JAB12

Hello all,
In recent discussions on several threads both for 964 and for 993s of interest, basically all throughout the 1990s last decade of the Aircooled we have noticed and discussed on the market examples coming up for sale, the abundant absence of exotic or interesting colors (skittles colors) available for sale. Most 964s or 993s that have hit the blocks on BAT or other auction listings as well as private offerings cannot seem to get out of the traditional (being kind here) Red, Black, White and/or Silver in the case of 993s. Silver 964s were always a special order color for the most part. If the collective here has an explanation or additional information as to why most dealers and end users who had the priviledge of ordering these cars new during period, mostly ignored the readily available an expansively at 'No charge' standard colors of the time which outside the Red/White/Black trio mentioned earlier were up for the taking.

Standard Colors such as:

1989: Murano Green, Linen, Apricot Beige
1990: +Marine Blue, Dark Blue,
1991: +Mint Green, Signal Green, Rubystone Red,
1992: Marine Blue, Mint/Signal Green, Rubystone Red.
1993: Marine Blue, Mint/Signal Green, Rubystone Red.
1994: Speed Yellow, Riviera Blue, Amaranth Violet - Paint to Sample also available this model year.

Note: The myriad of special order colors such as Silver Metallic and Horizon Blue are not included in the above list. This link to another RL TOC provides ample detail on availability of colors during these years. https://members.rennlist.com/jfk964/color_options.htm

The point of this thread is to capture additional knowledge as to why more end users did not take advantage of the available color variants and as we can see in recent years, most North American (Not ROW) 964 Coupes or Targas that have come on the market can't seem to get out of being Black/Red or White. If anyone has a list of production numbers by color that would be ideal. I look forward to additional commentary and welcome all knowledge landed on this post and thread. Knowledge about 993s color ordering is also welcome in here although I will post on 993 forum as well. Thank you.

JAB12

*Typo at end of thread title, should have been a question mark. Corrected. Thank you.

JAB12

If you own a rare color 964, photos are welcome on this thread as well.

JohnK964

MY 91 C2 Coupe
I don’t remember where but I read that 90% of the cars in this era were red black white or silver.

Marine Blue

I’ll take a stab at the question.

During the early 90’s the US was in a recession which meant there weren’t many buyers placing orders. Dealers were also very reluctant to order a unique color for fear of having the car sit on the lot forever. So being risk averse they looked back at what the most popular colors were for Porsches over the past 10 years and the result was a significant amount of Red/Black, Red/Cashmere, Black/Black, Black/Cashmere and White/Black, White/Cashmere 964’s. Certainly there were some special orders with different colors but no doubt it was a small percentage. It would be interesting to see actual production figures for anything other than the standard three colors.

The economy started improving by the time the 993 was introduced so you do see more of them in unique colors but definitely nothing like Europe or Japan.

TexasPorschelover

1994 964 wide bodies were a bit different.

JAB12

Thank you for posting this @TexasPorschelover are you able to get the same information for the narrow body production years?

That table is case and point of this thread. 108 Blacks vs a handful of any other interesting colors. For example 1 Horizon Blue.

This is all very interesting.

JAB12

Beautiful and unique car @JohnK964 thank you for posting.

atlrvr

Reposting my reply from the WTB thread where I engaged in theorizing:

Given color availability wasn't an issue, the only explanation is a cultural bias. US customers didn't order them, and dealers didn't show room stock them because of an aversion in the US not present in Europe or Japan. My speculation is that due to the AIDS crises of the late 1980's, where incidence rates in US were 10x Europe and Japan, homophobia became far more rampant here than the rest of the world, and there was a similar decline in "club culture" both gay and straight. These "flamboyant" colors were too much for the US market where the buyer base were men who were resistant to anything other than overt masculinity....metro-sexual was in hybernation in the US from late 1980's to late 1990's. Just speculation on my part.

^^^ i also will attribute the recession bit, as a reason why dealers would have stocked more neutral colors.

Nurburger

I agree with the thinking that color decisions in the early 90's were culturally influenced. The US was a very conservative place then from what I understand (I was in the UK at that time). I also think that its only in the last 15-20 years that the American market has re-found a true appreciation for the historic Porsche colors - think of all the 356/longhood 911 colors that were available in the 60's & 70's and how many of those were repainted red/black etc in the 80's to be more acceptable.

However, it seems as though Mint Green is a pretty common color in this thread....

