Features
Color Focus: BMW Estoril Blue – 335
Introduced in 1992 on the E36 M3, Estoril Blue has become one of the more memorable rad-era colors to come from BMW M. BMW shares that the color was inspired by the blues of Portugal where the Estoril racing circuit calls home. Whether it's the cool blue surf of the Atlantic Ocean off the Portuguese coast or the almost always-clear skies overhead, the reference to Estoril definitely sticks. That BMW Motorsport in both two and four-wheeled forms has plenty of history with the Portuguese track doesn't hurt either.
EU Market Find: 1994 Audi S2 Avant in Porsche Onyx Green
Here’s an interesting specimen that popped up on the European market recently – an Audi S2 in the ’80s era Porsche 924 color Onyx Green Metallic. We’ve never seen an Audi S2 in this color before and the listing doesn’t state that it’s a respray, so we’re guessing it’s a very early example of Audi exclusive paint. In this period, custom paint did happen on these cars though it’s more common (yet still uncommon) on the hotter RS2.
Market Find: 2016 Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue RS 7
Will·
When it rains, it pours. Just a few days ago, we featured a different Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue RS 7, and here we have another. Albeit not a Performance model like our prior post, this RS 7 packs plenty of performance courtesy of the deep aftermarket support that brands like Audi benefit from. All told, this RS 7 is said to have about 800 horsepower, which is certainly more than enough to do just about anything- legal or not.
Market Find: 2022 Audi exclusive Suzuka Grey RS 5 sportback
Will·
Within the Tailored Driver spectrum, it's difficult to get more subtle than Audi's Suzuka Grey. Pearl off-white in the right light and simply basic white in others, the color blends into the parking lot masses more than you'd expect. In fact, it's so subtle that it's nearly impossible to accurately capture in photos, making it somewhat of a hard sell when time comes to spend $3,500 on Tailored paint.
Market Find: 2018 Lamborghini Ad Personam Verde Draco Metallic Huracan Performante
Will·
Lamborghini's Ad Personam Verde Draco Metallic was most famously used on Lamborghini's Murcelago press car that was thrashed on Top Gear, and second most famously on VinWiki founder and Cannonballer Ed Bolian's resprayed high-mile LP640. But even with that relatively high level of notoriety and our opinion that it's absolutely stunning, take rate on the vibrant albeit muted green is exceedingly low.
EU Market Find: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 in Signal Green
This isn't a pristine collector 964-era 911. Like a lot of European market 911s, this very early 964 (July 1989 first registration) has been loosely cloned to look like a 964 Carrera RS / N/GT or Cup including Cup 1 wheels, Recaro Pole Position seats and a few other things. Like a lot of these early 964s that became RS clones, some liberties were taken like black paint on the Cup 1 wheels, fitting later brakes that appear to be OEM, (a.k.a. "big reds") and a few other things a real RS wouldn't have.
Market Find: 2014 Audi exclusive Nimbus Grey RS 5
Will·
The B8.5 generation of RS 5 was a pretty rowdy car, with it's incredibly high-revving V8 and subtle box flares, wrapped in a package that is aging incredibly well. Not many left the factory with Audi exclusive paint, so this particular example finished in Nimbus Grey is not only cool, it's also quite rare. Your guess is as good as ours as to why it's at a Nissan dealer, but we feel this may be a great case of a Dealer not really knowing what they've got. If you're interested, act fast.
Color Chart: 1994 Audi RS2
The Audi RS2 Avant remains the stuff of fantasy thanks to its limited production by Porsche and its...
Market Find: 2005 Porsche Paint to Sample Linen Grey Metallic 911 Carrera S Cabriolet
Will·
We'll never tire of 997 and older generation Paint (and Leather) to Sample Porsche models as this was a time before social media notoriety, when you either found out about the Paint to Sample program through a forum, or through your well-informed Dealer. In other words, if you had about $4,000, some level of patience and a vision, there was a good shot your newly ordered Porsche would be a one-off.
Market Find: 2016 Audi exclusive Nardo Grey A7
Will·
The nuance of what is truly special or not can be tiresome to most, but our guess is that if you were in that camp, you wouldn't be here. It's through that lens, that we feature this Tailored Driver. Nardo Grey was offered on the Audi A7 as a standard color on the Competition variants, of which this is not and it predates by two years.