1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda in Sassy Grass Green / Mecum Auctions
March 20, 2025, is the March equinox, which is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. With green returning to the landscape (in some parts of the world, at least), CC offers a spring bouquet of two dozen green cars and trucks.
Let’s start with a couple of cheerful ’50s two-seaters:
1957 Ford Thunderbird in Willow Green / Bring a Trailer
1959 MGA roadster in Ash Green / Gil Folk – RM Sotheby’s
Add a few two-tone ’50s people carriers:
1956 Fiat 600 Multipla in two-tone green / Mecum Auctions
1956 Nash Rambler Cross Country in Bermuda Green and Polo Green with a white roof / Bring a Trailer
Crank up the saturation with a couple of vivid green 1970 models:
1970 AMC Gremlin X in Big Bad Green / Vicari Auction
1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda in Sassy Grass Green / Mecum Auctions
Mellow out with a pair of swoopy be-finned green 1959 four-door sedans:
1959 DeSoto Firedome in Surf Green / Bring a Trailer
1959 Chevrolet Bel Air Sedan in Highland Green / Bring a Trailer
Add two utilitarian mid-’60s SUVs, but make them minty:
1965 Jeep Wagoneer in Parkway Green / Bring a Trailer
1965 Dodge D100 Town Wagon in Turf Green / Mecum Auctions via Classic.com
Season with a pair of olive-hued early ’70s sporty coupes:
1973 Lancia Fulvia 1.3S coupe in Verde Cascine / Bring a Trailer
Class things up with two high-end European coupes in dignified dark greens:
1960 Bentley Continental two-door saloon by H.J. Mulliner in Brewster Green / Tom Wood – RM Sotheby’s
1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SE Coupé in dark green / Bring a Trailer
Contrast with two flavors of domestic luxury that once made the neighbors green with envy:
1959 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special in Hampton Green / Bring a Trailer
1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III in medium green / Fastlane Classic Cars
Balance the fuel bills with two stylish minicars from the ’90s, not originally sold in the U.S.:
1991 Nissan Figaro in Emerald Green / Bring a Trailer
1998 Ford Ka² in Emerald Green / Ford Motor Company
Inject a note of machismo with a couple of American pickup trucks from 1970:
1970 Chevrolet C-10 Fleetside in Medium Olive Green / Mecum Auctions
1970 Ford F-100 Sport Custom Styleside in Boxwood Green over white / Bring a Trailer
Stir in two well-known arch-rival GT cars in shades of dark green:
1965 Porsche 911 in Irish Green / Ronnie Renaldi – RM Sotheby’s
1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible in Fathom Green / LBI Limited
And for dessert, top things off with two woodie green convertibles, real and simulated:
1949 Chrysler Town & Country convertible in Noel Green / GAA Classic Cars
1968 Mercury Park Lane convertible in Augusta Green / RM Sotheby’s
And there you have it — a little something for everyone to get the season off to a good start.
Related Reading
My 1962 Imperial Custom–Rescuing The Big Green Monster (by Stephen Pellegrino)
Auction Classic: 1969 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Coupe – Long Green In Artificial Light (by me)
COAL : 1969 Triumph Spitfire Mk3 – Lean, Green, Sporting Machine (by SajivW)
Curbside Find: 1972 Alfa Romeo GT Junior 1300 – Olive Green Supreme (by Tatra87)
Curbside Classic: 1973 Ford LTD – It’s Not Easy Being Green (by Jason Shafer)
My Curbside Classic: 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Landau – Hope You Like Green (by Chris Green)
COAL: 1976 Lincoln Mark IV Jade/White Luxury Group — A Very Special COAL (by Chip Downs)
What a great themed collection and ‘related reading’!
You took the words right out of my mouth errr brain
I had a ’70 C10 just like that. Metallic green was THE color of GM cars and trucks in the 70s, almost as universal as black Model Ts.
I remember that light olive being popular, but I still have no idea why, with so many other choices back then.
Wow, what a great collection. My personal favorites are the Lancia and the Wagoneer, although I’d have no problems parking any of them in my driveway in all of their resplendent green-ness. I do love a green car.
That Mercury in the last picture- WOW
1969 Mercury Monterey (left) and 1976 Ford (Australia) Marquis (right)
The 1968 Mercury will be familiar to older Australians because it was from that line Ford Australia borrowed the frontal styling for their 1976 ZH Fairlane & Marquis, the previous model having suffered because there was insufficient product differentiation from the lower-price Falcon from which they were so obviously derived. The Australians didn’t consider adding Yacht Deck Paneling to the option list.
I approve of this post!
That shot of the Continental Mark III in “medium green” reminds me of how Ford must have laid off many of the people in the arts department for several years given the completely uninspired color names they used for a time.