JAB12

@Nurburger Minty and very beautiful example. Thank you for sharing. I'm not sure I am entirely in the culturally influenced corner on 1990s thinking. I personally don't think red belongs in a Porsche. It is a world renowned Ferrari color. Black I can understand, but white? Hopefully someone can explain that one to me. Then again I was only in my tweens in the early 90s so I will take lead from some of the folks that had 911 purchasing power back then when I was still driving a hand me down 70's beater to high school.

JohnK964

Believe me the homophobic gene is still around. On another forum a guy posted only women or gay men would drive a Mint Green Porsche.

JAB12

Whoever posted that does not know Porsche. Skittles colors as I call them, are the most sought after aircooled nowadays as you most certainly know. I have 2 Horizon Blue cars ( I am straight) and also have 2 gay and lesbian friends that drive black and red Porsches respectively so go figure. Agreed on that gene still being around and to some degree it makes sense that color selection or dealer inventory selection was culturally driven back then, until we get to the whites. I see more soccer Moms driving white vehicles (of all makes/models) than any other color, at least down here in South Florida. So can someone explain to me the abundance of white 964s back in the day, not so much 993s??

911Jetta

Great thread topic, love the discussion.

My first 964 was Slate Grey, and I just loved that color. Perfect road trip color for when the car was dirty after a full weekend of driving in the mountains... plus, the Steve McQueen connection.
Over time I started noticing at EVERY new SUV/minivan was also grey, so that took some of the uniqueness out of the color.
I've recently started to really appreciate white cars. Less so in the day time, but the 911 silhouette really jumps out in the city lights.

From Christophorus:

“We need more courage again in our choice of color”
07/18/2017
French color designer Jean-Gabriel Causse is convinced that we underestimate the power of color—and he dreams of an orange Porsche.

https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/chri...iew-13660.htmlYou drive a turquoise motor scooter. Why this color?

In many cultures, turquoise symbolizes youth and hope. After all, it’s hard to look at a lagoon without feeling refreshed. The color exudes a light and carefree quality, which fits in very well with the sensation of driving a motor scooter through the city.

Is turquoise your favorite color?

My favorite color varies throughout the day. In the morning, it might be the orange on the package of my shower gel, and later perhaps the blue of my sports coat.

Most people are a little more decided in their preference.

We know that blue is the most popular color in all cultures. This might have something to do with the fact that blue is the color of the sky.

A very basic question: What exactly are colors?

In physical terms, colors are different combinations of electromagnetic waves. Our retinas turn these mixtures of light into nerve impulses. These signals are transmitted to the visual cortex of the brain, which gives us the conscious sensation of color. So colors do not exist as such. They arise in our minds. Which also explains why they are extraordinarily subjective. Each person perceives color in a slightly different way.

But there is a surprising amount of overlap, such as in the colors people prefer for their cars.

According to surveys, 60 percent of people say that color is one of the main factors they consider when purchasing a car. In this case, however, they don’t choose their favorite color but instead generally select something discreet and reserved. A few decades ago, red was the most popular color for cars. Now it’s white, followed by black, silver, and gray. Three-quarters of the new cars sold in 2016 were one of these colors.

How do you explain this development?

People simply used to take more pleasure in brighter colors, which also used to signify wealth. Dark suits only started becoming popular for men in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, women’s fashion began to lose color as well—one example being Coco Chanel’s “little black dress.” By the way, you can observe a similar trend in architecture and interior design. Even fifty or sixty years ago, it wouldn't have occurred to anyone to paint the walls of their homes white. That has now become the absolute standard. And we’re seeing a similar trend in cars. As an aside, white is a good choice for safety reasons. We know that white cars have the lowest accident rates, which is probably because they’re readily visible in all kinds of light.

Is that why white is so popular?

White is a very discreet color. It doesn’t clamor for attention. And that’s exactly what most people are looking for. If you want to have a low profile, then it’s good to choose something like white, black, silver, or gray.

You seem a little sad about that.

Nearly every tourist who visits Havana is thrilled by the colors of the cars on the streets. But that’s because those vehicles were made at a time when it was customary to paint them in vibrant colors. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the same was true of cars on the streets of Paris or Stuttgart. People used to make greater use of the symbolism or power of colors than they do now.

What effect do colors have on us?

Countless studies have shown that colors exert considerable influence on us. Mountain climbers feel the cold less when their parkas are red—a color that everyone associates with warmth. People who have a blue desktop on their computers produce around twice as many ideas as those with a red desktop. Colors have incredible power.

