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  • Euro Market Find: Imperial Maroon Jaguar XK140 Roadster

    Euro Market Find: Imperial Maroon Jaguar XK140 Roadster

    What: 1955 Jaguar XK140 Roadster
    Color: Imperial Maroon (imperialmaroon; non-metallic; JAG-7420; Jaguar)
    VIN:  N/A
    Mileage: 6,110 km
    Price: €72,500
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Garage Moneghetti, Beausoleil, France
    Listing: Link

    If you’ve been seeking a vintage Jaguar Roadster, this one makes a compelling case for a number of reasons. No, it’s not any sort of paint-to-sample special, but it is a rare period color that looks great and has all the makings of an incredible heritage story to share with friends. First up is the color – Imperial Maroon. It was a standard color back in the day, and it also has royal context. While not affiliated with Jaguar back then, Jag’s contemporary sister brand Land Rover displayed a collection of cars last year at Pebble Beach painted the same basic Royal Claret color – the literal color painted on cars for the English Royal Family. This color being the color it is, and the name Imperial referring to a monarchy, the tie to the royal livery is pretty obvious.

    The car itself is a desirable ’55 Jaguar XK140 Roadster. In 1955, Jaguar was in a dominant place in the automotive industry. 70 years ago this week, at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, disaster happened when a Jaguar D-type collided with another car and was sent into the crowd amassed along the front straight. While a terrible incident, it’s an unforgettable moment in racing history and one that happened the very year this was produced.

    The car in question seems well kept, including a conversion to disc brakes. Its carbonated 4.4-liter 6-cylinder and 4-speed transmission likely help it move down the road with relative ease. Its Imperial Maroon over beige leather is a handsome and stately configuration for a car of this most voluptuous era of sportscar history.

    Now pivot to the car’s location in Beausoleil, France. In case the yachts in the background haven’t made it obvious, Beausoleil is literally a suburb of Monaco and the listing suggests the car is actually housed in the principality of Monaco. According to the listing, it was acquired via Sotheby’s auction in 1990. While that means you have import the car to the U.S. where most of our readership is based, it also gives you an excuse to travel to Monaco for a test drive, perhaps purchase and collect. And should you collect, how could you resist a little extra time on the French Riviera driving such a wonderful thing.

  • Market Find: Audi exclusive A6 allroad in Nogaro Blue

    Market Find: Audi exclusive A6 allroad in Nogaro Blue

    What: 2022 Audi A6 allroad
    Color: Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue (nogaroblau; pearl effect UNI; Z5M; Audi)
    VIN:  WAU92BF28NN053445
    Mileage: 42,177 miles
    Price: $53,989
    CarFax: Link
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Smart Motors Toyota, Madison, WI
    Listing: Link

    If you’re an Audi enthusiast, there’s a lot to love about the A6 allroad we’ve found within the inventory of a Wisconsin Toyota dealership. For those who don’t know, we’ll run down the can’t miss calls to Audi history.

    First up is the Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue paint. First appearing in the Audi RS2 era as RS Blue, Nogaro has become synonymous with performance Audi models and specifically performance wagons. In the C8 era as is this A6 allroad, Nogaro Blue was painted on the highly sought-after RS 6 Avant RS Tribute Edition and then blocked from purchase for any other RS 6s until last year… at least in the USA. The color remained open in other markets including Europe and Canada. Even still, the exclusivity adds to the desirability of a Nogaro Blue Audi wagon like this allroad.

    Now we’ll go deeper into tailored Audi lore. Back in 2002 during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, Audi produced a limited run of ten A6 allroads (then simply known as “allroad”) for the use of the German Ski Federation whom Audi AG sponsored. Once the olympics ended, the athletes went home and the allroads were circulated out into American Audi dealerships where they remain highly desirable to enthusiasts in the know.

