Facebook Marketplace can be an excellent place to treasure hunt for unique specification cars, as evidenced by this 2016 M3 sedan F80 sedan (wildberry; metallic; T09; BMW) painted in BMW Individual Wildberry Metallic (wildberrymetallic; metallic UNI; T09; BMW Individual) paired with Silverstone light grey interior. The car looks modified, though cleanly and minimally so, and well kept. And, for critics of the latest bucktooth BMW M3/4 generation, it’s the better-looking previous generation.
The car has 37,000 miles, making it not exactly unused, but also low mileage for its age. The owner states that he’s installed a GTS style hood, but that he still has the original that can go with the car. And while we’re sure it’s a pain to move or store, we think we’d want it even for the next owner if we purchased this great-looking Bimmer.
We’ve added photos of the car to this post, however you can find even more pictures and video along with the full listing on Facebook Marketplace HERE.
Most of the time, Audi exclusive orders are “sold orders”, meaning they’ve got an eager buyer waiting on them who carefully chose their specification. Sometimes that buyer is unable to take delivery, and sometimes these tailored cars get ordered for inventory. We can’t say we know the back story on this RS 6 Avant performance (VIN: WUA1DBF21RN905489) in stock at Audi Englewood in Englewood, NJ.
How do we know? Audi Englewood’s Andrew DeTerlizzi posted the car in the Audi Exclusive Classifieds / Listing Spotters (USA) user group on Facebook. We could see the car along with actual photos of the car on Audi Englewood’s website (HERE), but until Andrew posted it we weren’t sure of the exact color of purple. Now, thanks to him, we can confirm it’s Merlin Purple (merlin purple; pearl effect; 4B / LZ3W / Z3W; Audi). Thanks to Andrew for posting it in the group (a regular haunt of ours), and his confirming the final color.
Here’s what we know about the car. It’s an RS 6 performance (basically all MY2024 RS 6s short of the GT are), and features Black Optic Package, Executive Package, and Audi Guard Protection Kit. It’s listed with an MSRP of $151,355. We have not contacted the dealer to verify if any dealer markup is involved.
For those in the know, Audi’s SQ8 is in many ways the most ‘base’ variant of the Lamborghini Urus, and at a fraction of the price. Painting with an incredibly broad brush here, the SQ8 has an incredibly similar four liter twin-turbo V8, the same platform architecture underpinning it, and minus the badging, an incredibly similar interior. Sure, it’s got a bit less boost and is understandably not quite as rapid, but what do you expect for a third of the cost?
This particular Audi SQ8 (VIN: WA1AWBF12PD025557) finished in Audi exclusive Merlin Purple (merlin purple; pearl effect; 4B / LZ3W / Z3W; Audi) is currently on offer by our friends at Audi Wilmington in Delaware with just 4,450 miles on the clock. This is particularly interesting because its CarFax claims two owners- the first in Selma, Texas, and the second in Florida before making its way to the First State. Sure this could be in error, but we mention it for the following reason- assuming this SQ8 was driven to each destination mentioned on the CarFax with zero detours, that would total 2,519 miles. That’s 56% of total miles covered since new, simply spent moving to new homes or service appointments. Wild.
Non-relevant statistics aside, this is a hell of a lot of car for the asking price of $87,270. We wouldn’t hesitate to bring it home and pile on miles for enjoyment rather than necessity.
See the full listing for this Tailored Driver, here.
The E36 generation of BMW M3 is a modern young timer classic, meaning any clean and modestly-miled up specimen is likely to draw a premium. Throw in special paint such as BMW Individual Daytona Violet (daytonaviolett; metallic; 283; BMW) and now you have something extra special. Take for example this 1995 M3 Coupe we’ve just run across.
There’s something about the E36. It lacks the 80s-tastic box flares of the E30 M3, or the truly unique M3 cues of the E46. Instead, like other performance cars of the early 90s (looking at you Porsche 964, Audi S2 or Volkswagen Golf VR6 Highline), it’s understated enough that casual observers might have a hard time picking it out of a lineup of lesser yet well-kitted 3 series models. Well… maybe lesser models in normal colors.
This specific M3 Coupe isn’t just interesting because of its spec. If you decide you want it, it’s also going to be interesting to get transact upon. Why? Well, it’s located not far from Cannes, France. So, you’d have to import it.
On the downside, it’s a U.S. spec car meaning less horsepower. On the upside, U.S. spec cars tend to hold their value better when resold in the American market, and we’re guessing any importation duties were paid back in 1995 when BMW brought the car into the U.S.A. in the first place. You don’t have to pay those duties a second time.
