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Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
History / OriginalityGot a question about 1982-1992 Camaro or Firebird history? Have a question about original parts, options, RPO codes, when something was available, or how to document your car? Those questions, answers, and much more!
Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
Hello Everyone.
Several years ago this topic came up and there is still a lot of confusion about the "Hawaiian Orchid" paint color on 3rd Gens, partly because GM uses the color name in their reference materials to this day, and other companies like Compnine rely on data they can still access to populate their information. I want to share my information so everyone understands why there are ABSOLUTELY ZERO Hawaiian Orchid 3rd Gen Camaros. As a side note, I also found references to Polo Green II being called Medium Green Metallic as well as a few other color names used in the Canadian Market that share the same GM Code and WACC Codes with different colors used in the US. I'll share that info in a different thread because its quite detailed (and a little confusing) but incredibly interesting!
Keep in mind part numbers, options, color names, etc are in the works for months, if not years before production. Sometimes changes are actually made after production has begin and options are introduced or discontinued mid year. Ever hear of the "Boulevard Exhaust" option for the 1989 RS? It was issued an RPO code but was discontinued before production. I have only found a single mention of it in a Chevrolet Dealer Bulletin, so depending on what reference material you have, you may not see any reference to it because that Bulletin was instructing the Dealer to remove the info from the materials it was introduced in. Because of this I have no clue what it actually was but I suspect it what was later introduced as the Two On The Left (TOTL) that was made its way into the GM Performance Parts Catalog in 1989.
I worked at a Chevrolet Dealership 1987-1993 and to this day still have ALL the dealership materials GM sent to the Service, Parts and Showroom Departments from 1982-1996, so I rely on them to be the "end-all-be-all" when stating something as fact.
There are several different departments at GM that have to weigh in and sign off during the process, so where there might have been a "reference" to Hawaiian Orchid in a GM publication either before or during the 1992 model year, Chevrolet NEVER used that name on the 3rd Gen Camaro. Not in the order information, not in the marketing information, not in the sales brochures, not in the paint samples, not in the window sticker. NOWHERE in 1992 does Chevrolet call GM Paint Code 84 / WACC 9802 anything other than Purple Haze Metallic. As far as I'm aware of, it was not used on any Camaro, but I am by no means an expert on other gens. From what I can tell during my research though, it was a Cavalier color first introduced in 1996, but I'm not concerned about the history of the color, so I limited my research where it begins and ends with Camaro. What appears to me is at the early stages of the paint color development / name decision GM did use the name Hawaiian Orchid but I cant definitively state the first reference to it because I dont know if something out there which I dont have, predates my material. I believe that GM issued the name to paint vendors and subcontractors who made the colored plastic parts early in the process so everyone had their materials ready for the model year. Sometime after GM released the Hawaiian Orchid name outside of GM, they changed the name to Purple Haze Metallic and it was either too late or impossible to remove all traces of it. The 1992 GM publications printed in 1992 DO NOT mention Hawaiian Orchid but later printings do. The first time I see Hawaiian Orchid mentioned is in the 1992 PPG Corporate Color Information Book. This is an ORIGINAL that was printed before the model year in 1991 or in 1992 and was not corrected before it was released.
I dont have earlier versions of the GM Touch Up Paint Catalog that were actually printed in the period, but it contains 1982-1999. Because it was printed 3 years after the Hawaiian Orchid was used on Cavalier (and almost a decade after the reference to it on Camaro), it appears in this edition and possibly later versions.
If someone has a window sticker that calls the color Hawaiian Orchid PLEASE contact me because I will do more research, but to his day I have never seen any window stickers from 3rd Gen Camaros wearing GM Code 84, show any name other than Purple Haze Metallic.
I will post more scans of my 1992 GM Dealership materials that refer to Purple Haze Metallic when I get a chance to pull them out.
Hope this helps...
