Get H.I.P. to Mopar’s High Impact Muscle Car Colors

The late 1960s were a time of huge cultural shifts, as witnessed by radical changes in music, fashion, and design. The continuation of the Eisenhower-era’s restrained, conservative aesthetic gave way to miniskirts, psychedelia, and wild colors by decade’s end. The youth movement was in full swing, and no product broadcast the changing times better than the American muscle car.

In the spring of 1969, Chrysler Corporation let loose a range of bold paint options on its Hemi-powered high-performance models. Collectively known as Mopar’s “High Impact Paint” or “HIP” colors, these bold hues stood in sharp defiance to the muted pastels that dominated the previous decade. That was the point.

Even the names were chosen to sound fun (and at times subversive). Sublime Green, Go Mango orange, Top Banana yellow. And who can forget Plum Crazy purple? Sassy Grass and Curious Yellow understandably raised a few eyebrows back in the day.

The palette grew from a handful of initial offerings, but the High Impact colors eventually faded with the demise of the muscle car itself. Sales of gas-guzzling vehicles plummeted following the first major fuel crisis and the advent of performance-robbing new emissions equipment. By the end of 1973, the (first) muscle car era was effectively over, and with it went the fun colors.

Chrysler eventually got back in the business of wild paints (and muscle cars) with its 2010s-era Hemi lineup. But those original High Impact colors continue to inspire new generations of car enthusiasts who often choose to paint their project in one of these OEM-correct shades. Here is a look at the original High Impact colors along with their color codes. You know, just in case you want to shop paint for your project.