Not paying a second round of duties is a bonus you wouldn’t enjoy on a European spec car, though we doubt it’ll cover your shipping. You’d also have to find someone to import it at the very least. For that we’d suggest Orchid Euro in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Orchid specializes in importation of cars older than 25 years, uses automotive transport vessels rather than risking it shipping in containers, and has a network of people in Europe who can get eyes on and even handle transport to the port of Emden, Germany from which they ship. That all comes with a fee, but we’ve found them to be reasonable and have used their services ourselves.
So, interested in chasing this M3 down? You can find it listed HERE.
Editor’s note: while not a BMW Individual build, Daytona Violet was a one year only color, with just 519 sold in the US. As such, we found it a fitting addition to our records, and a vehicle well worth featuring.
For fans of tailored cars, a visit to the Audi Forum Neckarsulm is well worth making your way to Audi’s Heilbronn headquarters. It’s on the second floor of that customer delivery center that Audi exclusive maintains its own showroom where cars built to show off the four rings’ in-house tailoring capabilities are displayed. One of those cars during our visit in October of 2022 was this RS 4 Avant (vin: WUAZZZF44NA901565) in Berry Pearl (beerepearleffekt; pearl effect UNI; Z4W; Audi exclusive).
The RS 4 Avant isn’t available in all markets. So, for our mainly North American audience, this car would be forbidden fruit even in its most common form. For us though, the truly noteworthy element of this car is the paint color. Berry Pearl is a striking dark pink bordering on purple. Consider it Audi’s Rubystar, though its pearlescent base gives it much more depth than that 90s era pink from the Porsche Cup of that 964 era.
We typically photograph spec sheets for cars such as this, so we’ve included that also (in German of course) in our photo gallery of the car below.
Back in July, Porsche shared PR images of the Taycan Turbo GT rocking the Weissach Package, presented in Purple Sky Metallic (not to be confused with Prince’s “Purple Rain,” but we can see the connection), and boy, is this a wild color.
A few months later, we got to see it in person at the Quail Events during Monterey Car Week 2024. Purple Sky Metallic seems to be a new color for Porsche, as we haven’t seen it before on any other model. How would we describe it? Majestic, unicorn-like, dynamic, and, of course, very purple. Lighting certainly has an effect on this shade of purple, as the color can shift from a bright purple to a dark blue.
Although Purple Sky Metallic is not a PTS color, Porsche lists it as a “Dreams” color when you’re ordering your Taycan Turbo GT with the Weissach Package. If you’re not going PTS, this would be the way to go.
Check out the gallery below for more photos, and let us know your thoughts on the new purple from Porsche!
Bentley is rolling out the Global Media Drive in Andermatt Switzerland for the new Continental GT Speed and has dropped a comprehensive mix of photos of each car on location for the drive, including full build specifications. Over the next couple of days we’ll color check all of them, but figured we’d catch with the one that is likely the most attention-getting.
On the outside, the most striking part of this build is its Magenta paint, with granite finish on the typical brightwork and rounded out by grey painted 22-inch ten-swept-spoke wheels with machined faces. Inside, the cabin is monotone with Gravity Grey leather and Magenta accents, dark tinted Diamond Brushed Aluminum trim and Magenta contrast stitching nearly everywhere.
Worth noting, the car also has several options that we’ll list here along with U.S. pricing. These include First Edition Specification ($39,940), Carbon Ceramic Brakes with Painted Calipers ($18,820), Extended Range Solid and Metallic Paint ($8,655), 22-inch Ten Swept Spoke Wheels ($4,400) and Contrast Stitching ($3,930).
First Edition Specification includes Touring Specification, Front Seat Comfort Specification, Front Wellness Seating including postural and lumbar adjustment, Naim Audio, Bentley Rotating Display, Technical Veneer Choice or Single Finish Veneer, Animated LED Welcome Lamps by Mulliner, Mood Lighting Specification, Deep Pile Overmats front and rear, First Edition Exterior Badge, First Edition Treadplates, First Edition Embroidery to Seats, Garage Door Opener and Valet Key.
Front Seat Comfort Specification (included in First Edition Specification) includes Adjustable Seat Bolsters, Adjustable Seat Cushion Length, Power Adjustable Headrest, Ventilation and Massage, Heated Front Armrest and Hide Trimmed Seat Belt Buckles.
Touring Specification (included in First Edition Specification) includes Lane Guidance, Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control, Night Vision and Head-up Display.
Do you spell “grey” G-R-E-Y or G-R-A-Y? Stylistically we tend to go with the E for a bit of British flair, so we’re thrown off when Bentley goes with an A. Take for instance this Facebook post by Bentley depicting one incredible looking FlyingSpur by Mulliner.
The color in question is Grey Violet (a.k.a. Gray Violet to Bentley’s social media team). Whatever your vowel preference, we can probably all agree that Grey Violet is a great-looking medium purple, especially when paired with high gloss black and polished silver adornments. It’s a great spec.