    Those so-called “Olympic allroads” weren’t Nogaro Blue, but Sprint Blue had been introduced as the then replacement to Nogaro Blue. A bold blue of its own, the color was more metallic and slightly more green than Nogaro Blue, but they were very close… so close that this car definitely seems to hark the 2002 Olympic allroads.

    There’s one other thing worth calling out there, and that is the Sarder Brown interior. This is a standard interior, but obscure in that it’s only available on the A6 allroad and not the RS 6 or other A6 models. It’s also a relatively low install rate on an already relatively rare car. We can’t say it would be our first choice on a bold color such as Nogaro Blue, but we don’t hate it.

  • Color Check: Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue RS 4 Avant Spied in Ingolstadt Parking Lot

    Color Check: Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue RS 4 Avant Spied in Ingolstadt Parking Lot

    Say you’re driving down the road in Audi’s hometown of Ingolstadt, Germany and you see a Nogaro Blue Audi RS 4 Avant. Do you pull a U-turn and go back, shooting plenty of photos of the car? If so, you might be a tailored car geek. We know we are.

    Just a block away from the Audi Forum Ingolstadt back when this B8-era RS 4 was a new car, we ran across this particular Avant in the parking lot of a supplier. Parked just yards from a main thoroughfare, it sat rather unassumingly behind several other parked new Audi models of much less interesting specification.

    Longtime Audi fans will immediately recognize the color – Nogaro Blue. The hue is a nearly primary blue with pearlescent effect introduced on the RS2 Avant in the 1990s and more widely utilized on cars like the B5 and B6 S4 sedans. It was retired at the beginning of the B7 era, then returned with the B8s.

    Seeing a car like the RS 4 Avant in Nogaro Blue brings back a lot of memories. Apparently that wasn’t lost on whomever spec’ed the car as it also featured matching blue Alcantara seating segmentation and color-matched blue dash trim as well. 

    Unfortunately, you won’t see any shots of the interior in our photo gallery. This may well have been a privately owned car by a local Audi executive and as such I avoided going full paparazzi by taking shots of the interior. That said, I shot plenty of photos of the car’s exterior as it was parked in a public space. More images can be found in our associated photo gallery below.

  • Latest Singer Specification Looks Great in Sempreverde

    Latest Singer Specification Looks Great in Sempreverde

    It was just last month that Singer pulled the wraps off of its latest Carrera specification, a stunning tribute to the G-body era of the 80s. Now, they’re sharing one of the first builds to this spec. We’re here for it, and we think you will be too.

    The car you see here is finished in a military-looking green known as Sempreverde, Italian for “evergreen”. The exact source of the color wasn’t shared, but it’s a handsome darker green that plays to its namesake.

    This Carrera also features the unique high performance auxiliary driving lights that pop out of the boot lid much like the headlights on a 928. It’s also got a speed activated rear spoiler, typical of a the 964-based Singers not fitted with whale tails of some sort.

    The interior is flat white, featuring carbon fiber seats and raised gear shifter for the ultimate in cool.

    Power comes from a 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated flat six. It’s been restored and developed by Singer with engineering work from Cosworth. It features four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, water-cooled cylinder heads, air-cooled cylinders and an electrically powered fan.

    Find this car and more on Singer’s social media presence HERE.

  • Verde Scandal: The Legendary Lamborghini Color Inspired by a Little Green Dress

    Verde Scandal: The Legendary Lamborghini Color Inspired by a Little Green Dress

    [source: Automobili Lamborghini]

    Sant’Agata Bolognese, 11 June 2025 – Without a doubt, one of the characteristics of Automobili Lamborghini most appreciated by its customers is the strong attention to customization. The House of Sant’Agata, thanks to its Ad Personam program, can satisfy even the most particular requests, including the color of the vehicle. Currently, Automobili Lamborghini is able to propose 400 different colors to choose from to make the car one of a kind, as well as the potential to produce special colors matched to a client’s exact requirement.

