What Is the Mustang Rainbow of Colors Promotion?

Auto manufacturers and dealers have come up with all types of creative promotions to entice car buyers over the years. One of the more imaginative schemes occurred in the late 1960s and was known as the Mustang Rainbow of Colors promotion. From mid-1968 until well into 1969, Mustang buyers in the western United States had the option to purchase a vehicle in one of 13 bold colors that were quite a departure from the “ordinary” colors such as red, black, blue, or white.

Many “Wild” Colors Were Available

Many Ford dealers in cities such as Los Angeles, Salt City, San Jose, and even Honolulu heavily promoted a special Mustang Rainbow sale where several uniquely colored Mustangs were on display. The dealers typically ordered these Mustangs in groups of ten, and buyers could special-order a Mustang in their preferred color.

The promotion certainly lived up to its name — the choice of available colors spanned the entire color spectrum. Options ranged from Hot Pink, Madagascar Orange, and Dandelion Yellow to Beatnik Blue, Poppy Green, and Flower Power Red. Ford assigned a special paint code to each color. These special-edition Mustangs were built in Ford’s San Jose, CA plant.

Many Rainbow of Colors Vehicles Still Exist Today

While it’s not clear how many of the Rainbow of Colors Mustangs were ultimately produced by Ford, some newspaper advertisements from the era stated that Ford manufactured 500 of these limited-edition vehicles for sale on the West Coast. Many of these vehicles are still in existence today and are owned by Mustang enthusiasts across the USA.

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