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I have been bugging him off and on for quite a while to write the coffee table book
that shows a picture of every color car Porsche has produced. No luck so far, even
though I promised to buy a copy.
Keith, so far I have worked on an appropriate cover for the book. I had a few ideas...
But none of these seemed to elicit in people the kind of emotions that I wanted them to feel about 'Paint to Sample', similar
to the enthusiasm so many of you have for it at Rennlist. So I created a test logo & showed it to folks in San Francisco!
Wow, a 'star' was born! It caught on like wild fire. In any case, people were clamoring for PTS and getting right behind it!
Totally incredible & unexpected, although from the looks of some of PTS fans in the photo above, it doesn't seem many can afford
shirts, much less the high cost of deviating stitching at Porsche! So I mostly kept quiet about the $5500 option price of PTS
& the lengthy delays you often endure in the ordering process. And I also kept secret that the 'Chartreuse', color code 226, has
not yet been approved by PAG for PTS. These guys love 'chartreuse' with passion, if you know what I mean! And they would have
been sooooooo disappointed!
LOL. It actually surprises me that they don't try to make PTS & Porsche Exclusive more of a thing... I'm even surprised that there are not more people custom ordering their cars. Especially since we live in a world that currently is so geared towards options. I hate to think that I would be stuck buying a car that was assembled based on some numbers and figures of what would appeal to the majority.
Keith, so far I have worked on an appropriate cover for the book. I had a few ideas...
But none of these seemed to elicit in people the kind of emotions that I wanted them to feel about 'Paint to Sample', similar
to the enthusiasm so many of you have for it at Rennlist. So I created a test logo & showed it to folks in San Francisco!
Wow, a 'star' was born! It caught on like wild fire. In any case, people were clamoring for PTS and getting right behind it!
Totally incredible & unexpected, although from the looks of some of PTS fans in the photo above, it doesn't seem many can afford
shirts, much less the high cost of deviating stitching at Porsche! So I mostly kept quiet about the $5500 option price of PTS
& the lengthy delays you often endure in the ordering process. And I also kept secret that the 'Chartreuse', color code 226, has
not yet been approved by PAG for PTS. These guys love 'chartreuse' with passion, if you know what I mean! And they would have
been sooooooo disappointed!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel
.
I'm so glad to see you're getting underway with the background research!
How about:
"All the Porsche Colors: M&Ms and More."
No charge...
The PTS coffetable book logo should have approved PTS colors. Viper green and signal yellow with a Riviera blue border. 918 buyers get to choose what ever colors they want on the cover.
Just in case you are not familiar with PTS 'Olympic Blue'...
A friend just received this particular gt4 in the beautiful 'Olympic Blue' PTS color. The hue dates back from the 914 era.
*****
Here are some photos I took of 'Olympic Blue' at 'Porsche Exclusive' in Zuffenhausen last July:
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
******
A 914 in 'Olympic Blue'
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel
PS Note how camera lenses fail sometimes. In photo 1, 'Olympic Blue'
looks pretty 'blue'. As I take photo #2, the same damn camera turns
the 'Blue' a little bit 'grey'. Never trust photos of colors...you need to
see them in person!
Wow, crazy how different it looks in these pics and on the dealers
Facebook page. Eduardo is it closer to Gulf or Riviera in real life?
It has more 'life' than 'Gulf', less intense 'Blue' tint than 'Riviera',
& less 'Green' tint than the new 'Miami'! The friend who ordered
the 'Olympic Blue' gt4 was thinking that the color might be closer
to 'Crystal Blue', a late '60s vintage 911 color as found in my original
paint 1970 911E Targa that you can see in my Rennlist avatar!
Here is what he wrote to me:
"I was thinking of how much I admired your crystal blue targa
when I ordered this!! PTS Olympic Blue - a 914 color...I know
that this color will draw comments both plus and minus, but I
view the Boxster/Cayman series as the modern day 914 and
thought the color was unique and appropriate. Plus, your car
looks so amazing that I thought this similar color would be
fun to own."
Hopefully we will be able to check out at some point how close
'Olympic Blue' is to the old 'Crystal Blau', but I appreciate the
compliment & tribute to the color on my '70 911E Targa!
A) Check out these two PTS 991 gts at some dealer in Britain...
'Mint Green' & 'Mexico Blue':
**
Originally Posted by 96redLT4
What is up with that mint green color? Anyone know the name of that?
I think it is kind of cool to see people go out on a limb with the color choices.
Jim
I think it's on spec by the dealer. Probably just wanted to order something unusual to
attract an unusual buyer. Not my favorite...but it's all in the eye of the beholder!
B) Also today we heard that 'Lime Green/Chartreuse' is finally approved:
Originally Posted by GreenLantern
After almost 14 months since we submitted one of my all-time favorite PTS
colors for feasibility review, I finally received confirmation that 226 / Chartreuse
/ Light Green (lindgrün) is fully approved and will be available the next time a
PTS window opens...@Heads up to Eduardo!