    Among the wide range of colors designed by Lamborghini, there are certain shades that have a particular background story. This category includes Verde Scandal (verdescandal; non-metallic UNI; 154513; Lamborghini), a color shrouded in a legendary story. To understand the genesis of this adjective combined with the color green, we have to go back to the late ’60s, when Automobili Lamborghini launched one of the most iconic cars in the brand’s history: the Lamborghini Miura.

    We are at the dawn of the company’s success and the beginning of the use of color as part of customizations. But even back then, the company had the foresight to recognize the importance of customizing its cars, aiming to satisfy the array of customer requests. And then as now, all customization was managed entirely in-house at the Sant’Agata Bolognese facility, in a context synonymous with Made in Italy, and therefore, with globally recognized quality and value.

    The story tells that a woman, asking for a color not yet developed by Automobili Lamborghini, indicated that the desired color was that of the dress she was wearing in that moment. The company representative asked her for a sample in order to work on the request, and so it ensued that the women took off her dress and left it as an example for creating that shade. This was the origin of Verde Scandal, in everlasting memory of this singular and “scandalous” episode.

    Verde Scandal has recently come back into the limelight. In fact, it features prominently on the livery of the new Ducati Panigale V4 motorcycle, which was unveiled on April 9 during Milan Design Week. The model draws inspiration from the Revuelto[1], Lamborghini’s first HPEV (High Performance Electrified Vehicle) hybrid super sports car. This car has the distinction of being the one that started the hybridization process of the range and that defined a new paradigm among super sports cars in terms performance, sportiness, and driving pleasure.

    So the past returns to highlight the initiatives of the present, with an eye toward the future. A perfect mix that shows how at Automobili Lamborghini, tradition and history go hand in hand with innovation and technology.

    [1] Consumption and emission values of Revuelto: Combined fuel consumption: 11,86 l/100km; Combined power consumption: 10,1 kWh/100 Km; Combined CO2 emissions: 276 g/km; Combined CO2 efficiency class: G; Combined fuel consumption with discharged battery: 17,8 l/100km; Combined CO2 emissions and discharged battery efficiency classes: G; [WLTP].

  • EU Market Find: BMW Individual Dakar Yellow M5

    EU Market Find: BMW Individual Dakar Yellow M5

    What: 2000 BMW M5
    Color: BMW Individual Dakar Yellow 2 (dakargelbii; non-metallic uni; 337; BMW)
    VIN: Unknown
    Mileage: 285,000 km
    Price: €32,000
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Jihlava, Czech Republic
    Listing: Link

    One of a claimed 11 produced over the span of production, and one of 4 said to be in Europe, this E39 M5 represents peak BMW in more ways than one. Tailored brilliantly in Dakar Yellow 2 paired with the incredibly cool M Texture cloth and without a sunroof, it’s an emphatic book-end to what some traditionalists call the golden era of BMW. And importantly for us, the price point is seemingly reasonable- even once you factor exchange rate, shipping and whatever tariff awaits its arrival.

  • Market Find: Gulf Blue E36 M3 Coupé on Bring a Trailer

    Market Find: Gulf Blue E36 M3 Coupé on Bring a Trailer

    What: 1997 BMW M3 Coupe
    Color: Gulf Blue (code source unknown)
    VIN: WBSBG9325VEY75602
    Mileage: 136,000 miles
    Price: $28,000 with 1 Day left to bid at time of writing
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Cincinatti, OH
    Link: Bring a Trailer

    Though not an uncommon color by any stretch, we can’t say we’ve ever seen Gulf Blue on a BMW before. Worth noting then, the car you see here isn’t some über rare BMW Individual build but rather an extensive respray.

    We’re typically pretty strict about resprays. We definitely cover them, but prefer to focus on cars that appear to have gone to great lengths to make the new color appear factory and without going too far overboard with modifications. According to the BaT listing, the work on this car totaled $60,000 with Precision Sport Industries in Oviedo, FL.