Even though we’re primarily a U.S.-based publication and tend to focus on North American cars, we occasionally pivot to other markets. That might be to cal out a particularly unique color or compelling specification, or in the case of our Market Find series, it might be to call out a car that is either older than 25 years (so an easy import) or on the NHTSA list of importable cars. In the case of this purple 1995 968 Clubsport, it’s both older than 25 years and also a desirable model in an even more unique Paint to Sample color.
First, a little background. America did get the Porsche 968 coupé and cabriolet, however the more aggressively sporting Clubsport model never came here. And while the engine was largely the same as the U.S. model (think 964 RS America), it got a host of upgrades and lightening measures in order to make it more of a turn key track weapon with practically a 50:50 weight distribution. Since attaining 25 year status, 968 Clubsports have begun finding their way into the U.S., and Paint to Sample specimens tend to be the preferred lot.
When we consider Paint to Sample on the 968 Clubsport, we tend to see of that era’s Carrera Cup colors. Think Maritime Blue, Ruby Stone, Mint Green, or Speed Yellow. This one painted Amaranth Violet (L39D) may be the first purple 968 Clubsport we’ve seen.
This car was a Belgian-delivered example featuring the standard seats in black cloth, multi-function steering wheel, rear seats with backrests, basic alarm system and power door windows and mirrors. The car has logged 178,464 km (110,892 miles). It’s currently for sale in Belgium at Autos-David.be with a price of €44999.
With a few new creative classes, the Pebble Beach Concours is showing it can evolve into the future and be even more relevant to younger generations. It gets there by embracing car trends that came after the golden era cars that typically grace their greens. And had you wandered past the homologation car arrangement and 70s wedge class, you’d have rolled up on the first SUVs ever to occupy real estate at this vaunted event. Were they worthy, well they each belonged to Queen Elizabeth and were presented by Defender and Range Rover.
JLR’s association with the Royals goes considerably far back, and is an official supplier for their vehicles.
“It was amazing to witness Her Majesty’s ten Land Rovers and Range Rovers rolling past the front door of The Lodge at Pebble Beach and pulling on to the famed fairways of Pebble Beach Golf Links – and I was honoured to greet them there. Crowds were astonished and delighted. Later in the day, the vehicles were an impressive sight parading across our show ramp during the Awards Ceremony – to great applause.,” commented Sandra Button, Chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
We took particular interest in a segment of the display that included a line of Defenders and Range Rovers painted very similarly. Each was a deep and dark red-purple, with thin pin stripe and with royal coat of arms on the door. These cars were official royal service vehicles known State Review or Royal Ceremonial State vehicles. Each were built by Land Rover to specification for the royals for use in the given period ordered. As you can see, there’s a distinct lineage and these vehicles can see service for many years.
Walking past each generation Royal Ceremonial State, it was clear there was a shared specification. Wanting to learn more, we reached out to representatives at JLR and learned some interesting details.
The color of these cars is known as “Claret”, though sometimes called “Royal Claret”. This traditional royal color actually pre-dates the automobile and was used on state carriages. It is reserved only for vehicles in Royal service, meaning neither Land Rover nor JLR have ever offered it on a civilian model.
The first State Review Land Rover was built on a 1954 Series 1 and featured a custom rear platform. It traveled with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on a six-month tour of the British commonwealth. It even made its way to Australia in that time, though today resides in the U.S. where it is owned by a private collector.
This next State Review vehicle was the first Range Rover to carry to serve in such capacity and was built on a 1974 model. It was used from 1975 to 2002, with a modified rear that featured foldaway seats and a lectern with concealed umbrellas. An additional exhaust silencer was also fitted. This vehicle is currently housed in The Royal Collection at The British Motor Museum in Gaydon, UK.
The third State Review Vehicle was based on a 1990 Range Rover. This particular vehicle was notably featured in the photo chosen by the Queen herself for her 1994 Christmas Card. That photo depicted the Queen and Prince Philip aboard the Range Rover attending the 50th Anniversary the D-Day landings in Arromanches. It is also part of The Royal Collection at The British Motor Museum.
The fourth in this State Review vehicle series is a 1998 Range Rover P38A. Built by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, it replaced the previous 1990 State Review Range Rover and featured a rear platform design now featuring four foldaway seats rather than the previous two.
The fifth and final State Review vehicle on display at Pebble Beach is this 2005 Range Rover L322. Again built by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, this vehicle was notably used to transport the then Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry during Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday parade in 2016.
We have to say, while we understand why JLR has no interest in building a Queen Elizabeth-specification Royal Claret Range Rover, that doesn’t make us want one any less. Special thanks to the team at JLR North America who entertained and provided answers for our very specific questions in regard to these vehicles.
