76, 87, this due to the complex painting method for the Endura front bumper. Logically this would be the case for the B bodies as well but there is no documentation to support it. For what it is worth I've seen 69 B bodies with these 3 colors (72-76-87) but I've never seen one with a dash on the trim tag. While the 69 Firebird did have the painted Lexan headlight surrounds, I have seen firebirds with not coded SPS colors, perhaps these Lexan surrounds could be painted normally?

If that is not confusing enough the Firebird was supposed (as indicated in various early print factory brochures and documents) to have 72-76-87 as part of the palette of standard colors but instead 10-Starlight Black, 40-Mayfair Maize and 61-Expresso Brown were SPR (despite being standard colors on all other 69 Pontiacs.) I've never seen an example of a 69 Bird painted 10, 40 or 61 and charged SPR or a car with 72, 76 or 87 that wasn't billed as SPR so perhaps this never actually happened or was changed very early in the year. There was a sales bulletin announcing the change but it isn't clear if it took effect before production began.

[johnta1]

I found my notes and it is parchment. Thanks for the data, North.

[ponchjoe]

Sorry guys, didn’t have notifications on.
Thanks for the info, I’m being told the car was pink with “white” top. It’s too far to check all the areas that might yield the truth. Maybe a Mary Kay car??