"There was a bit of a pause in the color parade when the market crashed in 1929, Tutt notes — colors got dimmer, more depressing, in somber greens and grays. And when cars were colorful, fenders were often painted black in a melding of the practical and the aesthetically pleasing: Dinged fenders could be easily and cheaply painted with asphalt paint, saving on repairs."
https://www.consumerreports.org/cons...so-boring-now/
Best not to look like a rat with a gold tooth in the Depression I guess ...
They went the other way here and dumped the US colours for brighter ones due to sluggish sales.
Ford advertising 1929 said "But colour selection cannot be determined by a layman, and thus, in the endeavour to produce articles in colour, which reflect the modern idea, most industries have failed".