Regardless of where you’ve heard of RUF- the iconic Faszination video, Gran Turismo video games using them as a stand-in for Porsche, or elsewhere- chances are you’re aware of the Pfaffenhausen-based boutique manufacturer that takes body in white Porsche shells and makes them something even more special. This particular RGT is one of a reported 17 RGT models built (one of 5 in the US), and the first ever foray into the world of water-cooled engines. Even more interesting is the choice of color- Grün Silber Mica, which came from now-defunct automaker SAAB’s palette. Here it appears a bit more generously applied and perhaps better quality, but the concept and execution is unmistakable.
What: 2018 Audi S5 sportback Color: Audi exclusive Merlin Purple(merlin purple; pearl effect; 4B / LZ3W / Z3W; Audi) VIN: WAUB4CF51JA075543 Mileage:75,577 miles Price: $34,988 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: N/A Location: Milford, OH Link: Mid America Auto Group
While seemingly uncommon in the real world, Audi exclusive’s Merlin Purple sure is a frequent flyer in the world of Tailored Driver. Seen here on an S5 sportback, Merlin may not be for everyone but those bold enough to take the jump are rewarded with a deep, dynamic hue that is certain to be a conversation starter. At $35k, this Tailored Driver may be priced a bit higher compared to similar year and mile S5 sportbacks on the market and it does have an accident on the CarFax, but for the right buyer it might be worth the jump.
What: 2014 Audi A4 quattro Color: Audi exclusive Imola Yellow(imolagelb; non-metallic Uni; Y1C; Audi) VIN: WAUDFAFL6DA156015 Mileage: 81,795 miles Price: $14,995 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Addison, TX Link: Apex Autosports
A part of the tailored car segment we find to be most interesting are older examples, leaving us interested in how they’ve held up and how they price in against comparable cars of their age. Maybe even more interesting is the specification, because back in 2014 most car brands like Audi weren’t offering Audi exclusive tailoring quite as broadly. Colors or options chosen can be a real head scratcher at times, and we think this car qualifies.
For starters, it’s an A4 2.0T in Premium specification. On Audi’s version of the “Good, Better, Best” scale, Premium is entry-level, and you can see that here with the basic non-LED headlights or lower-grade infotainment configuration with controls up on the center console versus behind the shifter. Whomever ordered this car, ordered it about as basically as one could. That said, they did opt for quattro all-wheel drive and chose to stick with the “base” manual transmission – optimal configuration in our book.
At the same time, the original buyer chose to elevate the price by several thousand dollars by choosing Audi exclusive paint. In this case, the ad doesn’t list the color but we have confirmed it is Imola Yellow. This particular yellow was introduced as a standard offering on the B5 S4. It’s graced any number of Audi performance models, including most recently the Euro market Audi RS 4 Avant edition 25 years. It remains a well-loved Audi color as a result.
This particular A4 looks well-preserved. 81,000 miles is low for a ten-plus-year old car. We do see some wear in the photos, including some possible scratching on the infotainment screen and a smudge of some sort appears on the passenger top side of the dashboard. Even still, we suspect this car would be a great get for someone seeking a unique yet affordable car.
What: 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera S Color: Porsche Blue Turquoise(blautürkis; non-metallic Uni; J1; Porsche) VIN: WP0ZZZ99ZVS313771 Mileage: 26,000 km, 16,155 miles Price Estimate: $250,000 to $300,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Gooding & Company Amelia Island Auction 2025, Amelia Island, FL Listing: Link
Though striking, Blue Turquoise was a standard color during the 993-era 911. Nevertheless, it was relatively rare and even more rare when you consider details like Midnight Blue interior and color-matched wheels. That’s the case on this rest of world (ROW) example of a Porsche 911 Carrera S ordered by Mizwa, Porsche’s Japanese distributor.
AT 26,000 km logged, this is an extremely low mileage car. Options include a Tiptronic S automatic transmission, air conditioning, those aforementioned painted wheel centers, tinted windscreen, electric seats, rear window wiper, multi-function display trip computer, lowered suspension, and “other features specific to the Japanese market” according to Gooding.
One non-factory upgrade worth noting is the radio. The original factory radio has been replaced with a Porsche Classic unit.
