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.
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.
We ran a check on this car and drew a blank. No information was available via our first check source. And while we can go to a contact at the factory for additional information, we try to only do that when we’re stumped. In this case, we’re not really stumped and are fairly certain the car is Cumulus Blue.
Dear Audi, can you please put a color code on your Monroney window stickers? The dealer in this case has the Monroney in the listing and so we include it below, but not including that information on the sticker doesn’t allow dealerships to know what they have… sometimes even Audi franchise dealerships… which seems like something a brand would want to fix. And don’t even get us started on taking the time to purchase or find an Audi exclusive car only to find the CGI rendering in your My Audi app is boring silver, while your boring factory colored Audi ins the same app are as-delivered correctly colored.
Okay, rant over. We think this car is Cumulus Blue. Fortunately, there aren’t a lot of colors in the Audi exclusive portfolio that are remotely close to this color. There’s also a Cumulus Blue Audi in one of our staff’s garages so we think we’ve got a better understanding than most about the many shades from white to Gulf Blue that a Cumulus Blue car can take.
Whatever the case, this is a handsome RS e-tron GT, so handsome in fact that Audi recently included this color on its own German market Audi exclusive information page. And while they car on that page is of the facelift J1.2 variety, it’s effectively the same car as this visually… all the way down to the wheels.
It’s a great spec. The apparently factory agrees. If you are looking for a really unique tailored EV, we’d add this one to the short list.
What: 2018 Audi RS 5 Coupé Color: Audi exclusive Nogaro Blue(nogaroblau; pearl effect UNI; Z5M; Audi) VIN: WUAPWAF53JA904798 Mileage: 42,442 miles Price: $46,590 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Philadelphia, PA Listing: Carvana
It’s always fascinating when you find a tailored specimen on a mass platform like Carvana. Sort of like happening upon a Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt toy in a bin at Walmart, it makes for a delightful experience you’re not likely going to replicate anytime soon.
We’ve been watching CarMax for a while now, though have now added Carvana to our list as well after seeing the car’s former owner post about seeing his car on the mass market used car dealer’s site.
According to the claimed original owner, there are a few things to know about the car including some engine modifications and some mechanical needs it had when he owned it (apparently before he traded it). He says he’s open for further questions about the car but is unaffiliated and that Facebook post can be found HERE.
The first-of-its-kind Palm Beach Edition DB12 Volante brings the highest level of Q by Aston Martin personalisation to the open-top Super Tourer
Nautical exterior and interior features curated by the British ultra-luxury performance brand’s in-house bespoke division, incorporates unique patterns and materials to celebrate the Palm Beach lifestyle
Limited to only one example in Frosted Blue Glass paint, the Palm Beach Edition DB12 Volante was created exclusively through Aston Martin Palm Beach
Gaydon, UK: Aston Martin Palm Beach, in partnership with the ultra-luxury performance brand’s bespoke service Q by Aston Martin, commissioned a one-of-a-kind DB12 Volante that blends renowned British craftsmanship with Palm Beach-inspired design themes. The DB12 Volante incorporates unique patterns and materials to celebrate Palm Beach and further elevates the elegance of Aston Martin’s 680PS open-top Super Tourer.
The Palm Beach Edition DB12 Volante is a tribute to oceanic blue, featuring an exclusive Q by Aston Martin Frosted Glass Blue exterior paint. The exclusive paint color exhibits qualities unique to the use of glass flakes within the topcoat, creating the unmistakeably mesmerising shimmer effect that perfectly encapsulates the south Florida sun. This is only achievable through hand spray application due to the complexity and delicate nature of this colour. The open-top Super GT also features a Club Sport White pinstripe applied to the front splitters, side sills and rear bumpers, highlighting the DB12 Volante’s firmly planted sportscar stance, as well as Gloss Jet Black diamond-turned five-spoke wheels.
With the convertible top dropped, the cabin’s custom features and nautically themed duotone colorways are on display, so even those beyond the cabin may appreciate the custom commission. The Palm Beach Edition DB12 Volante features a bespoke palm-leaf motif incorporated throughout, including on the complementary Aurora Blue and Ivory leather and Spicy Red contrast stitching. Seats include palm-inspired embroidery, which extends to the center armrest and door-sill panels; even custom engraved polished aluminum Palm Beach Edition sill plaques feature the same palm pattern. The palm motif continues to the exterior, where the aluminum side strakes were milled to reflect the palm-style stripe. The DB12 Volante features open-pore Linear Light Olive Ash book-matched wood trim throughout, specifically chosen to emulate the rich texture of palm wood. With a nod to the coastal location, the vehicle has Palm Beach’s latitude and longitude coordinates embossed onto the leather dashboard. Diagonally book-matched veneers on the rear of the front seats mimic the palm motif and include metal inlays engraved with “Palm Beach.” The DB12 Volante is also fitted with Gloss Jet Black Diamond Turned Vantage wheels, which offers a more dynamic and sporty treatment.
