How many colors was the Gen 1 Summit (1997-2002) made in?


 
Benny Gilbert

Benny Gilbert

TVWBB Fan
See above question. I've been trying to figure out every colorway the original Summit was offered in as I've seen various different finishes over the years. Has anyone put together a guide on just how many colors were done?

Also, as a related inquiry, were the Gen 2 (2003-06) and Gen 4 (current) offered in any colors besides stainless and black? I know the Gen 3 had at least one other color, a brownish copper color option around 2009, but there could have been more. Any help would be appreciated - thanks!
 
Without looking at all of the Weber brochures - we have many but not all here - I will toss in what I do know:

1st generation Summits - I have seen black, dark red/burgundy, blue and stainless. I have never seen any other colors in years of looking.

I believe the 2nd and 4th generation Summits were only black or stainless.

I had forgotten about any other color for the long-running generation 3, but I think I may have seen the copper color somewhere. I don't recall ever seeing any other color for these. From a fast look, I think the copper color was only offered for two years, explaining why you so seldom see those now.
 
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Jon Tofte said:
Without looking at all of the Weber brochures - we have many but not all here - I will toss in what I do know:

1st generation Summits - I have seen black, dark red/burgundy, blue and stainless. I have never seen any other colors in years of looking.

I believe the 2nd and 4th generation Summits were only black or stainless.

I had forgotten about any other color for the long-running generation 3, but I think I may have seen the copper color somewhere. I don't recall ever seeing any other color for these. From a fast look, I think the copper color was only offered for two years, explaining why you so seldom see those now.
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Well, we know they showed a bright red in the Winter 1997 edition of Grill-Out Times. Perhaps that never made it to market as part of the move away from bright red Weber grills.

Chris Allingham

Thread '1997 Weber Summit 650 in red'

Oh yes, please!

Winter1997Page7.jpg

The 1999 catalog lists black, maroon, blue, and green.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Without looking at all of the Weber brochures - we have many but not all here - I will toss in what I do know:

1st generation Summits - I have seen black, dark red/burgundy, blue and stainless. I have never seen any other colors in years of looking.

I believe the 2nd and 4th generation Summits were only black or stainless.

I had forgotten about any other color for the long-running generation 3, but I think I may have seen the copper color somewhere. I don't recall ever seeing any other color for these. From a fast look, I think the copper color was only offered for two years, explaining why you so seldom see those now.
Click to expand...
Thanks Jon! I really appreciate all the info. I could've sworn I've seen photos of a Green Gen 1 and possibly even a Brown lid Gen 1 many moons ago, but I can't remember for certain. All the other colors you mentioned sound right though.
 
Steve Hoch said:
This would be nice if it was a full catalog, can't tell from the description though.https://ebay.us/m/7DSgLb
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It's the same one we've got here:

Chris Allingham

Thread '1998 Weber Summit 4-Page Print Ad'


"After testing our $3,000 gas grill, we detected one major flaw. Suddenly the word grill seems inadequate."

1998 was Year 2 for the Weber Summit gas grill lineup. Weber was big on text-heavy ads during this time period...no meat in sight, no close-ups of Flavorizer bars, thick stainless steel rod cooking grates, or control knobs. A far cry from the ads of 30 years earlier in which charcoal kettles were shown loaded to the hilt with turkeys, hams, and other savory goodies.

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Chris Allingham said:
I also have a 2000 catalog I've not yet scanned and posted. That's the first year for Summits with stainless hoods and they're still doing black, blue, burgundy, and green.

Yes, they changed "maroon" to "burgundy." Better name, I think.
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Huh, so the Summit was enameled lids only for its first three years on the market? That's really interesting.
 
Chris Allingham said:
Well, we know they showed a bright red in the Winter 1997 edition of Grill-Out Times. Perhaps that never made it to market as part of the move away from bright red Weber grills.

Chris Allingham

Thread '1997 Weber Summit 650 in red'

Oh yes, please!

Winter1997Page7.jpg

The 1999 catalog lists black, maroon, blue, and green.
Click to expand...
Chris, I do remember seeing a bright red Summit 450 (or would it be some other number as it was a built-in?) for sale online a number of years ago, so I do think a few red Summits are out there in the wild.
 
Benny Gilbert said:
Huh, so the Summit was enameled lids only for its first three years on the market? That's really interesting.
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Yes, and by the time they got to 2002, they were doing only stainless and black. I bought my 450 that year and had a friend at Weber counsel me to buy the black porcelain instead of stainless, he said it would look better longer. I took his advice and I think he was probably right.

IMG_0533-resized.jpg
 
Steve Hoch said:
This would be nice if it was a full catalog, can't tell from the description though.https://ebay.us/m/7DSgLb
Click to expand...
Steve,
I have some reprints of this mini-brochure (one spread with 4-pages). I used our file Chris posted and had a local print shop here in town make them. They are not razor sharp perfect, but I think very nice. I have a few left and will sell to anyone here for $3.00 each including postage.
IMG_9469.JPEGIMG_9470.JPEG

I also have reprints of the longer Vieluxe brochure.

Jon Tofte

Thread 'Vieluxe Brochures for sale'

I had my local printer do a small run if reprints of the Vieluxe brochure. They aren’t as razor sharp as the original looked, but they look very nice to me.

Sure, you can just browse the digital version, but it looks so much better with the spreads restored. Plus, there is still something nice about holding it in your hands😊!

$6.00 each, plus postage. PM me if you are interested.

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