Ford Performance is Phasing Out Code Orange for Shelter Green

Code Orange will live on as Ford Performance’s interior accent color, but will be replaced with Shelter Green on the outside. Thoughts?

Here’s an interesting one for all the Ford Performance enthusiasts out there. Pictured above is the Ford Ranger Raptor in Shelter Green, a dark green that sparkles with gold or bronze in direct sunlight. This color is new for the 2024 model year and exclusive, among Rangers, to the Raptor, which falls under the Ford Performance banner. And, assuming we understood Carl Widmann, Ford Performance Chief Engineer – Ranger Raptor, correctly, Shelter Green is going to be replacing Code Orange as an exterior color going forward on all Raptor models.

(Exact timing TBD, of course, but we suspect for all 2024 model year vehicles.)

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Raptors signify many things — performance, high-speed offroading, premium interiors, and bold styling. And along with said style comes typically loud colors. The first generation 2009 F-150 Raptor debuted in only four paint options, one of which was called Molten Orange. First-year buyers could also spec an interior with lots of orange accents. However, at the time, the official Ford Performance  (then known as SVT) accent color was red. Which is why even orange-interior first-gen Raptors also sport red accents in a few key places, like the steering wheel.

Fast forward a dozen years and Ford Performance shifted from red interior accents to, you guessed it Code Orange. (Depending on trim level, some models have lots of Code Orange, and some only a few pieces). At the same time, Ford decided to offer Code Orange in 2022 as a Raptor-exclusive exterior color. But, as Mr. Widmann stated last week, Code Orange’s time is nearing and end. At least as an exterior color option.

Our Reaction

Shelter Green in Shadow vs Light

I’m not much of an orange guy, but it’s hard to see how Shelter Green represents Ford Performance more than a bright, vibrant color like Code Orange (especially when everything on the inside is, in fact, Code Orange). Then again, the world’s best-selling mid-size truck, the Toyota Tacoma is offered in Army Green (which I like more than this). So perhaps Ford is trying to compete with the Taco while doing something a little different.

In that sense, Shelter Green might prove quite popular for someone looking for more of a military vibe. But to me, it looks more like something that should have been left in the 1970s.

Photos: Michael S. Palmer & Ford Motor Company

Michael S. Palmer

Michael S. Palmer began his career assisting and developing content for Academy Award-winning and studio-based film and television producers. He has been a professional writer since 2008, when he joined the Writers Guild of America West (WGAw). As a journalist and Content Editor/Manager, he has covered numerous emerging imaging, theatrical exhibition, home entertainment, and automotive technologies. He currently spends his days creating original content at the Internet Brands Automotive Group for some of the world's largest online automotive communities, including Ford Truck Enthusiasts, CorvetteForum, ClubLexus, AudiWorld, and LS1Tech. He still owns his first car, a 1987 Mercury Cougar; adores driving his Boss 302 Mustang; and recently teamed with Chevrolet Performance, Holley, Magnaflow, Eaton, Wilwood, Michelin, Chemical Guys, and Summit Racing to build his first project car. Installing an LS3 E-ROD Connect & Cruise system into a 1992 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon made his eight-passenger wagon faster than a C5 Corvette to 60mph and 50 state emissions legal. His wife and daughter are very patient.