“This extraordinary DB12 Volante model perfectly encapsulates the understated elegance of both Palm Beach and Aston Martin,” said Pedro Mota, Regional President of Aston Martin The Americas. “Through a collaboration with Q by Aston Martin and Aston Martin Palm Beach, we have created an exceptional sportscar that merges stunning performance, artistry and luxury. This Q commissions is bound to entice more customers to create a unique specification with Q by Aston Martin, where peerless creativity and British craftsmanship generate vehicles as unique and special for their owners.”
The in-house design and craftspeople at Q by Aston Martin are renowned for their exceptional skills to create truly bespoke Aston Martins, with the Palm Beach Editions serving as testaments. Offering limitless customisation opportunities, Q by Aston Martin invites customers to embark on a distinct commissioning experience, where every detail from subtle accents to fully tailored components, can be designed to their exact specifications, offering discerning collectors the opportunity to own a piece of automotive artistry at their unique tastes. The possibilities are endless from the dedicated team, ensuring no request is too ambitious.
Those interested in commissioning their bespoke Aston Martin and utilising the Q by Aston Martin services may inquire further with their local Aston Martin dealership.
About Aston Martin Lagonda: Aston Martin’s vision is to be the world’s most desirable, ultra-luxury British brand, creating the most exquisitely addictive performance cars.
Founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, Aston Martin is acknowledged as an iconic global brand synonymous with style, luxury, performance, and exclusivity. Aston Martin fuses the latest technology, time honoured craftsmanship and beautiful styling to produce a range of critically acclaimed luxury models including the Vantage, DB12, Vanquish, DBX707 and its first hypercar, the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Aligned with its Racing. Green. sustainability strategy, Aston Martin is developing alternatives to the Internal Combustion Engine with a blended drivetrain approach between 2025 and 2030, including PHEV and BEV, with a clear plan to have a line-up of electrified sports cars and SUVs.
Based in Gaydon, England, Aston Martin Lagonda designs, creates, and exports cars which are sold in more than 50 countries around the world. Its sports cars are manufactured in Gaydon with its luxury DBX SUV range proudly manufactured in St Athan, Wales.
Lagonda was founded in 1899 and came together with Aston Martin in 1947 when both were purchased by the late Sir David Brown, and the company is now listed on the London Stock Exchange as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
2020 saw Lawrence Stroll become the company’s Executive Chairman, alongside significant new investment. This coincided with Aston Martin’s return to the pinnacle of motorsport with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team and commenced a new era for the iconic British marque.
What: 2008 Audi R8 V8 Color: Audi exclusive Night Blue Metallic(nachtblau;metallic UNI; LZ5D; Audi) VIN: WUAAU34298N005625 Mileage: 83,200 miles Price: $68,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: San Francisco, CA Listing: Built for Backroads
It’s been 17 long years since Tony Stark drove an R8 in the first Iron Man, a defining moment that put Audi’s then-new R8 on the map. In fact, the R8 was somewhat of a media darling in the product placement sphere, spear-heading a massive push that will be studied in future Marketing and Advertising classes if it isn’t already. So it comes without shock that in-period buyers wanted to opt for something a bit more exclusive for their own R8. Highlights here are Audi’s Night Blue Metallic paint, and the ever-so-subtle R8 V10 side blades in Carbon Fiber. What does come with a shock though, is the price. Early V8 powered R8 models have suffered the wrath of depreciation, now trading for as much as a fully loaded Audi S3. When we’re this close to what we think could be the floor, now may be the time to add a Tailored R8 to your own fleet.
What: 2000 Volkswagen Bora Variant V6 4Motion Color: Jazz Blue (jazzblau; pearl effect UNI; LW5Z; Volkswagen) VIN: N/A Mileage: 91,000 km, 56,544 miles Price: € 17,490 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Ath, Belgium Listing: Autoscout24.de
Does a perfect spec qualify as tailored? We can debate the issue, but I tend to land on the side of yes, assuming the desirability of a car finely and perfectly specified from a robust factory order book represents a different sort of tailoring. It’s the sort of thing that goes with budget cars, from companies that don’t typically offer tailoring services. Nevertheless, cars like this are special and it’s with that in mind that we present to you this Y2K Volkswagen Bora.
First off, it’s Volkswagen Jazz Blue, effectively the same paint as Audi’s highly desirable Nogaro Blue, storied as it is in its association with high performance Audi wagons. And in the lexicon of VWs, this Bora is both high-performance and also a wagon.
In Europe, the Bora Variant (Jetta Sportwagon to Americans) was offered with the brand’s potent narrow-angle V6 a.k.a. VR6. A 6-speed manual was one transmission choice, while the same Haldex-based 4Motion all-wheel drive system found in cars like the Volkswagen R32 and Audi TT could also be specified. Though a Bora was pretty commonplace, a car built to this specification would have been exceedingly rare.
The perfect spec doesn’t end at drivetrain. This car also has rare factory HID headlights with their unique dual round design, and factory Recaro seats in always fashionable simple black leather.
