Black carpets in 4-speed cars?

I have a original 69 GTS Dart that has a blue interior and a non console 4-speed. The carpets are black and I had always believe that it was a factory mistake. I have now learned that colored interiors with 4 speeds came with black carpets. I wonder if there were any exceptions to the rule? Also what if you had a console?
Thinking about this a little more. I believe that the black carpet thing might only apply to A and B-Body cars and not E-bodies. Any opinions or thoughts.....

I think it's a b-body thing. IIRC, varies per car line and price level.

Look at Hamtramck Historical "trim selector guide" and it usually tells you the carpet and headliner color.

Actually when I was talking to Barry W. last year. I mention to him that my Dart had a blue interior, but it came from the factory with black carpets. He then said that "I bet you that your car has 4-speed". Well he is right. I have now seen others cars supporting that same situation.

It's a topic that's been thrashed out a few times here, and there are exceptions to the rule for the highest trim levels, and for a couple of cars, apparently what was available when the car went down the line.
I can't speak for A & E bodies, but all of my original '68-'69 Road Runner 4-speed cars had black carpet regardless of interior color; but they were all bench seat cars with either standard (Belvedere) or Decor (Satellite) interiors. My base model '68 A/T RR had the rubber mat, and my Decor '68 had color-matched (burgundy) carpet. Dodge may have had a different scheme, but my only 4-speed Charger had white/black interior, so its black carpet is no help to the topic.

I have had a couple dozen 4-speed 68-69 Darts and all had black carpet, so my anecdotes support your claim also...

My '70 4 speed Swinger had blue interior and black carpet, but it was a mish-mosh of thrown together parts, so who knows.

I had a '69 Dart 340 4-speed. Blue seats, black carpet.

Also a '69 RR 383 4-speed. Black seats and carpet.

Any with console?

Are the 67-69 Barracuda 4 spds console and non-console the same?

My old '66 Barracuda has green interior, green console, green carpet. Original 273 four barrel, four speed.

Yes. I have had 10 console 4-speed A-Body's and they all had black carpet. I have 3 currently, 67 Formula S 383, 69 GTS convertible 340, and my burned 69 383 GTS.

As far as narrow body's, they could have different color carpet and 4-speeds.

My 4 speed no console 70 cuda had white interior and black carpet.

Any car with the white & black interior would have black carpets. The topic being discussed in this thread does not apply to E-bodies.

69 cuda 383/4 speed with console. Green interior with green carpet.

My wife and I were discussing this today regarding the '69 GTX convertible that drove us away from our wedding. The car is B5 with white and B5 interior. We both remember blue carpet (and blue console base), but I can check with the current owner

does that rule of thumb follow thru with a 71 b body b5 b5 bench seat 4 spd ?

Maybe just an A body thing. My 70 GTX 4 speed is FK5, white bucket seats, with the burnt orange console and carpet. Or maybe they didn't use a black carpet with the burnt orange interior??. Could you order the burnt orange interior in a A body?, and if so what color was the carpet.

Have had a few 4 speed 67 & 68 cudas, 2 that come to mind that weren't black carpet; a beige 68 340s notch 4 speed with burgundy interior & burgundy carpet with console, and a dark blue 67 383s fastback 4 speed with dark blue carpet, no console.

the black 4-spd carpet "thing" was usually associated with the cheap interiored '68-'70 RM21 & '69-'70 LM23 cars, as they were original conceived on a base car (BELVEDERE & DART Swinger) that had a rubber floor mat as STANDARD equipment & there were NO 4-speed rubber floor mats - so black 4-spd carpet was included no-charge. Once the '68 RR coupe w/STANDARD 4-spd was "awarded" carpet the automatics got it also - the '69 340 Swinger was not as fortunate.

once the "cheap seat" interior was upgraded on a Road Runner (A87 or to buckets and/or console) the black carpet "thing" went out the window. the note in the interior guides is poorly written and strict compliance on the assembly line may not have been JOB #1 & exceptions do exist.

I have never seen a red/green/tan/blue interiored bucket seat console car with original black carpet!! My brother has a '69 340 4-spd bucket/console Barracuda with blue interior and its original blue carpet (w/tags).

And another car comes to mind. A friend of mine used to own a brown/brown '69 340-S fastback. It had brown carpet, no console four speed.

except interior code "Y" & paint code "Z" are GOLD

There is a 69 Dart GTS 340 console 4-speed for sale here on Moparts with GREEN carpet! Come to think of it half the console 4-speed cars I owned had no carpet in them when I got them. 4 of the cars were black interior cars. The 69 Formula 383 console 4-speed Barracuda I had with deluxe interior had remnants of blue carpet, that is my recollection from owning it 25 years ago...

What I've seen & owned since these cars were new agrees with 6bblgt EXCEPT for 1 thing: my Decor '69 RR 4spd HT (green Satellite interior) did come with black carpet. (St Louis, midyear Spring Special car.)
I think the buckets/console option and higher trim levels (GTX) would move the spec past the black carpet as some have indicated here & on previous threads. I'd like to see pics of ORIGINAL RRs with consoles, 4speeds and green, red, tan & blue interiors, and any RRs with 4-speed & colored carpets.
My guess is that the black carpet was a cost-control measure - as 6bbl suggests - for the "lesser" trim levels. Chrysler probably a better deal on 20,000 of the same thing than 5,000 of 4 different things. People shopping the higher trim levels wouldn't be as happy with non-matched carpet.
I'm sure there were exceptions/mistakes built, but if 99% follow a common spec, that's probably what was intended.

My 1970 Road Runner is EK2 paint FK5 interior. Has black carpet and 4 speed

I just looked at the paint chips on Barry's site. Looking at the pic, I guess that could be more gold than the light green that I thought it was, but this is certainly the original color. Interior was definitely green (dash pad and everything else. Upholstery had been done, but not the dash). I don't have any good interior pics form before the color change.

Looks like "Citron Gold" in that pic, on my monitor; which did have a bit of a green cast to it as I recall.