Hardly any carmaker is as associated with bright, iconic colors as Porsche. Blood orange, signal yellow, fern green, or star ruby are just a few prominent examples from 70 years of company history. With the new equipment options “Paint to Sample”, as well as “Paint to Sample Plus”, Porsche is ushering in a renaissance of color joy. Typical Porsche colors of days gone by are thus celebrating a comeback.
Most new cars of our millennium are silver, gray or black. For some years now, this trend has been reversing for sports cars. Porsche is taking this into account with its Paint to Sample program. The Taycan, 911 and 718, for example, can once again be ordered in colors such as amethyst metallic or riviera blue.
HERE your can already have a look at the extended choice of colors before the new online car configurator goes live. But be careful not to get soaked in too much. Procrastination is pre-programmed…
As Head of Customization and Classic, Alexander Fabig knows: “Unusual paint finishes are familiar from the history of our brand and are an important differentiating feature.” The color palette is being expanded to include more than 160 special colors. “With this range, we are reviving cult colors,” says Fabig, in keeping with the tradition-conscious corporate culture.
While our beloved classics used to consist mainly of sheet metal parts and generally fewer different materials, today the outer skin of a Porsche sports car is made of carbon fiber, aluminum, plastic, and the like. Of course, this also makes the paint job more complicated. One color does not last on every surface. That’s why the chemical composition differs depending on the material.
That’s why a new paint mixing bench was needed in Zuffenhausen. From countless components, the paints are mixed there down to the milligram. Depending on the substrate, i.e. the material, the composition of the paint still has to be adjusted slightly. Its drying temperatures also play a role. For example, maritime blue, star ruby and mint green have already been approved.
Paint to Sample and its even more wild sibling Paint so Sample Plus is expected to be integrated in the Porsche Car Configurator at the beginning of 2022. However, the choice also depends on the model series. For the 911 and 718 model series, there are more than 100 additional paint colors to choose from. Panamera, Macan and Cayenne customers have to choose from around 50 options. For the Taycan, a further 65 colors complete the spectrum.
If you can’t find a suitable color in PTS, you can go one step further with PTS Plus. This offers the option of specifying a completely individual color. A sports car that matches the color of your new sneakers, lipstick, or handbag? Anything is conceivable! However, this option is reserved for the 911, 718 and Taycan models.
How does the whole thing work? You hand in a color sample at your Porsche Center. The paint geniuses at Porsche then carry out a feasibility check. It doesn’t even affect production times! Porsche’s colorists ensure a uniform paint finish under all conceivable conditions. And it goes even further. A test car body is painted for each PTS Plus application. If the color is not suitable for the vehicle paint job, Porsche covers the cost of the feasibility test.
Of course Porsche Exclusive’s service doesn’t come cheap. Porsche Paint to Sample prices range from around 11,400 to 12,800 USD. Paint to Sample Plus costs twice as much. A Porsche 992 GT3 in a PTS Plus color thus is offered at a 25,000+ USD premium. But one thing is certain then: It doesn’t get any more individual than that!
Elferspot magazine