1992 Passenger Car Exterior Colors Brochure Cover 1992 Passenger Car Exterior Colors Brochure Paint Chips. NOTE Color 84 PURPLE HAZE METALLIC
My 1992 Purple Haze Metallic 1LE / Z03 Window Sticker
This is where the beginning of the Hawaiian Orchid myth happens: 1992 PPG Paint Color Book 1992 PPG Paint Color Book Paint Samples
1999 GM Touch Up Paint Display Insert
1999 GM Touch Up Paint Catalog Order Form Insert 1999 GM Touch Up Paint Color Chart
Re: Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
I'd like me a medium quasar blue metallic Z-28.
Proof that there GM once offered an interesting color palette. Of course these days, few people seem to want anything besides gray, silver, white, and black. Boring world. Get a GM brochure, and they'll even have multiple shades of silver, gray, black, and white. With names to try to sound more interesting or exciting, like "slate" or "rain," "onyx" or "raven." ZZZZzzzzz.
Re: Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
Originally Posted by LeonardS
You forgot Rapid Blue
Real nice. Still some decent colors out there. Dodge has good choices.
I'll never get why so many people actually want silver, gray, black, or white. A friend of mine bought a Grand Cherokee in some sort of gray color. He said that he wanted something neutral so that it would be easier to sell. So for him, he doesn't want a color that he likes or thinks looks really good. He wants a color that someone else will like years from now. On his car that he'll be driving for quite a while. That's a sad way to live.
Now I do think silver, gray, black, and white have their places. Depends on the car. Certain colors just fit certain cars. I've always liked white 3rd gens.
Re: Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
Paint names are marketing. You'll see different names from Chevy, Pontiac, PPG, etc. People who describe their car by some ad man's masturbatory nomenclature are just as bad as the people that walk into an auto parts store and ask for an oil filter for "mah Duramax". No one cares diesel bro, year, make, model, displacement, thank you.
Re: Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
Originally Posted by blacksunshine'91
So, y'all like purple, huh? How 'bout Hellraisin? I know it's not a thirdgen, but I alternate between the GTA and this.
Below is an example of the excat same bicycle I bought with my "Paper Route" earned money. Always love that color! IMO, "Hellraisen" BEGS for a white/black trim, colored interior!
Re: Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
Originally Posted by mikeceli
Below is an example of the excat same bicycle I bought with my "Paper Route" earned money. Always love that color! IMO, "Hellraisen" BEGS for a white/black trim, colored interior!
I have TWO of those bikes in my barn. One is in pretty decent shape and the other is all there but in worse shape.
As for Hawaiian Orchid, my dad had purchased a 1992 Cavalier in this color. I always thought it was the same as the Camaro purple until someone who had one it was called Purple Haze. I never checked the paint codes to confirm if it was the same color or not. GM loves to change color names for brands but the paint codes are still the same. My 21 Silverado is "Shadow Gray" but GMC/Cadillac color is called "Dark Sky".
Re: Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
Originally Posted by blacksunshine'91
So, y'all like purple, huh? How 'bout Hellraisin? I know it's not a thirdgen, but I alternate between the GTA and this.
My wife and I love Hellraisin, our daily drivers, wife has the Charger and I drive the Challenger, I'd paint a 3rd gen this color if I was doing a restomod.
Re: Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
Originally Posted by Kincer
My wife and I love Hellraisin, our daily drivers, wife has the Charger and I drive the Challenger, I'd paint a 3rd gen this color if I was doing a restomod.
Again, these two gergous cars would look so much better with an interior as this classic, 70'2 Challenger.
Re: Lets put the Hawaiian Orchid myth to bed once and for all
Above is the 1966 American Motors "Marlin", multiple show winner, that I "rescued" a couple years ago. I got it running, fixed all it's issues, had the OE paint applied and sold it.
I guess we will never see the color coordinated interiors of the past, but come on manufacturers, give us more than black or gray interiors!
07-27-2022, 11:53 AM
