Is It Time for Porsche to Replace Ruby Star Neo with Ultraviolet?
Most Porsche cars sold are white, black, silver or red. Ruby Star Neo has been the bold choice for a few years, but it may be time to pass the torch.
Car color is a very personal choice. If you despise a black car, there is nothing that I can write that will convince you to buy one. So, the topic of Porsche car colors is more about having a fun discussion than changing anyone’s mind. But it is generally agreed that the traditional white, black, silver, and red colors have a wider appeal.
They are the safer choices as you will have the largest buyer pool available when it comes time to sell your car. And that is what most people choose. Especially with the more traditional models. A base Macan, Cayenne and even 911 is more likely to be black than say a GT3 RS. The more extreme models tend to be painted in more extravagant colors. And for the last few years one of those extravagant colors has been Ruby Star Neo.
Is it time to replace Ruby Star Neo with something else? Put aside for a moment the paint to sample (PTS) program. It is limited to certain models, quite expensive, and getting a PTS allocation can sometimes be more difficult. Let’s talk about the standard, metallic and special colors that Porsche currently offers. And to keep things simple, let’s just focus on the 911 and 718 model lines. Is it time for Porsche to ditch Ruby Star Neo and replace it with something like Ultraviolet instead?
Porsche considers Ruby Star Neo and Ultraviolet to both be in the same Violet color family. But there is no question that they are very different colors. Between Ruby Star Neo and Frozen Berry Metallic Porsche has offered a couple of pink shades recently. Maybe now is the time to go purple.
Nothing Wrong with Ruby Star Neo
Some people hate it, but I actually like Ruby Star Neo. I am not suggesting that Porsche replace it, because it is ugly. It is polarizing for sure. But that is the point. Some colors, especially on high-end sports cars should be polarizing. And I am not suggesting it get replaced with another shade of black.
I am pushing for another polarizing color such as Ultraviolet. It is just for fun, just to keep the selections fresh. Ruby Star Neo is an evolution of Rubystone Red from the late 1980s / early 1990s. Rubystone Red became Ruby Star and then Ruby Star Neo. For all intents and purposes, they are all the same color.
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet is another modern-day successor to an older color. Royal Purple (Lilac) was a non-metallic color from the 1970s. Porsche brought it back as Ultraviolet in 2016 for the 991.1 GT3 RS. It is a fun color that I think would look great on a modern 911 or 718. Viola Purple Metallic is another purple color that could look good on a modern Porsche sports car. I have seen a GT4 RS painted in this color as part of the PTS program in person and it looks great. Do a lot of people hate it? Yes, and that is part of the appeal. I wrapped my white 911 Turbo S in a matte purple/black vinyl. A lot of people didn’t like it. I didn’t care. I am not a lot of people, I am me. A sports car should reflect who you are.
Will Porsche Make the Change?
Porsche was in the news recently because their Taycan Turbo GT just set a new class record on the Nürburgring and earned the title of fastest electric series-production car at the Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca. And what color was that car? Purple Sky Metallic. So, perhaps Porsche will begin to introduce a bit more purple to their sports car lineup. None of this is of life altering importance. But discussing Porsche colors is interesting, and it could be time for a shift from the pinks to the purples.
Photos: Porsche; Joe Kucinski
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