When the XA Fairmont hit the road in 1972, it did more than mark a shift in body style. It showed up in paint that made a statement. Ford wasn’t playing it safe. The XA palette was bold, loud, and completely in step with the era: They gave it a paint catalogue with real attitude. This wasn’t a sea of greys and silvers. It was bold, unapologetic, and loaded with personality.
Decades later, those XA Fairmont colours still shape how we see these cars. Some scream, some glide, and some carry weight without even raising their voice. But try as they might, the bold colour palate is becoming rarer. We take a look at the original colours of the XA Fairmont, and why they’re considered a “rarity”.
XA Fairmonts came in a range of colours that pushed beyond the usual silvers and blues. These weren’t just paints, they were personality, and Ford wasn’t afraid to get experimental. That’s what made the XA Fairmont colours more than just style: they became part of the car’s identity.
Some of these factory colours are now considered rare, not because they were limited at the time, but because so few have survived.
Standouts included:
These weren’t just colours. They were choices. Picking one meant you were thinking about more than transport. You were thinking about what kind of presence your car would have, even parked.
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Yellow Glow was the brightest spotlight Ford aimed at the XA Fairmont. It was pure impact. You didn’t order Yellow Glow by mistake. It made the car feel faster, louder, and more extroverted, even sitting still. On a Hardtop, the long bonnet and swooping rear quarters turned into a canvas of sunlight. This was an XA Fairmont colour that made people turn and stare.. In a good way.
Wild Violet, on the other hand, went the other way. It was darker, moodier, and sharper. Where Yellow Glow shouted, Wild Violet smirked. Metallic flake in the paint caught the light without being obnoxious, and on a Fairmont, it gave off that low-key menace that made people look twice. Of all the XA Fairmont colours, this one had subtle power.
Then you had Lime Glaze. Bright, almost nuclear green with a white underbase that gave it serious pop. It was wild. It was risky. But it worked. Lime Glaze on an XA Fairmont wasn’t subtle, but when paired with chrome trim and a black interior, it looked like it had rolled straight out of a custom show. Not everyone had the nerve to spec it, which makes it all the more special now.
Cosmic Blue, by contrast, was cleaner. More refined. It still had depth and metallic strength, but it looked composed. This was the kind of colour that let the Fairmont’s shape speak for itself. No theatrics. Just confidence. On a well-restored car, Cosmic Blue still holds its own, especially with polished trim and lowered stance. It’s not trying to be loud, it’s just solid.
Red Pepper brought heat. Not just in name, but in presence. It was sharp, fast-looking, and aggressive. Paired with sports steel wheels and a blacked-out grille, it turned a Fairmont into a streetfighter. If Yellow Glow was about impact, Red Pepper was about edge.
Onyx Black was the total opposite. It was heavy. Serious. Clean black paint on a Fairmont gave the car gravity. The shape looked more formal, the lines more precise. Add whitewalls and venetians, and it could go full sleeper. Add mags and lowered springs, and it could look like it was about to start a fight. Either way, black carried weight.
These weren’t just cosmetic choices. Back then, the XA Fairmont colour you picked said something. It told you whether the car was meant to cruise, haul, pose, or punch. The Fairmont may have been a luxury trim, but the colours made it flexible. You could make it clean. You could make it tough. You could make it loud. And people did.
Some colours aged better than others. Cosmic Blue and Wild Violet still look strong under modern clear coat. Yellow Glow, when properly sprayed, still pulls eyes harder than any modern colour. Lime Glaze, rare as it is, now feels like a collector’s flex. Onyx Black, when detailed right, holds up as a timeless finish.
And yet the real appeal isn’t which aged best. It’s which still feels like the car it’s on. When you see a Yellow Glow XA on the road today, you don’t think “restoration.” You think “someone chose that, and they meant it.”
In 2025, colour is still the first impression. You can talk about drivetrains, interiors, matching numbers all you like, but if the colour isn’t right, the car doesn’t hit. Fairmonts in rare or brave factory colours feel more deliberate. They stand apart not just because of rarity, but because they capture the era in full volume.
Whether it’s Wild Violet with deep dish wheels or a Yellow Glow Hardtop with a black vinyl roof, these colours did more than coat a panel. They gave the car its mood.
And that’s why they still matter.
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Win A 1972 Ford XA Fairmont Hardtop
Worth $160,000
• K code, 351ci Cleveland V8
• Mild camshaft
• Four-speed Top Loader manual transmission
• Nine-inch differential
• Edelbrock Air Gap intake manifold
• Brawler carburettor
• Finished in S code Yellow Glow
• Black GS side stripe
• B code, black interior
• GS dash
• Original steering wheel
• Retrosounds stereo
• Chrome 15-inch 12-slot wheel
