What: 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S Color: Paint to Sample Mexico Blue (mexicoblau; non-metallic UNI; 336; Porsche) VIN: WP0AD2A96BS766484 Mileage: 14,855 miles Price at Time of this Writing: $197,888 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: N/A Location: Porsche San Luis Obispo, CA Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
The 997.2 Turbo S is, in most cases, a Porsche model which wears the ‘good value’ for money badge proudly. Enthusiasts have overlooked the shocking performance due to a lack of engagement from the PDK-only transmission, and as such the 997 Turbo S can often be had for a song- even more so should it’s roof be made of fabric rather than metal. This Tailored Driver is not one of those ‘value’ examples, but when it comes to spec, this is incredibly enticing. Paint to Sample Mexico Blue was a bold choice in 2011, but it works, especially when juxtaposed with Yellow brake calipers and silver center lock wheels. All of this is to say there’s plenty of ‘value’ in this blue chip Turbo S even if the price is a bit high compared to others in market. We think when appreciation for this variant hits, it’ll hit incredibly hard.
What: 1997 BMW M3 coupe Color: BMW Individual Aegean Blue Metallic (ägäischblau; metallic; 336; BMW)VIN: WBSBG91000EW36422 Mileage: 59,000 kilometers Price at Time of this Writing: €59,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: CarJager, Aix-en-Provence, France Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
Say it with us- BMW Individual Aegean Blue Metallic over Cream Nappa Leather. In 1997 this particular Tailored Driver was the choice of an M3 connoisseur, choosing the classiest of color combinations at their dealer and achieving a jaw-dropping finished product. Understandably the former custodians of this car loved looking at it, but it seems they liked looking more than spending time behind the wheel as the car has covered just 59,000km in it’s 28 years of existence.
What: 1994 Audi S2 Avant Color: Onyx Green Metallic (onyxgrün; metallic UNI; LD6V; Porsche) Chassis Number: N/A Mileage: 284,000 km, 176,469 miles Price at Time of this Writing: €30,500 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Private Seller, Kronstorf, Austria Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
Here’s an interesting specimen that popped up on the European market recently – an Audi S2 in the ’80s era Porsche 924 color Onyx Green Metallic. We’ve never seen an Audi S2 in this color before and the listing doesn’t state that it’s a respray, so we’re guessing it’s a very early example of Audi exclusive paint. In this period, custom paint did happen on these cars though it’s more common (yet still uncommon) on the hotter RS2.
What’s an S2? Though they never came to America, Audi continued installing its now 20-valve turbocharged I-5 in its B3 and B4-era cars, beginning with the B3-based S2 Coupe and then later the wagon (a.k.a. Avant) and much lower production sedan body styles. Though the Porsche-built and tuned RS2 gets more love from the automotive community, Audi connoisseurs often prefer the more subtle look of the S2. Now, throw on some rare-at-the-time custom factory paint and you have a winner.
This car is modified in some respects, and it’s also high mileage. From our perspective, that makes it a great candidate for a daily or weekend driver and less attractive as a museum piece bound to tucked away untouched as part of a collection.
As S2s go, it may be a bit on the high side. Even still, it’s probably half of what the equivalent RS2 will cost, which still makes it a bargain. If its condition is as good as presented and it is actually factory paint in a Porsche color, we’d also argued it’s priced appropriately.
This is one of our Euro market finds, so the usual caveats apply for our primarily North American readership. For Europe and other markets, we focus on cars older than 25 years, meaning a relatively easy import into the USA. This is often done by working with firms such as our friends at Orchid Euro, you can have the car purchased, transported to port, shipped to America and cleared through customs for clients seeking this sort of service.
What: 2016 Audi RS 7 Color: Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue (nogaroblau; pearl effect UNI; Z5M; Audi) VIN: WUAW2AFC7GN901572 Mileage: 28,311 miles Price at Time of this Writing: $59,990 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: Pictured below Location: MDK International, Los Angeles, CA Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
When it rains, it pours. Just a few days ago, we featured a different Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue RS 7, and here we have another. Albeit not a Performance model like our prior post, this RS 7 packs plenty of performance courtesy of the deep aftermarket support that brands like Audi benefit from. All told, this RS 7 is said to have about 800 horsepower, which is certainly more than enough to do just about anything- legal or not. Other highlights include HRE Wheels, an H&R lowering module, software from APR, and full paint protection film. So whether it’s this particular RS 7 or the stock example featured previously, a Tailored RS 7 in Nogaro has never been more attainable.