Why is that?

Biological, cultural, and individual psychological factors all play a role.

You’ll have to explain that in greater detail.

All cultures associate red with aggression and strength. That’s also true in the animal kingdom. When finches encounter members of their same species with red feathers, the level of the stress hormone corticosterone in their blood increases by fifty-eight percent. So the color red appears to have a direct physical effect on us, quite simply via the wavelength of red light.

What about cultural factors?

Red warns us of danger. But this effect is surely also learned. Every child learns that prohibition signs are always red. Red is also the color that we associate with Italian sports cars. But this isn’t a law of nature. It’s historical happenstance. At the famous Gordon Bennett Cup in 1900, the English team got the color green (British Racing Green), France got blue, Germany white, and Italy red. That’s why if I bought a Porsche, it wouldn’t be red. In my opinion that doesn't fit with a German sports car.

What color would you get?

Orange. Without a doubt. Which might have something to do with my experiences as a child, because I often saw an orange Porsche. That brings us to the individual factors involved. Very minor events can explain why we like a color or why it makes us happy.

Sports cars are less likely to have drab colors.

That’s true. People who drive sports cars are a little more open to the mentality of play. It’s about pleasure and fun, not just the seriousness of life. Furthermore, many sports cars are simply gorgeous. I can never get enough of the elegant lines of a Porsche 911. You almost have to choose a color that stands out. I think we need more courage again in our choice of color. Walt Disney once said, “Dream your life in colors—it’s the secret to happiness.”

Porsche color selections
In addition to standard and metallic colors, Porsche offers a large number of special and individual paint jobs. Preferences differ widely according to the customer’s native region and, to some extent, the selected model series. Black, white, and gray dominate the selections for all model series in Europe and the United States. In Europe, Jet Black Metallic is the most common choice for the 911, the Cayenne, and the Panamera. In the U.S., customers prefer standard black only for the 911 and the Cayenne, while white is the favorite for all other model series. In China, the most common colors are white and Mahogany Metallic. For example, customers prefer the Cayenne in Mahogany Metallic and the 911 in white, followed by the special color Lava Orange. Generally speaking, about one percent of all customers opt for an individual color. Porsche encourages customers to explore all options, especially as part of the Exclusive Customer Consultation programs in Zuffenhausen, Leipzig, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dubai, and Shanghai. For example, when selecting the color for his 911 Turbo, designer and architect Carlo Rampazzi was inspired by a lobster-colored plate he had purchased as a young man on the Côte d’Azur. To Rampazzi, the color evoked memories of that summer and the sea. Porsche made his wish come true.

.

911Jetta

Conceiving Color

https://christophorus.porsche.com/en...386-15146.html

This Porsche is green. Why is that?

If you pose the question above to Barbara Sika and Daniela Milošević, their first response will be a knowing smile. The two designers develop paint colors for new Porsche models and derivatives. “The 911 GT3 RS pushes the limits of what’s technically possible, so it also needs a cutting-edge color,” Sika explains. “We match the color precisely to the character of the car,” says Milošević, adding that “the color should be like a superb article of clothing that perfectly highlights the car’s qualities.” So for the 911 GT3 RS, they chose a vibrant shade of green with a hint of yellow. Developing colors also means coming up with the right names. The marketing department christened this shade “Lizard Green.” It’s a perfect match, according to Sina Brunner, a product manager for innovation and color. “Lizard Green is a very extroverted color that expresses sportiness, agility, and nimbleness.” So it’s an excellent fit for the new 911 GT3 RS. “Which,” as Sika observes, “is hardly a car you’re going to hide if you’re driving it.”

Whether future GT3 RS owners will flock to this unusual hue has yet to be seen. In fact, the designers are well aware that the color has the potential to polarize. And that’s OK. What’s more, it’s even encouraged. That’s because Lizard Green is not simply a color but what’s known as a communication color. “By that we mean the precise hue that’ll be used for a specific model in all of its marketing,” explains Sina Brunner, who coordinates design with sales. “This particular hue will feature in all product communications, starting with the world premiere and the initial advertising campaigns.” And pleasing people is by no means the most important job of a communication color. Instead, its main purpose is to accentuate the unusual and unique qualities of a Porsche and thereby attract people’s attention. Brunner captures the point as follows: “The Lizard Green 911 GT3 RS is meant to catch your eye and draw you into the showroom.”