I had that exact same reaction about the Lincoln color names. Obviously, it didn’t make any real difference, but you’d think the Mark III would merit a little of ye old poetic flourish in this area.
I’m in the process of writing an article on a 1983 Buick Park Avenue, and that particular car’s color was… Brown. Just Brown. And it turns out that most Buick colors of that era were similarly dull descriptions. Like Aaron says, it probably doesn’t matter in the end, but it’s a mighty disappointment for those if us who enjoy florid color names.
Didn’t the Maverick have some crazy colors schemes when it debuted in 1970?
Something along the lines of Anti-Establishment Mint.
The 911 wears it best. Almost criminally lacking is the iconic British sports car in BRG. Most of these just come off as tacky.
I figured that would be too obvious.
Not what Greta Thunberg means.
Nice collection to kick off spring!
I’ll take a double helping on that F-100.
It is possible that I’ve already presented our winter beater here.
And if so – the image fits the theme perfectly:
Green car in spring (even though the rapeseed isn’t blooming yet this year…)
Sassy Grass (Dodge = Green Go) is a fascinating color, mostly in how close it resembles Limelight (Dodge = Sublime). Neither color lasted long, with the former two years (1970-71) and the latter only for 1970. To say they weren’t the most popular of what was then called the “High Impact” color palette is an understatement, only slightly better than something like Moulin Rouge (Dodge = Panther Pink).
The difference in the green shades is, indeed, “sublime” in how Sassy Grass has a more green tint while Limelight is a lighter, more yellow shade, with the distinction only really being apparent when the two colors are parked next to each other.
I think you’re right that Sassy Grass should be two words (I couldn’t remember and so went with the description from the auction listing, which isn’t always the best idea), so I updated the text.
These colors seem more popular now on restored cars than they were at the time, so the Limelight and Sassy Grass aren’t uncommon at Mopar shows. To be quite honest, I’m not sure I would know at a glance which was which — I tend to lump them in memory as “that really bright green Chrysler offered briefly as one of their loud colors with silly names.”
For me, the shot of that Gremlin X from that low angle really highlights how out of synch the front and the back of that car were. Front all squared up like a mitre box, the back all sloping angles. To me, they could have considered slanting the front to complement that rear angle, to better balance the design.
Loving JPC’s Charger.
In acknowledgement of March equinox I will drive a green car down to the office. I maybe the only green car on the highway as usual.
The Porsche in green is a perfect match as I recall seeing such a car in a dealership in 1968. The first Porsche I ever sat in. As for the MGA I just can’t see it in that green color at all.
A woodsy nymph…
So I will be that guy who really likes certain shades of green on cars. Obviously, British Racing Green on a Jaguar is a classic combination and even some of the acid greens on early ‘70s muscle cars such as the Barracuda above or the otherwise innocuous Gremlin can work well. My favorite of this bunch is the 1959 DeSoto, which looks especially nice from a profile view, even in six-window sedan form (vs the hardtop). And, I have said it before, but I like JPC’s Charger in green, too.
I’m green with envy of the 600 Multipla and the ’56 Rambler Cross Country. Both are on my long list of favorite cars, enhanced here by their shades of green.
Just yesterday I saw a dark green Camry (2007–11 model), and my daughter remarked what a good-looking color it was, and how she wished more cars came in green. Then we have this post today!
My favorite here is that Bentley Continental, though that car would look great in any color. But for the more “regular” vehicles here, I love the 1970 two-tone F-100 – great example of how good colors can turn even an everyday vehicle into something that looks much more special.
I have no idea what the Corvette’s Fathom Green looks like in real life. It certainly looks great in the photo.
The car, which in our part of the world is usually considered a pimp’s car, takes on a somewhat serious look in this color. I like it. Would be my choice out of all the cars shown above.
My Mrs has a Green Fiesta.
Great idea, the 1967 Benz and the 1971 Lincoln are my favorites.
I still have this duo in stock, better post them here now.
I still own a green car, a Ford Taurus wagon. But its “Spruce Green” is so noncommittal that some think it is dark grey.
I’ve only owned one green car in what will soon be 50 years of car ownership. That was my 1973 Vega, in a color plainly called Medium Green. Of these there are a lot that I like, but somehow that green Gremlin just jumps out and sticks with me.
Here’s one: Willow Green ’71 VW color – same as Porsche Viper Green AFAIK…
Looks like I was wrong…
Willow Green is a historical Porsche and VW color, having been offered on the Porsche 914 for model years ’71 and ’72, as well as the VW Karmann Ghia and Beetle for model years ’71 through ’73. Visually, it is a flat mediumple colors currently offered, and is available on the 718, 992, and Taycan models.
One of my favorite 911 colors…