Excellent news, GreenLantern!
It's too bad it has taken that long to do the feasibility
study on this color...but it's now finally approved and
for that we can be thankful!
The color was first used by Porsche in the MY1972/1973
in the 911. Back then, it was most often called 'Lime Green',
not 'Chartreuse', in our English-speaking Porsche markets.
It was last used for PTS in the .2 997. This 4.0 Limited Edition
example was custom ordered & continues to be owned by one
of our own Rennlisters here in this forum & a fellow R Gruppe
member from NYC (the fellow that posted above!):
***
As a small aside GreenLantern, 'Lindgrün' doesn't translate into German as
'Light Green'. The latter designation is reserved for 'Lichtgrün', although we
know it in the English-speaking market as 'Birch Green' because that was
the historical name associated with it (Lichtgrün) in early Porsche advertising
& marketing materials back in its day.
***
'Lindgrün' is today officially translated as 'Lind Green' by Porsche.
The early Porsche literature it was mostly referred as 'Lime Green',
rather than 'Chartreuse' or 'Lind Green'.
***
Once we started drinking more wines from Gaul & appreciating the delicious
cheeses of Normandy & other fine regions in that country, Porsche aficionados
started calling this 226 color by its proper French name - 'Chartreuse' - simply
because it made it sound, well,... 'je ne sais quoi'!
Below is my response to a question posed by a reader
re: what I posted (above) at the PTS Reference thread
I have going on the gt3 forum. And it might be of
interest to some of you here too.
***
Originally Posted by hets72
Dear Eduardo,
saw on one of the pictures above a "'Delphi Green Metallic" -
do you have any more details / pictures of that color.....
thanks in advance,
Helmut
Helmut:
It was a 914-only color. Don't see too many around. It was an extra
cost paint option, similar to the way Porsche today charges more for
what they call 'Special Colors'...but still less expensive than true PTS.
I just 'google' that color and came up with this one which perhaps
might be representative of the hue. It reminds me a bit of the recent
'Peridot Metallic' color used by Porsche used a few years ago.
The one color from that 1974 Porsche Color chart for the 914 that has
always caught my eye is 'Zambezi Green'.
In the color representation on paper it doesn't look that exciting. But in
real life, it's one of the best greens that has ever been formulated by
Porsche!
I am hoping someone has the vision to request 'Zambezi Green' on
a current model to start the feasibility study on it. It goes extremely
well with a beige/brown interior. MY1973 and MY1974 are the first
Porsche models I ever went to see in a showroom after I got out of
college (Class of 1972) and discovered my love for the Porsche marque.
I distinctly remember seeing a brand new 'Zambezi Green' 914 at the
Porsche dealership in Virginia Beach (VA), where I lived for six months
during my first job with GE.
***
In the summer of 1973 I purchased my first Porsche. It was a five-year
old MY1968 912 'Soft-Rear' Targa in 'Polo Red'. I crashed that two months
later. After I returned from Paris, I had a '70 911T coupe & then ordered
a new 944 when those just came out. It was not until 1984 that I bought
a 914 to try it out. It was a used 1972 2.0 in 'Sunflower Yellow'. Here is
how I remember the color...and the period 'bellbottoms'!
I enjoyed the 914 2.0 very much. The interior cabin was surprisingly wide
& comfortable. I drove it all the way from NYC to LA that year. Then I
totaled the 914 2.0 at a Porsche Owner's Club event at the old 'Riverside
International Raceway' * when I early apexed turn 2 & never recovered!
But if I ever find a 'Zambezi Green' 914 at a good price, I would be
tempted to buy it for nostalgia sake!
***
Some savvy Porsche enthusiasts are discovering distinctive colors that
were formulated specifically for the VW-914 in the era and that are now
almost forgotten. 'Olympic Blue' comes to mind. It has been on the
approved PTS list for a while. I took these photos at 'Porsche Exclusive'
showroom at Zuffenhausen this summer simply because the color caught
my eye while staring at the 'Wailing Wall':
And recently a friend from Atlanta ordered his gt4 in this great vintage
914 color - 'Olympic Blue' Porsche color code Z16!
'Riverside International', the 'paradise' of motor racing in Southern
California since 1957, was literarily turn into parking lot...just as
Joni Mitchell wrote in her famous song 'Big Yellow Taxi':
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
An interesting 'Birch Green' gt4 was just delivered in the UK.
Here are posts from that forum that I think shed some light
on this stunning color!
********
Originally Posted by Less than 3mph
From PH!!
***
Originally Posted by Z356
To add more information on this UK gt4 that Daniel posted above,
here are it's specifications as reported by the owner (sandipshaunak)
in PistonHeads:
PTS birch green
Rear wing supports black
64 litre tank
LWB
PCM
Sound package plus
Mobile phone prep
Light design package
Stitching in platinum
Silver seat belts
Leather interior package
Centre console in leather
DAB
2 zone climate
Smoking package
Porsche crest on storage lid
Thanks for the post, Daniel!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel
***
Originally Posted by sandy59
I believe that green may be 'light green' and not 'birch green' according to the owner.
