A Rare just Enduring Concept: Pink Cars

By Phil Patton
The Chevrolet Spark, in pink. General Motors

I recently had a test drive in a pink Chevrolet Spark. The Korean-built Spark is Chevy's smallest motorcar, and the designers say that its colour was inspired by the colour of personal electronics, similar mobile phones, favored past young people in Asia. Merely the color sold and then well exterior the United States that the visitor decided to attempt it here.

Equally pinks go, this one is pretty muted — with a dilution of grayness. I would wait it to be chosen amethyst, similar the mineral. Information technology recalls the metallic pink of a 2005 second generation iPod.

Pink cars are rare. There are custom versions, of course. I've seen a few Smart Fortwos that appear to have been dipped in Pepto-Bismol. Of course, the near famous pink car is the pink Cadillac — more a phrase or concept than any specific real vehicle. Aretha Franklin sang that she drove one on the motorway of love, Bruce Springsteen wrote a song about the pink Cadillac, which Natalie Cole then covered, and, of course, Elvis made the idea famous. But Elvis'south 1955 model actually picked upwardly on an earlier example. The boxer Sugar Ray Robinson drove his 1950 "flamingo" Cadillac through Harlem and parked it in front of his night guild there. That car's bold plumage was advertizing — and conspicuous consumption in the classic mode.

Elvis mentioned a pink Cadillac in the vocal "Baby, Allow'due south Play Business firm." He had a pink 1955 Fleetwood Series 60. Elvis and his fill-in grouping took the car on tour for several months, until it was destroyed after a brake lining defenseless burn down on the route from Hope to Texarkana, Ark.

A calendar month later, Elvis bought a replacement — a 1955 Fleetwood Series 60, blue with black roof, and had it repainted pink. This is the motorcar he famously presented to his mother — who did not drive. He then promptly took to the route in her car. In September 1955, the new automobile was in a standoff — once more most Texarkana. The auto was repaired and remains on display at Graceland. Elvis afterwards drove a 1961 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, white with pink roof.

The cosmetics sales company Mary Kay has offered a pink Cadillac as the prize for superlative sellers; Cadillac includes the color as a special option. The Mary Kay pinkish Caddy began as a rolling advertisement. In 1968 Mary Kay Ash, founder of the cosmetics visitor, had her Cadillac painted pink to friction match a color of blush in the company's cosmetics line called Mount Laurel. The pink Cadillac became a sale incentive for Mary Kay representatives; other pink models take been added over the years to the original Cadillac. Sales people tin now chose amid pinkish versions of the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota Camry, and the Cadillac CTS, SRX and Escalade Hybrid.

A pink car — information technology looks like a Fiat Panda — appears on the cover of the paperback edition of Penny Sparke's 1995 design book, "As Long every bit It's Pink." Ms. Sparke argues that culture has tended to segregate the depiction of fashion by gender — equally design for men and every bit taste for women. The book is a favorite of former BMW chief designer Chris Bangle.

I began thinking about pinkish cars a few months ago, when I heard Regina Blaszczyk speak at the Social club of Automotive Historians national convention. In her new book, "The Colour Revolution," she highlights Full general Motors'due south pioneering introduction of color scouting. Effectually 1927, when Harley Earl was brought in to create the company's Art and Color department, the beginnings of its design department, G.M. also hired the one-time military cover-up proficient H. Ledyard Towle to scout such sources as Paris fashions for time to come color trends. Ms. Blaszczyk said in a recent discussion that "historically, pinkish cars have been rare."

The Dodge La Femme, produced for 1955 and 1956, was a pink and white model in the two-tone fashion popular at the time. The torso of "sapphire white" was topped with "heather rose." The interior, with its gold script La Femme badges, was upholstered in a material pink rosebuds and a pink vinyl trim. Each La Femme came with matching pocketbook patterned like the interior and shaped to fit neatly into a spot backside the seat. Each purse, in plough, came with a prepare of accessories — including compact, lipstick example, cigarette case and cigarette lighter — of matching color and pattern. Dodge advertised the La Femme equally a car created "Past Special Appointment to Her Majesty … the American Adult female."

Japan also has pink cars, especially small models. Mitsubishi offered a Princess Kitty version of the subcompact I motorcar. Honda offered a pinkish Fit, and Volkswagen produced a pink Barbie New Beetle.