According to Porsche Club of America’s Rennbow website, Acid Green (acidgrün; non-metallic Uni; 2M8; Porsche) first came available in 2011 on the 911. Where it really took hold though was as a presence in the 918 program that would launch a few years later. The 918, of course, was a hybrid and pushing the “green” nature of Porsche’s hyridized and models like the Cayenne Hybrid made it the perfect attention-getting accent for these vehicles.
Acid green seems to hark 70s era neon green colors, though is considerably more saturated and thus intense. By contrast, it makes 70s era neon greens almost look washed out. To this day, it remains a fairly regularly seen offering within Porsche’s Paint to Sample program.
Aud’s Goodwood Green (goodwoodgrünperleffekt; metallic UNI; Z6X; Audi) was introduced in the early 2000s, quickly making its way to the RS 4 Avant (B5), then TT (Mk1), A4 and S4 (B6), S6 and RS 6 (C5) and S8. Unlike other Audi greens, Goodwood was close enough to British Racing Green to be universally appealing. No doubt this wasn’t lost on Audi designers and marketers who named the color for the historic British Estate that plays home to a historic racing circuit plus incredibly exclusive racing and automotive events.
Despite the appeal of British Racing Green-like colors in the market, Goodwood didn’t prove to perform particularly highly when it came to install rates. Cars offered with Goodwood as standard remain relatively rare in their respective places, however the color has done much better within the Audi exclusive special paint program where it remains a popular choice.
If Green Hell Magno looks right at home on the AMG GT R from Mercedes-AMG, that’s because it was created to celebrate the car. You see, the AMG GTR spent most of its development time on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschliefe circuit (a.k.a. the “Green Hell”).
Likely the color comes from the green forest that surround the historic Norschliefe, and certainly they inspired the name in the track’s nickname. The other part of that name, “Magno”, is Mercedes-Benz speak for matte paint finish. In the end, it’s likely the most striking (and fitting) of the colors offered on the AMG GT R.
Launched most memorably on the original Porsche Cayman R (987) in 2012, Peridot Metallic (peridotmetallic; metallic UNI; 2S1; Porsche) has seen regular use since that time. This citrus green/yellow metallic harkens the neon-like colors from Porsche during the 1970s, shades like Linden Green. In the case of Peridot Metallic though, it is a thoroughly modern metallic.
Peridot takes its name from the semi-precious stone of similar color that is common in olivine deep within the earth’s crust and is brought to the surface by volcanic activity. In Hawaiian lore, peridot symbolized the tears of Pele, the volcano goddess of fire who controls the flow of lava.
The story of Aston Martin Racing Green likely begins with England’s pre-war national racing color of British Racing Green. At a time when top-tier racing represented pride in one’s nation, blue stood for France, red for Italy, white (the silver) for Germany, yellow for Belgium, white with blue stripes for the USA and for England… green.
Why green? The exact origin of this association with Great Britain isn’t fully clear, but the most common tale that tends to be told involves a nod to the so-called Emerald Isle of Ireland. At the time, racing on public roads of Great Britain was banned, so British racers tended to head to Ireland for such competitions.
Brand historians will tell you that green hasn’t always been the theme at Aston Martin. Initial racing cars from Gaydon were presented in grey, black or natural metal finishes. At that time, the races they were entering weren’t international, but in 1922 when an Aston Martin was entered in the French Grand Prix, that car car was painted a very dark shade of green that would adorn works Aston Martins into the late 1940s.
Then, in 1949, that green shifted to a pale, metallic shade of green. The underlying paint code in question was more commonly referred to as Almond Green by paint suppliers and manufacturers. However, as Aston Martin became more of a racing fixture in the world of sportscars and also Formula 1, the color became more indelibly linked to Aston Martin.
In 1999, on the occasion of marque’s 40th anniversary of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin reintroduced the color and coining the name “Aston Martin Racing Green”. And, when Aston Martin reemerged in F1 in 2021, the marque saw the opportunity to cement its own racing identity with its distinctive take on green – with less emphasis on the more traditional and darker hue we tend to think of when we imagine British Racing Green. Over several seasons since their return, the color has been further perfected.
“There’s been a lot of work since (2021) to bring out the green,” says Jack Brown – Senior Manager Colour, Material and Finish for Aston Martin.
“The F1 car that we launched in ’21 was a very sophisticated colour, and it looks truly amazing on road cars – but it was a little bit too dark for the cameras, appearing almost black in certain lights. Our task then, was to capture that darkness and sophistication in subsequent cars but give it more brightness and punch in the highlighted areas. It wasn’t a case of making the paint lighter, just a question of making the highlighted areas shine.
“Ceramic pigments float within different layers of the paint and you have to ensure those pigments are suspended in exactly the right layer for the highlighted areas to be bright enough. And, because this is F1, we strived to achieve the lightest application of paint to keep the weight down. The paint is applied at a microscopic level. It’s about 20 microns thick – that’s less than half the width of a human hair.”
Since its association with the modern Aston Martin Racing F1 team, not to mention painting it on GT racing cars and safety cars around the world, Aston Martin Racing Green has captured the heart of brand enthusiasts seeking a tailored build for their car. Whereas Almond Green had a limited take rate amongst Aston Martin road car clients in the 1950s, Aston Martin Racing Green is the most popular color for today’s Aston Martin customers.
Jack Brown continues, “I think that’s a really nice link to the pinnacle of performance for our customers. It doesn’t just look like the paint on the F1 car, if you buy a car in Aston Martin Racing Green, it genuinely is the paint from the F1 car. It’s exactly the same formulation.”
SUMMARY: Some say Porsche’s non-metallic Brewster Green (brewstergrün; nonmetallic UNI; 22B; Porsche) is Stuttgart’s take on British Racing Green. However, we’d suggest it’s just another shade by Stuttgart of England’s original national racing color. Where Irish Green goes just a bight lighter than a lot of traditional British Racing Greens, Brewster Green goes a bit darker. In lower light it can sometimes even look black, though under direct light the green hue and the relationship to the British national racing color is undeniable.
Brewster Green was a favorite of Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche and other Porsche family members like Wolfgang Porsche for their own personal cars. As a result, it’s been a popular choice over the years, occasionally offered as a standard color and regularly chosen for Paint to Sample specifications.
SUMMARY: A modern reformulation of a classic color, Oak Green Metallic Neo (oakgrünneo; metallic; M6E; Porsche) harks Porsche’s Oak Green Metallic of the 80s and 90s that was offered in that period as a standard though remained rare. Today’s reformulation, thus the “Neo” in Porsche parlance, appears to be close but not exact. It was a standard launch color for the Porsche Macan Electric and the launch photo spec for the 992.2 GT3 Touring, so not widely seen in person at the time of this writing. Those familiar with the original who have seen it in person report it has a bit less gold tones and metallic flake than the original.
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Below is a gallery of several cars painted Porsche Oak Green Metallic Neo.
