What: 2021 Audi RS 7 Color: Audi exclusive Sonoma Green (LX6R; Audi) VIN: WUAPCBF23MN905175 Mileage: 27,091 Price at Time of this Writing: $89,890 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: N/A Location: Sterling, VA Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
Sonoma Green came seemingly out of nowhere when it was introduced for the B9 generation RS 5, and it made a big impact amongst enthusiasts, but due to a number of factors, the big brother RS 7 never was offered in the dynamic shade of Green. Thankfully Audi exclusive and at least one discerning Tailor was able to right this wrong. In this application, Sonoma simply looks incredible while not being overly flashy or appearing out of place. If you’re in the market, we highly suggest picking this up.
It’s funny, there are some colors that become meteoric, becoming so popular that they become iconic and risk becoming ubiquitous. Such is the case of Audi’s Nardo Grey (nardograu; UNI; LY7C; Audi exclusive), a light grey that came on the scene as a standout in Ingolstadt’s RS car lineup.
Variations on the pastel light grey theme were a thing in the early 2000s, with the Audi TT’s Aviator Grey then Suzuka Grey, Porsche’s Sport Classic Grey then later Chalk. Nardo Grey came into the lexicon roughly in the middle of this grey cloud and seemed to strike a nerve.
Maybe it’s the nature of the general idea of battleship grey. Ian Fleming’s original James Bond 007, the one in the book and not the movies, famously first drove a Blower Bentley painted battleship grey. And though that car has never graced the silver screen, many other racing cars have including in the pre-war era that would have birthed the Blower Bentley.
By the time Nardo came on the scene on cars like the Mk2 TT RS or the B8 RS 5, what was old was new again and the shading had a certain perfect balance of light and dark that all made it very distinctive. It was so popular that it became a very regular choice in Audi exclusive tailored specifications, and even got picked up by clients from other brands. Today, it remains common in the Audi RS stock palette though we’d argue so common that it’s now not quite as special in those early Mk2 TT RS days. Nevertheless, it’s still handsome.
What: 2022 Audi RS Q8 Color: Audi exclusive Arrow Grey Pearl Effect (arrowgrau; pearl effect; LZ7W; Audi) VIN: WU1ARBF10ND009029 Mileage: 30,678 Price at Time of this Writing: $89,999 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: Pictured below Location: Englewood, NJ Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
To those in the know, the Audi RS Q8 is a budget Lamborghini Urus, and here’s one in an Audi exclusive color at about 30% of the cost. Audi exclusive Arrow Grey Pearl Effect is an interesting one, appearing quite similar to Nardo Grey, Arrow features a bit more cyan in it’s formula, and introduces a pearl effect to help it pop. Of note to Audi (and color) enthusiasts, from our research it appears to also carry the same color code as Audi’s Aviator Grey, which was most predominantly featured on the first gen TT.
Believed to be used initially as a launch color for the R8 GT, Samoa Orange Metallic (samoaorange; metallic UNI; X2U; Audi) embraced Audi’s heritage for earth tones in the late 2000s, a time that also birthed Ipanema Brown and Teak Brown. This fiery dark orange would later be used as more of a standard color when the first-generation R8 got its facelift, then later on the TT competition. It even shows up on an R8 Mk2 on screen as Tony Stark’s R8 Coupé in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. As a result, Samoa Orange Metallic remains a popular choice in the extended Audi exclusive color palette.
There’s just something about a green long roof. Maybe it wasChevy Chase taking the Holiday Road to Wally World, or the fact that even his Wagon Queen Family Truckster still made him hot to Christie Brinkley at the wheel of a Ferrari, it seems like a certain segment of the car enthusiast population has chased the idea of a station wagon (often green) that could be that cool in reality. That’s exactly where performance wagons like the Audi RS 6 enter the fantasy, especially specially painted examples in green.
We caught this particular RS 6 Avant over on the Only Wagons Group on Facebook. Posted by Darin Scherba, the car is in RS 6 performance specification, meaning later lifecycle production with a slight power boost and optional Y-spoke alloys that complement the car in any finish. In this case, that finish is grey matte, though the European market or special edition neodym gold would have also paired amazingly here.
Whichever wheel finish, they complete this RS 6 Avant perfect spec that, at it’s heart, uses Porsche’s Oak Green Metallic (oakgrünmetallic; metallic uni; 265 / 22L / 60K; Porsche) over standard RS 6 Cognac leather. The net look is incredibly tasteful, not the first RS 6 Avant we’ve seen in this specification, but the first RS 6 performance and captured in some great photography.
