Color Focus – Porsche
Color Focus – Porsche
Color Focus: Porsche Guards Red – Y39
Guards Red (a.k.a. "India Red") is maybe the most Porsche of Porsche colors. No, it's not a quirky shade nor has it got "Signal" in the name, but it is perhaps the most ubiquitous. It seems like half the Porsches delivered in the 1980s could have been Guards Red, a time when it was not uncommon for owners of less desirably colored Porsches to respray their non-red Porsche to fit in.
Color Focus: Porsche Maritime Blue – 5MB
Near as we can tell, Maritime Blue (maritimblau; non-metallic UNI; 5MB; Porsche) as a color was introduced or at least popularized during the 964 era. Porsche Club’s Rennbow website lists it as mainly available from 1991 to about 1995 with a few exceptions since and potentially in 1979 on the Carrera SC. They also suggest it may have evolved from early Porsche Enamel Blue. Whatever the case, the idea is simple enough – a practically primary blue that harks early national racing colors of France, often referred to as French Blue and popularized in those early pre-war racing years by Bugatti.
Color Focus: Porsche GT Silver Metallic – M7Z / U2
When it comes to core racing colors, silver and Germany go hand-in-hand since the pre-war Silver Arrows days of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union. And though Porsche tends to lean towards the original german racing color of white in more recent years, there's no doubt that its classic 1950s racers predominantly went silver. And one of the most popular modern Porsche silver colors is GT Silver Metallic (gtsilbermetallic; metallic UNI; M7Z / U2; Porsche).
Color Focus: Porsche Brewster Green – 22B
Some say Porsche's non-metallic Brewster Green (brewstergrün; nonmetallic UNI; 22B; Porsche) is Stuttgart's take on British Racing Green. However, we'd suggest it's just another shade by Stuttgart of England's original national racing color. Where Irish Green goes just a bight lighter than a lot of traditional British Racing Greens, Brewster Green goes a bit darker. In lower light it can sometimes even look black, though under direct light the green hue and the relationship to the British national racing color is undeniable.
Color Focus: Porsche Gulf Blue – 328
The term "icon" may be loaded. For starters, the word itself is used far too often, in a way that waters down the value of the label. And, in the case of a truly iconic color such as Gulf Blue (gulfblau; non-metallic / non-metallic UNI; 328; Porsche), the color also tends to get over-used by Paint to Sample clients seeking the obvious Porsche motorsport heritage play. And what a play it is.
Color Focus: Porsche Oak Green Metallic Neo – M6E
A modern reformulation of a classic color, Oak Green Metallic Neo (oakgrünneo; metallic; M6E; Porsche) harks Porsche's Oak Green Metallic of the 80s and 90s that was offered in that period as a standard though remained rare. Today's reformulation, thus the "Neo" in Porsche parlance, appears to be close but not exact. It was a standard launch color for the Porsche Macan Electric and the launch photo spec for the 992.2 GT3 Touring, so not widely seen in person at the time of this writing. Those familiar with the original who have seen it in person report it has a bit less gold tones and metallic flake than the original.