For the most part, this car is well preserved and factory fresh. The wheels and suspension appear to be OEM, and the mileage is quite low at just over 56K miles. Yes, the odometer is metric, but should you import you can hack that by finding an equivalent Sport Edition instrument cluster out of the UK but showing miles. It’s a relatively easy swap if you can locate the parts.
There are a few modifications worth pointing out. The navigation radio system does not appear to be factory, nor does the pretty terrible fake carbon fiber dash trim. Likely this car would have had wood trim from the factory, though handsome aluminum trim from period Sport Edition Golfs and Boras is also an easy swap. And while Volkswagen didn’t offer navigation in the Mk4 era in the USA, finding a navigation unit in Europe shouldn’t be hard if you desire it.
At the end of the day, this is an excellent specimen. You could just buy it and enjoy it as is, convert it fully back to factory and preserve, or go the VW enthusiast OEM plus route and swap in various partsibin bits (looking at you MkIV R32) in order to take it to a whole other level. Whatever your choice, we suspect you won’t be disappointed.
Sometimes, from the archives of the world wide web, we uncover something worth noting. We check forums, social posts, and even old dealer listings. That’s exactly what happened with this find. Lamborghini Newport Beach, thank you for posting those photos online; they’ve found their way to the Tailored Driver audience.
Here we have an Audi exclusive Frosted Glass Blue Metallic R8 V10 Performance Spyder. If you know your blues, you know this is not an original Audi color. This blue originates from Aston Martin’s “Q” special-order palette and has been adopted by Audi through its Audi exclusive program.
We weren’t able to source a color code from Audi, but looking at it’s origins at Aston Martin, the official color code is 6003D, also referenced as AST6003D or AM6003. This color is described as a light blue metallic with a subtle white flake, achieved using actual glass particles to create its unique shimmer.
While Audi does not publicly list a specific code for this color, a user on Reddit mentioned that the Audi/BASF code is DE01-2018-2218-4. However, this code may not be universally recognized.
Love it or hate, you’ll have to admit this is a pretty rare color for the 4 rings brand. In our research, we came across a few models wearing this Aston Martin blue, including a TT RS, RS 6 Avant, and RS 4 Avant. While this specific R8 is no longer for sale, we find the VIN in hopes of learning more. We didn’t get far. But if you’re up for a deep dive, the VIN is WUA4BCFX4L7900884. Let us know what you find.
Events like Air|Water bring a wave of vibrant colors from the Porsche community. When it’s thoughtfully curated, it feels like being a kid in a candy store. @PTSRS and Air|Water teamed up to present “Colors of Air|Water,” and we spent hours capturing content for our site. The rain didn’t stop us. It added mood and contrast, bringing each color to life in both overcast light and the bright California sun.
We’re kicking things off with Maritime Blue, a color we’ve featured on the site before. In our Color Focus series, we took a closer look at its origins and where it stands today.
Here’s a quick recap: Maritime Blue (maritimblau, nonmetallic UNI, 5MB, Porsche) was either introduced or rose to prominence during the 964 era. According to Porsche Club’s Rennbow database, it was mainly available from 1991 to 1995, with a few exceptions, including a possible appearance in 1979 on the Carrera SC. Rennbow also notes it may have evolved from early Porsche Enamel Blue.
At its core, Maritime Blue is a near primary shade that echoes the early national racing colors of France, often called French Blue, made iconic in the prewar era by Bugatti.
We don’t have many details on this particular 964, but chances are you don’t need us to tell you just how rare this car really is. Built by Porsche Motorsport in 1993, the 964 RS 3.8 is one of just 55 units ever produced. Designed as a homologation special for the 964 RSR race car, it featured a widened Turbo body, a 3.8 liter air cooled flat six, and lightweight construction throughout. With most examples staying in Europe and many destined for the track, seeing one in Maritime Blue is an exceptionally rare occasion. Seeing one in the United States is even more rare.
Using the Bramo app, we get more insights on this 718 Spyder. The owner states, “Car was spec’d in collaboration with @PTSRS and our local dealership. The car originally resided in MA but has been enjoyed by myself and friends in CA for the last year and a half.” Pretty rad to spec it with PTSRS and bring it to an event organized by him.
Check out the video and gallery below for a walk around of both cars.
What: 1996 Mini Cooper S Color: Porsche Paint to Sample Riviera Blue(rivierablau; non-metallic Uni; S8 / L39E; Porsche) VIN: N/A Mileage: 40,000 km Price: €32,500 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: DT-Motors, Darmstadt, Germany Listing: Link
This car’s a bit of a puzzle. It’s an “ur” Mini. “Ur” means “original” in German, which is how Germans designate the original Audi quattro from every other Audi with quattro. Given this Mini is in Germany, not far from Frankfurt, the German descriptor sort of works.
The car itself is listed as “1 of 1” in Porsche Riviera Blue, with bespoke blue leather interior as well. It’s possible it wasn’t done by the factory, though the amount of interior details and “1 of 1” description makes us wonder if it’s some sort of factory special.
The dealer ad isn’t all that revealing in this regard, so we’ll just not that here. Otherwise, if you’re into something unique and don’t mind going through importation, this Mini makes a compelling case.
