About two months ago Japan was struck by dual disasters that have left much of the Northeast part of the country in ruins. The rebuilding has only just begun, but the effects on the auto industry are only starting to ripple across the Pacific to America’s shores. Many of the parts and chemicals American automakers rely on come from Japan, and these parts shortages will first be felt in the paint color you can choose for your car.

That could explain why Ford may be reintroducing two old colors from the Mustang palette, Sonic Blue and Sterling Gray, later on this year, reports Mustangs Daily via a post on The Mustang Source.

The Xirallic pigment is often used in metallic colors to produce a “glitter” effect that seems so popular with many paint schemes these days. Ford actually has a number of metallic-type paints available for the Mustang, so this could make certain paint colors unavailable down the road, depending on when the supply picks back up.

You may recall that Sterling Gray was dropped late last year for the 2012 model year, while a variety of red colors replaced it. So Sterling Gray makes a quick return, which is sure to please many in the Mustang world. Sonic Blue, another very popular color, has not been seen since 2005, which makes us wonder if Ford doesn’t have a huge warehouse stacked to the ceiling with old Mustang colors somewhere. Probably not, but wouldn’t that be neat? Anyway, more color options is definitely a good thing. Still no Grabber Green though; we’ll have to wait until 2013 for that particular hue.