What: 2022 Audi RS 5 sportback Color: Audi exclusive Suzuka Grey Pearl Effect (suzukagrau; pearl effect; LY7F / M1 ; Audi) VIN: WUAAWCF5XNA901159 Mileage: 22,421 miles Price at Time of this Writing: $65,999 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: N/A Location: Audi San Diego, CA Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
Within the Tailored Driver spectrum, it’s difficult to get more subtle than Audi’s Suzuka Grey. Pearl off-white in the right light and simply basic white in others, the color blends into the parking lot masses more than you’d expect. In fact, it’s so subtle that it’s nearly impossible to accurately capture in photos, making it somewhat of a hard sell when time comes to spend $3,500 on Tailored paint through Audi exclusive. Fortunately for the original Tailor of this RS 5 sportback, California has the right lighting conditions about two-thirds of the year, making the selection quite an astute one.
What: 2018 Lamborghini Huracan Performante Color: Ad Personam Verde Draco Metallic (metallic-UNI; 0089; Lamborghini) VIN: ZHWUD4ZF2JLA10642 Mileage: 11,893 miles Price at Time of this Writing: $335,000 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: Pictured Below Location: 1 of 1 Motorsports, Ft. Lauderdale, FL Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
Lamborghini’s Ad Personam Verde Draco Metallic was most famously used on Lamborghini’s Murcelago press car that was thrashed on Top Gear, and second most famously on VinWiki founder and Cannonballer Ed Bolian’s resprayed high-mile LP640. But even with that relatively high level of notoriety and our opinion that it’s absolutely stunning, take rate on the vibrant albeit muted green is exceedingly low. We’re happy to see that at least one Tailor opted for Verde Draco Metallic on their Performante, and even more intrigued that this example features a VF Supercharger, methanol injection, auxiliary gauges, and OMP racing harnesses We’ll let you make of that what you will, and just let the pictures of this Tailored Driver do the talking.
What: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Color: Signal Green (signalgrün; non-metallic UNI; 22S; Porsche) Chassis Number: N/A Mileage: 9,347 km, 5,807 miles Price at Time of this Writing: €128,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Stowasser & Schmalzried, Weinstadt, Germany Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
This isn’t a pristine collector 964-era 911. Like a lot of European market 911s, this very early 964 (July 1989 first registration) has been loosely cloned to look like a 964 Carrera RS / N/GT or Cup including Cup 1 wheels, Recaro Pole Position seats and a few other things. Like a lot of these early 964s that became RS clones, some liberties were taken like black paint on the Cup 1 wheels, fitting later brakes that appear to be OEM, (a.k.a. “big reds”) and a few other things a real RS wouldn’t have. It may have also been track weaponized given the suggestion of a 3.8 engine rebuild and that color-matched cage. It’s intriguing for someone looking for a driver or track car, though likely red flags for a purist collector.
There are a few other things we note here. For starters, it’s not clearly stated that it’s a Carrera 2, though we’re guessing it is because C2s were available for Europe for 1989 even if they didn’t arrive in the USA until 1990. It’s also got some significant upgrades we found in the general marketplace site listing but not on the dealer site.
There’s another oddity. The listing translates that it was restored around 2010/2011. That’s likely when it received all of the modifications. However, its mileage logged is quite low, so it’s unclear whether the chassis has very low mileage or more likely that it has logged so very few miles since being restored and built.
Our next question is whether the Signal Green paint is factory Paint to Sample or a respray during the aforementioned restoration. Signal Green was a Carrera Cup color and the so cars in that color did happen on occasion. The dealer doesn’t list details here, and since it’s a European listing the inclusion of a VIN number for reference isn’t common. That’d be something worth checking for anyone thinking seriously on this car.