At least in paint naming convention, the term “Oak Green” can be a bit confusing because multiple manufacturers have coined the term. Porsche has an Oak Green Metallic and its more recent updating called Oak Green Neo. It’s a great color that other manufacturers such as Audi exclusive will be happy to paint for you. So, that Audi has its own Oak Green, specifically Oak Green Pearl (oakgrünperleffekt; metallic uni; Q82; Audi), can make it more confusing.
We’re doing our best to be specific and keep track of it all. So, when we caught this post of an SQ7 by Audi South Africa on Facebook, we inquired. The SQ7 in this photo almost looked like the much-more-common District Green currently offered on many Audi models as a standard color. However, it was a bit dark, making it quite close to Audi exclusive Oak Green Pearl specimens we’ve seen in person, so we reached out to Audi South Africa and they were able to confirm that it is Oak Green Pearl.
Check out more photos below, and click the embedded Facebook post above in order to give Audi South Africa a follow.
What: 2017 Audi A4 Color: Audi exclusive Toucan Yellow (Tukangelb; LY1H; Audi) VIN: WAUENBF40HA067620 Mileage: 42,000 Price at Time of this Writing: Auction CarFax:Link MonroneyLabels.com Window Sticker: N/A Location: Palm Harbor, FL Auction listing:Link
Why we love it:
If Tailored Driver is about anything at all, it’s about the desire to be uncommon. By that metric, the initial owner of this 2017 Audi exclusive Toucan Yellow A4 can certainly be considered a kindred spirit. Beyond the fairly rare Toucan Yellow exterior, this Tailor opted for Nougat Brown sport seats with Dark Walnut high gloss trim. We like all of these thing independently. Together? Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Why we love it: Audi’s B9 generation RS 5 is pretty tough to beat- good power, great size, and featuring a modernized interpretation of box flares. This Tailored Driver is finished in Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue (LZ5M) over Black leather with Rock Grey stitching, alu-optic exterior trim, and was optioned with the dynamic package which raises the speed limiter and adds Carbon Ceramic brakes. For a quite reasonable $52,999, this West Coast two-owner example would be an impactful addition to your Tailored fleet.
The photos you see here are from just a casual daily social media post made by Audi Thailand, but they represent such a great spec that we simply had to share. The car in question is a new Audi RS 7 performance painted Audi exclusive Goodwood Green (goodwoodgrün; pearl effect UNI; Z6X; Audi).
Though not currently offered as a standard color on the RS 7 or most of the Audi range, at least in North America, Goodwood as a long appreciated Audi color makes it a popular choice in the world of Audi exclusive tailored builds.
In a way, it’s probably Audi’s closest take on traditional British Racing Green, so is it any wonder that it looks great with gold wheels, which came back into the fore in recent years at brands such as Porsche. Over at Audi, they’ve got a gold finish of their own for wheels “Neodym Gold Matt” that’s a satin muted take which seems to harken early ur quattro era gold wheels without being gaudy.
And as cool as Neodym wheels are at Audi, Audi of America hasn’t really made much use of them. The finish was offered briefly on RS 5 models, and its use on the C8 RS 6 and RS 7 was only on a limited production special edition. If you want them, you likely need to source them from Europe in some creative fashion as they are still offered as a stand alone specification like we see here on this RS 7 performance.
So back to this car posted by Audi Thailand. Borderline British Racing Green with gold wheels is an iconic and always stylish look, so there was no question this combination would look stunning on a car like the RS 7 performance. Thanks to Audi Thailand for sharing it. We did try to embed the post here, but it appears permissions are prohibiting that. If you’d like to check it out and like it yourself, you can find it HERE.
When Audi finally brought their RS 3 to the US, enthusiast forums were littered with posts about what color their cars would be ordered in. In speaking with a few Dealer friends at the time, this online chatter proved to be more than just posturing, as the queue for special paint was long enough to span well beyond the current model year. But since those days, Audi exclusive-painted RS 3 models are admittedly (and somewhat surprisingly) scarce.
With all that in mind, we were incredibly excited to see this 2018 Audi exclusive Cumulus Blue RS 3 (VIN: WUABWGFF5J1905196) pop up on Cars and Bids. Not just because it’s an Audi exclusive build, but also because of the color itself- Cumulus Blue (Color Code: X5A). It’s a shade we here at Tailored Driver are big fans of, and are lucky enough to have an example of in our fleet. Incredibly tough to capture in photos, it’s a bit like Porsche’s Chalk Grey with a hint of blue, or a much less saturated version of Audi’s Kemora Grey. For those who really know their colors, it’s also incredibly comparable to Vapor, a rare shade that was briefly available on Volkswagen’s New Beetle.
While this RS 3 may be a bit rough around the edges and perhaps modified beyond your wishes, we think the scarcity is worth the minor items that need to be addressed. Get all the details of this Tailored Driver on Cars and Bids, here.
