Wanderlust

Tag: Color Focus – Grey

  • Color Focus: Audi Suzuka Grey – LY7F

    Color Focus: Audi Suzuka Grey – LY7F

    CODE: LY7F / M1

    TYPE: Pearl Effect

    CONTENT ARCHIVE: Suzuka Grey

    SUMMARY:

    So far as we can tell, Suzuka Grey Pearl Effect (SuzukaGrau; pearl effect; LY7F / M1 ; Audi) first started appearing on quattro GmbH company cars at the Audi factory facilities in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm during the early B7 RS 4 days. Typically paired with black optics, it’s been mostly an RS model only offering here and there over the years, most recently being a model year color palette offering on the RS e-tron GT.

    Likely named for the Suzuka Circuit, a 3.6-mile road course located in Suzuka City, Mia Prefecture Japan. The track is home to F1’s Japanese Grand Prix amongst other races, and it’s operated by Honda Mobilityland, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Company.

    As greys go, Suzuka Grey is so light that it is often mistaken for white. Look closely though and you’ll find it’s slightly darker than white and slightly cooler than a desaturated grey of equivalent brightness. In as much, it’s a subtle shade that leaves most guessing thanks to a strong if-you-know-you-know quotient. Its strong association with Audi RS cars also gives it an extra level of performance cred… at least in Audi circles.

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  • Color Focus: Audi Nardo Grey – LY7C

    Color Focus: Audi Nardo Grey – LY7C

    CODE:  LY7C

    COLOR DATA:

    #C0C6C8
    rgb(192,198,200)
    4,1,0,22
    RAL 7035

    TYPE: Non-Metallic

    CONTENT ARCHIVE: Audi Nardo Grey

    SUMMARY:

    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.

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