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.
Given we recently highlighted the transformation of the Audi RS2’s iconic RS Blue(rsblau; pearl effect UNI; M8; Audi) to Nogaro Blue(nogaroblau; pearl effect UNI; Z5M; Audi) as Audi moved on from Porsche production of the RS2, we remembered a certain layout of the Audi stand at the Geneve Motor Show and wanted to revisit the visual comparison.
Back in 2014, new car motor shows were in their heyday, and Geneva may very well have been queen of them all. Sure, the Frankfurt IAA with its many show halls may have been bigger, but Geneva was where car manufacturers, carrozzeria and even the aftermarket focused on design and performance for the super rich. Audi Sport (then quattro GmbH) always brought their latest sporting models and often built in Audi exclusive one-off specification. For 2014, timed with the launch of the RS 4 Nogaro selection edition, the brand from Ingolstadt brought several blue examples including a vintage Audi RS2 on loan from Audi Tradition.
As we now know, that vintage RS2 Avant was painted RS Blue, while the Audi exclusive RS 4 Avant and RS 5 Coupe seen in these photos is painted Nogaro Blue. Since Audi didn’t reformulate the colors, they are visually identical. That’s not the easiest to see under the super intense show lights of the Geneva Motor Show and while parked on polished white floors of the Audi stand, but it’s still the case.
Interestingly, though the RS 4 Nogaro selection edition press release dropped at Geneva, the car on the stand doesn’t match the specification of the limited series production car. Though that car long predates this site, we’ve gone ahead and retro published the original press release on the Nogaro selection edition along with detailed official shots found in Audi France’s archives. Those period PR photos clearly show the special edition had two-tone black and blue Alcantara seats, plus details like nomenclature on the shift knob and badging at the rear. They also had silver optic wheels, while the car on the Audi stand that year has gloss black and machined finish on the same wheel design.
So what was this RS 4 at Geneva? As mentioned, Audi regularly built tailored Audi exclusive specifications for its booth show cars in those years. Especially on press days when these photos were shot, star cars and RS models frequently had specifications not from the standard order book. The RS 4 Avant shown here was likely an effective one-off by Audi exclusive, but not an actual Nogaro selection edition. The matching Nogaro Blue RS 5 Coupé is more obviously a single Audi exclusive build, with tan seats and grey stitching.
Neither Audi of America nor Audi Canada never sold the RS 4 in North America, much less the RS 4 Nogaro selection edition. However, Audi of America product managers did dip into some of the components (namely the blue Alcantara seats) to create a special Nogaro edition S4 that is highly prized by owners who still have them.
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.
The Audi RS2 Avant remains the stuff of fantasy thanks to its limited production by Porsche and its form as an Audi station wagon. Paired with quattro all-wheel drive, the car reached legend status as tuned versions outran supercars like the Ferrari F40 in period.
We’ve gotten our hands on the 1994 product catalogue via AutoCatalogArchive.com and so are able to index each of the standard colors for that year. Some Audi specially painted models are known to exist in this time when Audi exclusive was a very rare thing. Most of those deviating cars appear to be using the Audi Lifestyle Colors, though we’ve always wondered if Porsche had built any Paint to Sample versions in their own hues.
As we run across either, we’ll highlight them here on this blog, but here are the standard colors for now. Worth noting, the scan of this catalogue is not terribly true-to-color, so we’re using this more as a reference of what colors were offered as standard and not what those colors look like on the actual cars.
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.
What: 2021 BMW M3 Competition Color: BMW Individual Dravit Grey Metallic (dravitgrau; metallic; C36; BMW) VIN: WBS33AY09MFK97991 Mileage: 42,444 miles Price at Time of this Writing: $65,841 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: N/A Location: BMW South Albany, Glenmont, NY Dealer contact: Beckie Kiernan – sales@bmwofsouthalbany.edealerhub.com Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
BMW’s Dravit Grey Metallic is an incredibly cool shade of Grey, featuring metallic flake with hints of Gold that genuinely pop in the right lighting. Sadly the images of this Tailored Driver are not that lighting, but this doesn’t mean the color is any less stunning. Of note, in 2021 BMW Individual was not a full option code 490 Individual color, but it was noted as an Individual shade within BMW’s order guide and fetched a $1,950 premium over other ‘standard’ hues. All that in mind, this $65,000 Tailored Driver is every bit as special in our eyes as a full-boat 490 car, and would make a great addition to the discerning enthusiast’s garage.
What: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 280 CE Coupe Color: Cypress Green (zypressengrün; metallic UNI; 876; Mercedes-Benz) Chassis Number: N/A Mileage: 222,000 km, 137,944 miles Price at Time of this Writing: €18,990 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Autozentrum Frankenthal, Frankenthal, Germany Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
Nowadays, the W123-generation Mercedes Benz 280 CE is a pretty rare thing. Built in a day when nomenclature and badging actually stood for something, the 280 CE is an E-class Coupe (a.k.a. “CE”) with a 2.8-liter V6 (i.e. 280).
This one is Cypress Green metallic, making it a rare spec but neither a custom build from the factory nor a special limited edition factory model. Hawk-eyed viewers of our “tailored driver” qualification rules may call foul here as a result, but we’re also keen on occasionally listing the very tasteful and/or very rare specifications that may have been off the factory standard option list, but are nevertheless still both rare and sought-after. We think this car qualifies.
In the tailored car collector space, sometimes points are also deducted for modifications. Here again, we tend to give leeway for modifications from iconic aftermarket brands that are period correct. In this case, that includes wheels from longtime Mercedes tuning house Lorinser, a wooden steering wheel from Raid and color-matched bumper covers / body kit from 80s European car accessories house Zender. While these changes may boot this car out of a hallowed space at a Mercedes-Benz factory museum, we suspect they’d definitely earn you street credit at the local cars and coffee.
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.
According to Porsche Club of America’s Rennbow color index, Racing Yellow (renngelb; non-metallic UNI; 1S1 / P3; Porsche) replaced Speed Yellow as the go-to yellow of choice when Porsche includes a yellow in its modern models. Rennbow also shares that, in person, Racing Yellow is a touch more green than Speed Yellow. Given its commonality as a standard offering, this isn’t an extremely rare color.