    On the outside, the car looks like a BMW Individual factory car. Inside, changes are more extensive including removal of the rear seat, a half cage, aftermarket steering wheel, stereo, Recaro seats and more. Whether or not that’s for you, or whether you try to find a clean Vader interior is really up to you, but we think it’s pretty wonderfully unique regardless.

    Oh, we almost forgot to mention, the overhaul also includes an upgraded S54 engine. Added kit goes well beyond this though, so check out that listing for all the details.

  • Market Find: Former Ralph Lauren Ferrari F50 in Giallo Modena Headed to RM Monterey Auction

    Market Find: Former Ralph Lauren Ferrari F50 in Giallo Modena Headed to RM Monterey Auction

    What: 1995 Ferrari F50
    Color: Giallo Modena (giallomodena; non-metallic UNI; 229211; Ferrari)
    VIN: ZFFTG46A2S0104798
    Mileage: 5,400 miles
    Price: $6,500,000 to $7,500,000 pre-auction estimate
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction
    Listing: Link

    As summer sets in, attention turns to Monterey Car Week. We’re beginning to see initial lot listings at the major houses, so why not start highlighting some of our favorites. To that end, we believe this F50 qualifies in spades.

    The color is Giallo Modena, one of just two US specification F50s built in this color. It’s a tasteful configuration, a point that gets driven home when you also mention that it was ordered new by Ralph Lauren who kept it in his possession for eight years.

    The car has logged just 5,400 miles and is Ferrari Classiche Certified. Most of us aren’t in the $6M+ Ferrari F50 market, but for those of us who are you may want to pay attention.

  • Market Find: Solar Orange 2023 Audi R8 V10 performance Spyder

    Market Find: Solar Orange 2023 Audi R8 V10 performance Spyder

    What: 2023 Adui R8 V10 performance Spyder
    Color: Audi exclusive Solar Orange (Solarorange; metallic uni; LY2G; Audi)
    VIN: WUACECFX4P7900618
    Mileage: 9,746 miles
    Price: $179,000
    CarFax: Link
    Window Sticker: Link
    Location: Southeast Auto Showroom, Pompano, FL
    Dealer listing: Link

    Sometimes it’s hard to get an accurate read on colors based on photos. This very handsome Audi R8 V10 performance Spyder is a great example. While its orange paint looks on the darker side of a primary orange… more like a Gulf Orange, the listing shows it as Glut orange that is lighter and closer to traditional Signal Orange.

    Either would look amazing on an R8 Spyder so perhaps it doesn’t matter, but we draw attention to it because our experience with Solar Orange (also known as Glut Orange with same color code) is that it’s slightly different than what you see here.

    This car is beautifully specced with Pastel Silver leather interior and Rock Grey stitching.

    The only modification we’re seeing in the photos are the color of the brakes. The Monroney shows them to be red, though in the photos from the dealership they appear orange. We’re guessing a previous owner had them resprayed.

  • Market Find: 2025 BMW Individual British Racing Green M3 Competition xDrive

    Market Find: 2025 BMW Individual British Racing Green M3 Competition xDrive

    What: 2025 BMW M3 Competition xDrive
    Color: BMW Individual British Racing Green (non-metallic UNI; 312; BMW)
    VIN:  WBS33HJ07SFU94710
    Mileage: 790 Miles
    Price: $94,980
    CarFax: Link
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: West Chester, PA
    Listing: Sky Motor Cars

    Westchester, PA’s Sky Motorcars is one of those interesting independent used car dealerships focusing on premium luxury cars, made even more interesting by their ability to consistently show cars in their inventory that are so low mileage as to be virtually new. Such is the case for this 2025 BMW M3 Competition xDrive sedan. It’s got under 1,000 miles on it.

    More importantly, it’s in a rare and sought-after BMW Individual color. British Racing Green on an M3 Sedan makes for a handsome and sporting daily. Being well-appointed as well certainly adds further to the case. Okay, it’s not a manual, but it is very compelling regardless.