What: 2017 Porsche Macan GTS Color: Porsche Paint to Sample Brewster Green(brewstergrün; nonmetallic UNI; 22B; Porsche) VIN: unknown Mileage: 43,500 miles Price: $36,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Evanston, IL Listing: Link
When it rains it pours, and this week Macan is in the forecast. This Tailored Driver is checking all the right boxes for us- GTS variant, Paint to Sample Brewster Green, low miles, great price. For roughly the price of a new GTI, you can be the next steward of this 360hp crossover, and you’re guaranteed to have a hell of a lot more fun. Run- don’t walk- to Evanston, Illinois and pick this up before we do.
What: 1997 BMW 540i Color: BMW Individual Aubergine(aubergine; non-metallic UNI; 348; BMW) VIN: unknown Mileage: 115,000 miles Price: $11,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Fair Lawn, NJ Listing: Link
We’re fond of tone on tone cars, wearing the same color on the inside as they do on the outside. White on white was popular in the 80s, blue on blue isn’t that uncommon, F40s were red on red, and green on green happens. Purple on purple though, that’s almost never seen… and yet here one is in the form of a 1997 BMW 540i that is purple inside and out.
Technically, this color is Aubergine, the BMW version and not the Porsche version that appears to be darker. Some quick research shows remarkably that this wasn’t the only one built to this spec. Even still, it sounds like two or three may have been sold here in the USA. Even that begs the question on how two or three buyers would have landed on a color combination so unique. They all appear to be 540i configurations, though not all have automatic transmissions as does this car.
Is there more to the story? We haven’t found it yet, but suspect there is. In the meantime, this car is an excellent example of an affordable tailored driver. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine a car this unique at an approachable price, but they happen and this purple on purple E39 is proof positive of that.
Bonus points to the seller for both knowing the paint name and sharing a photo of the factory decal confirming it.
What: 2019 Audi RS 5 sportback Color: Audi exclusive Racing Blue Mica(racingblau; metallic UNI; MXYEWWA; Audi) VIN: WUABWCF56KA904494 Mileage: 14,375 miles Price: $53,991 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: N/A Location: Audi Warrington, PA Listing: Link
Audi exclusive Racing Blue Mica is one of the more rare hues on the Tailored Driver spectrum, likely due to its similarity to several other hues- most notably Navarra Blue, which was an optional factory color for that year. Perhaps not wanting to pay the cost for such subtlety, prospective Tailors have missed out as Racing is both a deep and vibrant blue, reminiscent of BMW’s San Marino Blue. This incredibly uncommon shade on the secondhand market comes at a reasonable cost, as this low mile RS 5 with no accidents reported is available for just $54k- very much in line with standard colored examples.
What: 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Color: Mercedes-Benz Lapis Blue Metallic (lapisblau; non-metallic Uni; 945U; Mercedes-Benz) VIN: WDB2020331F827875 Mileage: 111,776 km, 69,454 miles Price Estimate: $60,000 to $80,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Gooding & Company Amelia Island Auction 2025, Amelia Island, FL Listing: Link
During the era Mercedes-Benz was producing its first-generation W202 C-Class, special paint colors were less common than the more apparent MANUFAKTUR presence today. Bold colors like the Lapis Blue shade shown here were even less common, except perhaps in Europe where home market offerings were a bit more fanciful.
When it comes to the W202 C43 AMG, only 3,085 of the cars were produced at all. This was the early Mercedes-owned AMG era, and the cars were made worthy of the badge by Stuttgart fitting its 4,266 cc DOHC V8 engine good for 302 hp paired with a 5-speed automatic transmission…. not to mention all the expected braking and suspension upgrades. These cars are often most easily spotted for their subtle bodywork upgrades and more obvious 17-inch Monoblock wheels.
These cars are just becoming classics given their relative production years, not to mention the resurgence of the so-called “rad era”. They’re even more special when you see it’s a rare-at-the-time special order paint in a color as bold as this Lapis Blue hue. Worth noting, there’s a more commonly found Lapis Blue Metallic from Mercedes that is considerably darker.
In period, this C43 was a competitor to the BMW M3 or Audi S4, so you have to wonder the thinking of the buyer who dreamed up this particular specification. As it turns out, the car was ordered via the Mercedes-Benz Stuttgart dealership. That’s literally ground zero when it comes to Mercedes-Benz home town, where Mercedes clientele probably don’t get any more savvy. You have to figure too that the owner of such a car wouldn’t want to be missed by Audi or BMW drivers (much less the Porsche types) while blasting down the unlimited speed zones of the A8 Autobahn between Stuttgart and Münich.
