There’s no mistaking it, I’m nostalgic. I find enjoyment in things more closely associated with a generation or two before me. And I enjoy reminiscing and reliving my past life experiences. It seems that any given day I happen across something that triggers an old memory. I had one of those this past weekend.
My dad ordered this '78 Trans Am and took delivery of it in February 1978. It was Chesterfield Brown with Camel Tan vinyl custom interior. I was just 2 years old when he bought it.
I was in Southern California recently for a business trip. While walking to the rental car garage, I looked out over an expansive long-term parking lot that contained a wide array of vehicles ranging from very expensive to very economic. The monochromatic theme of exterior finishes was very apparent. There were so many blacks, silvers, pewters, and whites that the occasional red or blue vehicle almost looked out of place. The lack of color variety was so apparent that I joked with my coworker who I was traveling with that the automotive industry needed an injection of the earth tones that were so popular in the 70s. You know, the many greens, golds, and browns that almost defined that era.
Fast forward to this past weekend. It was a bright and sunny but cool Saturday afternoon in Omaha. While running errands I walked out of the Walgreens drugstore and was pleasantly surprised by the SUV parked a spot away from my GMC Yukon. It was a newish Volvo SUV. I have nothing against Volvo, and it’s very possible that Volvo makes excellent vehicles, but since I don’t find the styling appealing, I can’t recall ever giving any Volvo a second look.
So what about this Volvo SUV caught my attention? It was its vibrant, bronze exterior finish. The SUV was clean and glossy, and its heavy-metallic paint glistened in the afternoon sun. It was a welcome departure from the grayscale cars we’re so accustomed to in today’s society. I walked back and forth for a moment watching the sunlight play against the soft edges of the SUV's body. The goldish-brown finish glowed. It was at that moment that I was taken back some 30 years in time.
The exterior color of this Volvo SUV that was parked next to me one day immediately caught my eye. It so closely represented the lustrous Chesterfield Brown that I remember on my dad's '78 Trans Am.
My dad took delivery of a Chesterfield Brown ’78 Trans Am in February 1978. It was equipped with the T/A 6.6 and a 4-speed manual transmission. I was barely 2 years old when he bought it, but some of my fondest childhood memories involve that car. He was meticulous about its condition and would regularly polish its glassy-smooth exterior with Meguiar’s No. 7. The ’78 Trans Am barely had 9,000 miles on its odometer when he sold it in 1987 to purchase the ‘72 Trans Am that he has to this day.
Because of that car, I’ve always held a soft spot in my heart for Chesterfield Brown ’78 Trans Ams. Whenever I saw one at a car show, I immediately walked over to take a closer look but never once was it the lustrous Chesterfield Brown that I remembered. Original-paint examples were often oxidized or faded, and repaints were in a modern version of Chesterfield Brown that just didn’t replicate the hue as GM intended it.
As I stared at that Volvo SUV, I realized that the glowing bronze finish captivating me was the closest representation of factory-fresh code-69 Chesterfield Brown ingrained in my memory as a child that I had seen since then. The pearlescent paint on the Volvo SUV sparkled just as I recalled it did on the curvaceous second-generation Firebird I last saw at age 12.
Although Pontiac first offered brown Trans Ams before and after, heavy-metallic Chesterfield Brown was a midyear addition for '78 and it was limited to that model year. It was accented by gold lettering and was quite attractive.
I immediately took a photo of the SUV with my iPhone and sent a text message to my dad telling him that Volvo was now offering Chesterfield Brown. He replied simply, “A 70’s Revival!” And I knew exactly what he meant. I would have never expected to see a hue like Chesterfield Brown on a modern vehicle ever again, but the old saying, “What goes around, comes around” rings true once again. And while Volvos hadn't interested me before, you can bet your life that I’ll be looking for more Chesterfield Brown Volvos on the roads in the future!