Greetings Everyone,

We bought a 1972 Pontiac Paint Card at a swap meet and several colors had an "irid" suffix.  I'm guessing it stands for Iridescant color.

Does anyone know if Pontiac offered iridescent colors in '72?

Thanks

Edited November 28, 20223 yr by reveredGTO

Hey ReveredGTO, haven't seen you in a while. I hope you and your wife are doing well. Were you at the M1 Concourse on Woodward Friday by chance? I thought I saw your car there.

I am not aware of an iridescent colors in 1972. That would imply they change / flip-flop colors. GM had lots of metallics in 1972, perhaps a pearl or two in the Cadillac line up. I could be wrong but I've not seen them before.

Hi Frosty,

I hope you're doing well.

I was in Spring Hill for 18 months and life gets in the way.  I should scan and post the color card we bought.  It was from R&M Paints.

Our car's color is also listed with the "irid" suffix.  That might explain how the silver has a green tint in sunlight and turns gray on overcast days.

Wish I had known - I came through Springhill as part of the Hot Rod Power Tour this past summer. What a pain in the ass coming through town on 31. Ugh. 

4 hours ago, reveredGTO said:

Hi Frosty,

I hope you're doing well.

I was in Spring Hill for 18 months and life gets in the way.  I should scan and post the color card we bought.  It was from R&M Paints.

Our car's color is also listed with the "irid" suffix.  That might explain how the silver has a green tint in sunlight and turns gray on overcast days.

Hmmm.....I could be wrong but I'm wondering if you car has been repainted with an "incorrect" silver at some point in time. I am curious to see this R&M paint card. 

Hi Frosty

Here is the color card.  There are several with the IRID suffix

 

Edited November 28, 20223 yr by reveredGTO
I attached the photo upside down

6 hours ago, Frosty said:

Wish I had known - I came through Springhill as part of the Hot Rod Power Tour this past summer. What a pain in the ass coming through town on 31. Ugh. 

Hmmm.....I could be wrong but I'm wondering if you car has been repainted with an "incorrect" silver at some point in time. I am curious to see this R&M paint card. 

 

3 hours ago, reveredGTO said:

Hi Frosty

Here is the color card.  There are several with the IRID suffix

 

The irid stands for iridium not iridescent. Gm used iridium as the metallic in some of the metallic paint colors. It reflects differently than a typical metallic flake does. To a degree it fluoresce as opposed to metallic reflecting. 

Thank you Last Indian,

Mystery solved.  

12 hours ago, reveredGTO said:

Thank you Last Indian,

Mystery solved.  

I should clarify that I don’t believe that they actually use iridium! Not really sure what material they used, but there are several substitutes & iridium would be of astronomical expense in a paint! Not to mention very very heavy! Furthermore it would not refer to the color as iridium is silver & they are using the irid designation for other colors. Also I can find those other colors designated as iridium.

That explanation makes a lot more sense to me.