Paint codes

From being available in a two-tone finish the first years, the Volvo Amazon became available in single tone finish only in the early 1960s (except the Police edition). First as an extra option with model year 1957 but from 1962 as standard. Single tone cars before 1960 are rare. A few cars were painted for instance singletoned red, typically on demand. The last two-tone cars sold to the public were of model year 1961. The police edition was in black and white and remained in production up intil 1970 but the first model years typically have color code 19 stated (not 60).

Because of marketing reasons, particular color codes could have more than one color name. Please note that the information on this page is a translation from Swedish. The exact wording of the color names may therefore differ from the official Volvo color name. Their meaning remains the same. Please also note that not all colors listed on a model year below were available on all markets at the same time. This is particularly true around the 1961 model year whith the broader introduction of single tone cars and as Volvo 122 S was introduced in the USA. Not all colors were available on all editions - particularly the Volvo Amazon Favorit and the Volvo 123 GT had limited color ranges.

There are some deviations in the table below. California white (42), for instance, took a break between 1963 and 1968 when pearl white (79) was the only white alternative. Other minor deviations occur, including specially painted cars - National Road Administration yellow (55) and Military green (58) are two examples. Another is the fire departments in Sweden that used the Estate as command vehicles which were painted in cherry red (46). Volvo also used color codes during the first years of production that have been difficult to establish, for instance 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 32, 41 and 52 (also 22 and 25, both being beige). There were also a few cars that were provided with other colors, for instance maroon / red metallic (21). Note also that Volvo is not consistent in their color codes: for instance 59 denominates pearl grey in the early years (pre 120-series) and later olive green.

Some paint codes are accompanied by yet another digit, for instance 79-1, which indicates what supplier made the paint. The paint is supposed to match Volvo pearl white (79) but slight differences in shade can occur. Most resellers recommend using the exact same paint code when making improvements.

Please click here for a list of combinations of paint and upholstery codes for model years 1965 - 1970.

This is a brochure on color combinations on the North American market in 1961.