We can draw conclusions, but whatever that buyer was thinking, he or she appears to be the only one thinking of it. This car is believed to be one of one, the only W202 C43 built in that particular bold Sonderlackierung (special-order) shade of Lapis Blue. Inside, that blue was paired with Graphite / Anthracite AMG leather upholstery (code 581A). It’s also reportedly got a long list of factory options.
The car spent most of its life registered in Germany, remaining well-maintained, well-preserved and highly original without any modifications. To prove this, the offering includes documented owner history, the Mercedes-Benz factory data card, associated books and AMG Classic Conversion Certificate.
Noted Texas-based car dealer and prolific classic car collector of the blue variety, Todd Blue will be parting ways with some seriously unique German automobiles from his LAPIS Collection. Perhaps not surprisingly, they are each in the same color as his name, and they’re a fixture in the upcoming RM Sotheby’s Miami Sale held during the Moda Miami weekend February 27-28.
While the name of Todd Blue’s company LAPIS is an acronym, it’s notable that the lapis is also a deep blue rock. That’s fitting given his name, and his obvious propensity for very special cars painted in blue. While his car’s aren’t religiously blue, it’s clear he has a knack for finding, buying and speccing some of the most incredible blue cars one might imagine in the Porsche and Mercedes space.
We’ve been covering the most special amongst Todd’s cars one-by-one all week, with those stories found HERE. However, we wanted to call out all of those cars in one story, including the ones that may not be tailored in the strictest sense, but are still well worth considering.
Before we dig into the car’s Blue will be selling via RM in Miami, it’s probably worth taking a closer look at his collection. The Petersen Museum visited him back in 2022 and filmed that visit. We’ve embedded it here, and it’s worth a watch. You’ll see several of these cars in there.
Now, on to the cars that will be sold. We’ll cover them here by lot number, providing estimates as suggested by RM Sotheby’s along with links to both our coverage and also the RM Sotheby’s lot description.
Want to know more about Todd Blue? We found this background provided on one of the LAPIS press releases surrounding his purchase of Mercedes-Benz Northern Arizona.
“From 2010-2020, as Founder and CEO, Mr. Blue lead his former auto group on an unparalleled growth trajectory for ten years before selling the balance of his company in late 2020. During his tenure, Mr. Blue was Dealer Principal for multiple Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, McLaren franchises and single points stores for Aston Martin, Bentley, Volkswagen, BMW as well as four Porsche dealerships. Mr. Blue led with a focus built on and around a love for customers. Mr. Blue was the only dealer selected by Porsche AG to serve on the design committee which conceived the Destination Porsche facility Generation Five facility design. Mr. Blue also became the first in the world to build a Destination Porsche facility in California. Mr. Blue was selected as one of 50 nominees for the Time Magazine National Automobile Dealer Association’s Dealer of the Year in 2019. During his time as CEO, his dealerships were multi-year award winners of the J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence Award, Automotive News Best Dealership to Work For, Audi Magna Society, Porsche Premier Dealer, Pride of Jaguar, Lamborghini Vision, and the Provenance Dealer of the Year award for Rolls Royce. Mr. Blue served on the Board of Regents for Porsche Cars North America, The Aston Martin of the Americas Dealer Advisor Panel, the BMW Western Region Dealer Board, and the Bentley USA Presidential Cabinet.”
What: 2016 BMW M3 Color: BMW Individual Signal Green(signalgrün; non-metallic UNI; P56/6; BMW) VIN: Unknown Mileage: 113,000 miles Price: $34,999 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Trumbull, CT Listing: Link
Are F80-generation M3’s finally starting to get… cheap? This Signal Green example has a few headwinds- 4 previous owners, 2 accidents reported (claimed), DCT, high miles, secondary cat deletes- but has even more tailwinds in the form of Euro bumpers, GTS model reprogramming for steering, transmission and differential, and upgraded cooling by CSF among others. So are you ready to roll the dice on a $35k Tailored Driver M3, or would you prefer to hold out for an example with fewer ‘stories’? Either way- this is market where depreciation is finally taking hold.
