GTO vs Firebird Color Take Rate Comparison
 

I compared my listings of GTO and Firebird (not counting Judges or TA's) and noticed some interesting similarities and differences. First number is Firebird percentage and second is GTO:

Color Fbird GTO
Starlight Black 1.2% 4.4%
Mayfair Maize 0.6% 5.4%
Cameo White 8.0% 4.5%
Liberty Blue 1.2% 9.2%
Matador Red 10.4% 9.9%
Warwick Blue 6.7% 6.0%
Crystal Turquoise 1.2% 5.0%
Midnight Green 5.5% 8.3%
Limelight Green 8.0% 8.9%
Expresso Brown 3.7% 5.2%
Champagne 3.1% 1.0%
Antique Gold 4.9% 6.1%
Burgundy 3.1% 3.1%
Palladium Silver 5.5% 5.2%
Carousel Red 14.1% 2.3%
Verdoro Green 5.5% 12.7%
Goldenrod Yellow 6.7% 0.3%
Windward Blue 9.2% 1.2%

Note that Carousel Red was a standard color on Firebird but was extra cost on GTO and not even offered half the year. Also note that there are quite a bit less non TA Firebirds in the listing (163) versus the non Judge GTO's (609).

The totals don't quite add up to 100% because of the occasional document that has an illegible paint code.

A big part of the reason for the higher take rate on Firebird for extra cost colors like Windward Blue and Goldenrod Yellow is that the Firebird had an option price of only $12.64 for those colors or Carousel Red while on the GTO those three colors (except on The Judge for Carousel Red) cost $115.85 ($100.05 on convertibles).

Wasn't Hugger Orange and Carousel Red the same color? IIRC Hugger Orange was one of the more popular colors for 69 Camaros.. Might explain the price difference...
and of course there was less sheet metal to cover.

Thanks. That's interesting to see. Over the years, owners have asked about those percentages for 1st Gen Firebirds. How many cars in your sample? And, are the percentages for just '69 since the colors and your list of Pontiacs are for '69?

69 only and there are 163 69 Firebirds in the database (I excluded TA's).

Most colors were the same as at chevrolet but with different codes. In that era each division (Buick Chevy, Olds, Pontiac) would typically get two exclusive colors each year, the rest were shared. The two Pontiac exclusives in 69 IIRC were Windward Blue and Verdoro Green.

That's a good size sample. I had not noticed before that Pontiac started using the Chevy Matador Red name in '69 for code R rather then Solar Red. I still have an old touch-up can with all three GM "R" names; Solar, Matador and Scarlet.

Edit: Now that I look at it, GM may have had a different Matador Red for '69 then the Matador/Solar/Scarlet color in '68. I'll have to study that.

Ahh, the good old days when vehicles sold in colors rather than shades of gray, black and white.

Matador 69 code 52 (Chevy Garnet Red) was much darker than 68 Solar and had a purplish hue under certain lighting. Must had some blue tint in it. I've owned both

Looking at the '69 color char, I can now see that difference.