Orange? Pink? Ford Mustang has colorful past

If you're buying a new Ford Mustang, there's a good chance you'll order it in black. It's the most popular color right now. But it wasn't always that way.

Over the years, the iconic pony car has been offered in just about every hue imaginable, whether it was color-shifting "Mystichrome" or Playboy Pink. As the new Mustang is about to get launched and Mustang marks 50 years, Ford is recapping a little bit of the car's lore in colors.

Since Mustang is one of a handful of car models sold largely on emotion, color is important.

"Our Mustang owners are passionate about their cars, and the exterior paint color they choose invokes an emotional response to the vehicle," says Melanie Banker, the model's marketing manager. "Mustang owners buy a vehicle in School Bus Yellow or Grabber Blue because it reflects what they want their Mustang to say to the world about them."

When it comes to Mustang colors, there is no end to the little-known facts.

For instance, Mustang fans certainly know brown was once popular. There were three shades of the earth-tone in the 1970s, but it has not been offered since 2000, Ford says. Green and yellow have fallen from favor as well, except on special editions.

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Pink? For 1967, Ford offered Mustang in two shades: Dusty Rose or Playboy Pink.

Over the years, red has been the top choice of all -- noting the car's sporty nature. One out of five Mustangs sold over the past half-century were red, followed by blue and silver. Black didn't come to the top three most popular colors in any given year until 1994. But it has been there every year since then.

While white is the most popular car color among all vehicles sold in the U.S., it's doesn't curry much excitement for Mustang owners. Only one of 10 Mustangs are sold in white.