Awesome colour all the same.
***
Originally Posted by Z356
Sandy:
Here is what the owner posted on PistonHeads himself:
That is why we, the Porsche enthusiasts with some historical memory,
still refer to 'Lichtgrün', color code 253, as 'Birch Green'. Hope this
sheds some light on the subject.
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel
***
Originally Posted by sandy59
Thanks Eduardo for the comprehensive explanation. Where I was getting confused was he later posted this pic calling it light green :
Then someone else posted this one saying this was birch green, I wasn't sure if they were actually the same :
Are you saying these are both the same colour ??
I guess it could just be the lighting & different camera etc.
Sandy
***
Originally Posted by Z356
Sandy:
Yes, it's the same color. 'Lichtgrün', 'Light Green' (presently)
and 'Birch Green' are all the same - Porsche color code 253.
****
When I was in Germany last July (2015), I went out of my way to visit
the Bensberg Porsche dealership where that car you posted was for sale.
I wanted to see the color for myself in person one more time. A photo
of that car had been posted earlier last summer here on Rennlist on one
of my 'Custom Ordering/PTS' threads. I contacted the person in Germany
who posted the photo and he told me where the dealership was located.
Here are the photos I took of that car:
It was simply stunning!
***
This is not the first time I have seen ' 'Lichtgrün' in person. I saw &
photographed a 991 Cabriolet that 'Porsche Exclusive' had on display
at Zuffenhausen in 2013. I utilized the same camera as the one I
used in 2015 at Bensberg, yet the photos make the color look quite
dissimilar due to lighting, etc. That is why I tell everybody not to
trust photos to judge a PTS color...you need to see it in person with
your own eyes!
***
By the way, the person on PistonHeads that posted that photo of the
Bensberg 'Birch Green' 991 is none other that ISUK. He is due to
received a 'Lichtgrün' gt4 in early 2016. ISUK has had some of the
nicest PTS Porsches I have seen in England and has previously been
a poster here on Rennlist!
Hopefully helpful tip for getting more accurate colors from your camera- bring along a sheet of white paper. Set camera to custom white balance. Take a photo of the white paper in the light you will be using, preferably as close as possible to the subject. Make that your new white balance. Not all cameras have this, or call it the same thing if they do, but most do and if yours does this should help.
Saw this PTS green Turbo (factory car) yesterday in Weissach.
Did you get to talk to the owner and find out the exact PTS color?
It looks too light & rich to be the popular 'Oak Green Metallic'...
And there are many other possibilities of 'green metallic' PTS paints
which we are not that familiar with in their current 991/981 form:
And it could also be a few approved green metallics that are not
listed above! These types of 'metallic' greens were a particular
favorite color of Ferry Porsche!
If you could find out for us, we all would appreciate it!
I posted this on the 981 'Custom Ordering' thread,
but perhaps it might be of interest to some of you
here too.
***
Originally Posted by Milehigh981
No word on signal orange or aubergine ?
Originally Posted by Z356
As of the last PTS approved list I have (July 2015), neither of
those two colors - 'Signal Orange' & 'Aubergine' - have been
requested by a customer at the PTS program at PAG. Thus
they are not even in the feasibility study phase. I hope
somebody has the courage to step up and start the feasibility
study for those two truly beautiful colors!
By the way, I have a correction to make. I looked over the
5/2015 PAG approved PTS list and 'Aubergine' is finally
on the feasibility study! So let's see when/if it gets approved!
'Aubergine', historically color code 025, keeps its vintage
number! It was a very popular color when introduced by
Porsche on the MY1972/1973 911 as a no-cost standard
offering!
And in particular, that color didn't weather age very well.
Hopefully, the newer paint technology will prevent that
from happening on the new formulation of 'Aubergine'!
**
Personally, I find the new RS's 'Ultraviolet' to be a more
vibrant purple hue than the vintage 'Aubergine/025'!
This exclusive .1 991 gt3 RS color has a bit of the vintage early
911 'Royal Purple' (color code 341) hue also from MY1972/1973,
although that was an extra-cost 'Special Order' back then!
As an aside, one 'color expert' on Rennlist has posted this exact photo
(above) in one of our forums & called the color 'RS Lilac/Royal Blue'.
This color was available on all 911 models in MY1972/1973. And the
color was often referred as 'Lilac'...but never as 'Royal Blue'!
**
But PAG doesn't seem to be planning to allow 'Ultraviolet' to
be ordered either as a PTS or as a 'Special Color' anytime
soon...so it might be a moot point!
But I will be glad to see when 'Aubergine' finally makes it
on the approved PTS list!
11-22-2015, 09:51 PM
I am working on it...
So I mostly kept quiet about the $5500 option price of PTS 