In order for this process to be successful, the color designers need to have their finger on the pulse of current trends—and possess extraordinary visionary skills. That’s because it takes years to develop a new color of paint—which also means a new communication color. One reason for this has to do with the extremely high demands that Porsche places on the quality of its paints. For example, new paints have to pass weathering tests in which they’re applied to sheet steel and then set in the sun for twenty-four months straight.

In order for this process to be successful, the color designers need to have their finger on the pulse of current trends—and possess extraordinary visionary skills. That’s because it takes years to develop a new color of paint—which also means a new communication color. One reason for this has to do with the extremely high demands that Porsche places on the quality of its paints. For example, new paints have to pass weathering tests in which they’re applied to sheet steel and then set in the sun for twenty-four months straight.

Putting paints through their paces
Developers use these tests, which take place at specially equipped trial fields in desert regions, to ensure that a new paint color won’t change in any way over time. In addition to weathering tests, new paints are subjected to other rigorous trials that assess their resistance to substances like saltwater or rim cleaners. It’s also critical that the paint on high-performance sports cars like the 911 GT3 RS be highly resistant to impact from stones or other debris, because it tends to be subjected to these conditions more often than other cars.

All of these development steps and test cycles take time. The designers generally adopt a three-step approach. They first look back at the car’s history. “If you’re not familiar with the past, you can’t shape the future,” says Sika



The color experts therefore first analyze all the previous communication colors used for a particular car, from its very first version to its most recent incarnation. “If we want to give each derivative its own unique color, the new shade can’t be too close to that of the previous model,” explains Milošević.

Next, color designers come up with initial ideas and discuss them with their sales colleague Sina Brunner. Which colors reflect the car’s character well, and which ones less so? The final step requires the designers to anticipate which colors will be popular when the new model actually comes onto the market some years later. “One important source of inspiration for us is the furniture industry, which also needs a long lead time for its colors,” says Milošević. Of additional interest are the individual colors that Porsche customers order above and beyond the standard hues offered. The goal is for the latest generation to fit in well with Porsche’s overall color range.



The color experts therefore first analyze all the previous communication colors used for a particular car, from its very first version to its most recent incarnation. “If we want to give each derivative its own unique color, the new shade can’t be too close to that of the previous model,” explains Milošević.

Next, color designers come up with initial ideas and discuss them with their sales colleague Sina Brunner. Which colors reflect the car’s character well, and which ones less so? The final step requires the designers to anticipate which colors will be popular when the new model actually comes onto the market some years later. “One important source of inspiration for us is the furniture industry, which also needs a long lead time for its colors,” says Milošević. Of additional interest are the individual colors that Porsche customers order above and beyond the standard hues offered. The goal is for the latest generation to fit in well with Porsche’s overall color range.



How and why a particular color becomes fashionable can never be definitively explained. But one thing is clear: certain cycles keep recurring. The fashion industry usually sets the tone. Interior decorators then pick up on certain trends, followed by the furniture industry. “If you trace the history of certain colors over a period of decades you can see that trends reappear with surprising regularity,” notes Sika. A good example would be white, which was a very popular color for cars in the 1970s, but then became nearly taboo in the 2000s before enjoying a comeback in the 2010s. Today, it’s particularly in vogue for electric cars—and when used as a communication color is meant to convey values like purity and environmental friendliness.

Given a name like Signal Yellow or Star Ruby, the color then enters a lifelong association with the car model for which it was developed. Its role is primarily restricted to marketing and communications, but not always. The predecessor model to the Porsche 911 GT3 RS was presented in Lava Orange, which was hugely popular in China and became one of the three favorite colors for Porsches there. This shows that under the right conditions, a communication color can become a bestseller. It doesn’t have to please, but it’s quite all right if it does.

PAINTS WITH A COLORFUL TRADITION

Signal Yellow from the 1970s,“a classic, uniquely Porsche color,” is Daniela Milošević’s favorite shade of car paint. Barbara Sika is fascinated by the contrast between Viper Green and Tangerine that Porsche has systematically used in advertising campaigns. And Sina Brunner is partial to the Star Ruby shade from the early 1990s—a supposedly feminine cult color that appeals to both women and men.

Signal Yellow
911 S 2.7 Coupé (prototype), 197



Viper Green
911 T 2.4 Coupé, 1972



Tangerine
911 S 2.4 Coupé, 1972


Star Ruby
911 Carrera RS 3.6 Coupé, 1992