What: 2014 Audi RS 7 Color: Verdant Green (verdantgrün; metallic UNI; LO6A; Audi) VIN: WUAW2AFC9EN903062 Mileage: 46,100 Price: $62,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Private Party, Undisclosed, MI Listing:Link
Verdant Green is a color Audi borrowed from Bentley, the ultra luxurious British marque that’s a sibling to Audi in the Volkswagen Group. And while the hue looks natural on something Anglo and stately like a Continental GT, we’d also argue it looks the business on an RS 7.
This one is up for private party sale on AutoTrader. It does sport some modifications (those black wheels in the photos are clearly not factory), and the owner also sounds pretty specific about imperfections it has collected in its first 46,100 miles.
What: 2014 Audi S6 Color:Ibis White(ibis weiß; non-metallic uni; LY9C/T9; Audi) VIN: WAUF2AFC1EN040204 Mileage: 145,000 miles Price: $14,900 CarFax: Pictured below Window Sticker: N/A Location: Stow, MA Link: Car Lot Express
A budget pick that’s close to home, this S6 has a ton going for it. Higher miles, sure, but this Ibis White example sports Audi exclusive Cognac Leather seats- an incredibly rare find. For just $14,500 this Tailored Driver represents an incredible value for both style and performance as it’s likely a one-off, and is just a $900 flash away from more than 500hp and equal torque. If you’re in the market and aren’t afraid of the miles or the minor front end hit on its CarFax, we struggle to think of a ‘better’ option.
What: 2014 Audi A4 quattro Color: Audi exclusive Imola Yellow(imolagelb; non-metallic Uni; Y1C; Audi) VIN: WAUDFAFL6DA156015 Mileage: 81,795 miles Price: $14,995 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Addison, TX Link: Apex Autosports
A part of the tailored car segment we find to be most interesting are older examples, leaving us interested in how they’ve held up and how they price in against comparable cars of their age. Maybe even more interesting is the specification, because back in 2014 most car brands like Audi weren’t offering Audi exclusive tailoring quite as broadly. Colors or options chosen can be a real head scratcher at times, and we think this car qualifies.
For starters, it’s an A4 2.0T in Premium specification. On Audi’s version of the “Good, Better, Best” scale, Premium is entry-level, and you can see that here with the basic non-LED headlights or lower-grade infotainment configuration with controls up on the center console versus behind the shifter. Whomever ordered this car, ordered it about as basically as one could. That said, they did opt for quattro all-wheel drive and chose to stick with the “base” manual transmission – optimal configuration in our book.
At the same time, the original buyer chose to elevate the price by several thousand dollars by choosing Audi exclusive paint. In this case, the ad doesn’t list the color but we have confirmed it is Imola Yellow. This particular yellow was introduced as a standard offering on the B5 S4. It’s graced any number of Audi performance models, including most recently the Euro market Audi RS 4 Avant edition 25 years. It remains a well-loved Audi color as a result.
This particular A4 looks well-preserved. 81,000 miles is low for a ten-plus-year old car. We do see some wear in the photos, including some possible scratching on the infotainment screen and a smudge of some sort appears on the passenger top side of the dashboard. Even still, we suspect this car would be a great get for someone seeking a unique yet affordable car.
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: 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.
What: 2014 Audi RS 7 Color: Audi exclusive Velvet Purple Pearl Effect(samtviolettperleffekt; metallic UNI; LQ87; Audi) VIN: WUAW2AFC5EN904015 Mileage: 47,791 Price at Time of this Writing: $41,991 CarFax:Link iPacket: Link Location: Houston, TX Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
Not to be confused with the more prevalent and very similar Audi exclusive Merlin Purple Metallic, this Tailored Driver is finished in the slightly darker, more subdued Audi exclusive Velvet Purple Pearl Effect, giving it a cool factor that goes beyond the fact that it happens to be applied to an RS 7. Add in that it’s got a 560hp twin-turbo V8, regular service history at the selling dealer, Audi North Houston, and can be had for about $42 grand, we feel this is an attainable pathway into the world of Tailored Drivers for many with quite a lot going for it.
What: 2014 Audi S4 Color: Audi exclusive Teak Brown Metallic (Teakbraun; metallic UNI; LZ8W; Audi) VIN: WAUBGAFL1EA027881 Mileage: 113,361 Price at Time of this Writing: Available upon request AutoCheck:Link Window Sticker: N/A Location: Eau Claire, WI Dealer listing:Link
Why we love it:
We’re always interested in a one-of-one, and this Audi exclusive Teak Brown Metallic S4 is just that. A claimed sixteen S4s were painted in this hue, but just one was paired with the uber-rare two-tone Chestnut Brown interior. Moving beyond the uniqueness of this S4, we start to see where the initial Tailor of this driver perhaps missed a box or two. The lighting quick S-tronic gearbox is a choice that, while we would’ve opted for the 3-pedal version, we can respect due to the practicality and ease of use provided. However the combination of MMI-low (base spec) with Bang and Olufsen (high spec) audio is a bit of a head scratcher. Omitting Audi’s torque vectoring sport differential? That’s nearly unforgivable. And the base wheels? We advise whoever is fortunate enough to pick this Tailored Driver up to immediately start cruising Facebook Marketplace for OEM ‘Peeler’ wheels.