All that said, we’d still argue this car is worth the premium. For starters, a 964 Carrera 2 Coupé in decent shape will already run you into six figures. You’d never be able to build this car for that number, and the 3.8 and other mechanical upgrades suggests it’s more than just the usual basic RS clone bolt-ons. For someone seeking to make a more convincing RS clone, it wouldn’t take much more than removing that cage, respraying the wheels in either silver or signal green and getting some replica leather seat covers for those Pole Positions. No, it wouldn’t be real, but you’d be having an outlawed RS experience for about half the price of a similar condition Carrera RS. And, given it’s a clone and the price, you could drive it without too much concern over mile-ing up something as rare and collectible as a real RS.
And what of that green paint? Well, if it’s real and those miles are accurate then it’s still probably worth putting it back to factory specifications. That’d be a hell of a specimen for those purist collectors. And if it’s not, you still have a very unique thing. Unlike Maritime Blue or Rubystar that are more common in this era, Signal Green is decidedly rare. The actor James Spader was known to have one that he used in and around Los Angeles, which is great trivia to know if you own it. Also, real deal Signal Green 964s are anything but common.
This is one of our Euro market finds, so the usual caveats apply for our primarily North American readership. For Europe and other markets, we focus on cars older than 25 years, meaning a relatively easy import into the USA. This is often done by working with firms such as our friends at Orchid Euro, you can have the car purchased, transported to port, shipped to America and cleared through customs for clients seeking this sort of service.
What: 2014 Audi RS 5 Color: Audi exclusive Nimbus Grey (nimbusgrau; pearlescent UNI; Z7X; Audi) VIN: WUAC6AFR3EA901309 Mileage: 70,957 miles Price at Time of this Writing: $32,709 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: Pictured below Location: Nissan Thousand Oaks, CA Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
The B8.5 generation of RS 5 was a pretty rowdy car, with it’s incredibly high-revving V8 and subtle box flares, wrapped in a package that is aging incredibly well. Not many left the factory with Audi exclusive paint, so this particular example finished in Nimbus Grey is not only cool, it’s also quite rare. Your guess is as good as ours as to why it’s at a Nissan dealer, but we feel this may be a great case of a Dealer not really knowing what they’ve got. If you’re interested, act fast.
What: 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet Color: Paint to Sample Linen Grey Metallic (leinenmetallic; metallic UNI; 55; Porsche) VIN: WP0CB299X5S765815 Mileage: 83,277 miles Price at Time of this Writing: $44,911 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: N/A Location: Porsche South Bay, Hawthorne, CA Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
We’ll never tire of 997 and older generation Paint (and Leather) to Sample Porsche models as this was a time before social media notoriety, when you either found out about the Paint to Sample program through a forum, or through your well-informed Dealer. In other words, if you had about $4,000, some level of patience and a vision, there was a good shot your newly ordered Porsche would be a one-off. This particular Tailored Driver, painted in Paint to Sample Linen Grey Metallic which was introduced in the late 80s, is almost a light Champaign when the sun hits it at just the right angle. Combined with Cocoa extended leather and a 6-speed manual, this early 997 is a downright intriguing proposition for the aspiring Tailored Driver who has $45,000 burning a hole in their pocket.
What: 2016 Audi A7 Color: Audi exclusive Nardo Grey (nardograu; non-metallic UNI; LY7C; Audi) VIN: WAU2GAFC1GN014902 Mileage: 91,900 miles Price at Time of this Writing: $16,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Avilone Auto Group, Dallas, TX Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
The nuance of what is truly special or not can be tiresome to most, but our guess is that if you were in that camp, you wouldn’t be here. It’s through that lens, that we feature this Tailored Driver. Nardo Grey was offered on the Audi A7 as a standard color on the Competition variants, of which this is not and it predates by two years. Squint harder, and you’ll see this A7 has standard (non S-line) bumpers, comfort seats, a round steering wheel, and lacks the red painted brake calipers of the Competition. Wood grain on the dash and door panels further separates this from it’s Competition package brethren, but RS 7 wheels and grill do add back some aggression. The best part? That’d be the price- just $16,000.