What: 2014 Porsche 911 50th Anniversary Edition Turbo S Coupe Color: Paint to Sample Graphite Grey (graphitgrau; non-metallic UNI; C2C2; Porsche) VIN: WP0AD2A9XES169049 Mileage: 3,700 miles Price at Time of this Writing: Bid to $318,000 with Eight Days Left in Auction CarFax:Link Window Sticker: $240,150 Location: Santa Monica, CA Auction listing:Link
Why we love it: In 2014, Porsche celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the 911 with a special “50th Anniversary Edition” model that utilized the then-wider body of the 991. 1963 were built to this specification, most easily recognizable for their Fuchs style wheels, houndstooth seats, and only available in either darker Graphite Grey (graphitgrau; non-metallic UNI; C2C2; Porsche) or lighter Geyser Grey. And while all of those had the base 911 drivetrain, Porsche also specially built a Graphite Grey Turbo S 50th Anniversary Edition for none other than Jerry Seinfeld. That car is currently up for sale on Bring a Trailer.
In total, Seinfeld’s 911 50th Anniversary specification applied to this Turbo S added approximately $58,000 in options to the standard Turbo S. In addition to the aforementioned paint, this included things like Sport Plus front seats with houndstooth inserts, PDK gearbox, Sport Chrono Package, 20-inch Sport Classic alloy wheels, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCBs), an electronic limited-slip differential in the rear, LED headlights, ParkAsssist, Burmeister audio system, and automatic climate control.
Consistent with the 911 50th Anniversary Edition, it also got 50th Anniversary badging and clear taillights. Interestingly, the underside of the trunk is also signed by Tony Hatter, then Porsche Head of Design.
It is believed to be the only factory built 2014 911 50th Anniversary Turbo S. Combine that with the fame of the original owner of this single-owner 911 and you have a very special car for any serious Porsche collector.
While the Paint to Sample program has enjoyed a long history at Porsche, it’s safe to say that custom colors weren’t nearly as common back in 2014 as they are in today’s private commission-all-the-things model. Over the years, and likely inspired by privately commissioned reimagineers like Singer, Porsche has found the value in making its in-house tailoring programs much more widely offered. That’s more of a recent phenomenon though, and we don’t need to go that far back to find years where a PTS Porsche was a lot less common. That relative rarity is one of the reasons cars like this 2014 911 GT3 (Vin: WP0AC2A91ES183490) painted in eye-catching Riviera Blue (rivierablau; nonmetallic UNI; 39E; Porsche) are so noteworthy.
We’d also argue cars like this 911 GT3 are a bit of a sweet spot. They’re new enough to offer modern amenities, reliability and rust-proofing, but old enough to be rare and relatively affordable ($139,900)… at least in the context of a Porsche GT car. We’d also argue the 997-era 911 hits the sweet spot in size, a little bit larger and more livable than the original air-cooled cars yet not as remarkably wide as modern ones.
Back to this particular car, it’s currently in inventory at Udrive Automobiles in West Chester, PA, has logged 55,174 miles. Its specification is made more attractive by the presence of red stitching and comfort seats, though it notably has the PDK twin-clutch automatic transmission that is less desirable than a manual. Modifications are relatively short, but they are there and include most of the original parts such as wheels and steering wheel.
Check out more details over at Udrive Automobiles HERE.
Today we’re excited to bring you the first of what we hope to be many for Tailored Driver– fan submitted content. Kaleb, the owner of this Audi exclusive Sprint Blue (sprintblau; pearl UNI; LZ5F / 5N; Audi) RS 5 Cabriolet, reached out shortly before his Cars and Bids listing went live, and we were happy to hear from him. Not only a fantastic, incredibly high sticker ($94k!) Tailored Driver, but also a truly great enthusiast’s car to boot.
The B8.5 Audi RS 5 Cabriolet is already a rare car. If production numbers we’ve found over on Audiworld.com are accurate, only 769 U.S. market Cabriolets were produced (versus 2747 Coupes) between MY2013 and MY2015. And while this does sound consistent with what we’ve heard in the past, it’s the note of Audi exclusive painted examples that make us think their count may be missing at least some color data as they list no “individual” colors in MY2013 or M&2014 (like this car), though do list 25 “Exclusive” colors in MY2015. No doubt Audi might provide more specific details on the Audi exclusive mix, or if this car is one of multiple or one of one as it sits in its Sprint Blue on black leather color way.
What is Sprint Blue? The color appears to have debuted on the B7-generation Audi S4. Having produced Nogaro Blue from the earliest RS2 production (as RS Blue) and through B5 and B6, it seems the brand was looking for a new bold blue paint code to freshen up that end of the palette spectrum. Sprint Blue Pearl was that blue, though favors more to the green/cyan side of the blue spectrum as compared to the more purple/magenta oriented Nogaro Blue.
In period, Sprint Blue was a popular factory color choice and is seen regularly on the B7 S4, B7 RS 4 and early B8 S and RS models. By the time the B8 received its “B8.5” facelift like this car though, Sprint had been replaced with Audi’s Sepang Blue that is a bit lighter and with less green. So, when cars like this RS 5 were produced, Sprint Blue had already gone. Likely the person who chose this specification fell in love with the color and kept it going with this special order. And it’s hard to argue. The car looks fantastic.
Get all the details and follow along on Cars and Bids as the auction for this Tailored Driver (VIN: WUAC6AFH5EN900954) will close in just two days.
