From Modest to Majestic: Porsche Revamps Color Categories with a Dash of Imagination
In a splash of vibrant creativity, Porsche has unveiled a fresh color palette for its latest Panamera model, turning the high-performance saloon into a canvas of chromatic possibilities. The new lineup includes shades like Montego Blue Metallic, Ice Grey Metallic, Lugano Blue, and Madeira Gold Metallic, each crafted over years of artistic and technical refinement.
This color revolution isn’t just about new hues; it’s a total restructuring of Porsche’s color categories across all models. Welcome to the world of Contrasts, Shades, Dreams, and Legends – categories designed to capture a range of themes and emotions, simplifying the color choice for customers.
Porsche’s color history is as bold as its performance, with the 1970s’ signal colors and the pastel tones of the 90s. The latest testament to this daring spirit is the Panamera’s palette. Take Madeira Gold Metallic, for example: a warm, cognac hue sparkling with subtle metallic pigments, marrying high performance with elegance.
The new color categories range from the classic to the expressive. Contrasts focuses on timeless classics like black and white, while Shades includes nuanced whites, greys, blacks, and silvers like the Panamera’s Ice Grey Metallic. Dreams is for those who want to stand out with bright, striking colors, including the likes of Lugano Blue and Madeira Gold Metallic. Legends, on the other hand, is a collection of unusual, elegant, and timeless tones, like Montego Blue Metallic.
But there’s more. Porsche’s ‘Paint to Sample’ and ‘Paint to Sample Plus’ programs allow for even greater personalization, offering a history-rich palette of over 170 colors and the option for customers to create their own unique hues.
The journey from color concept to car takes years, driven by a blend of creative vision and technical prowess. Volker Müller, Head of Colour & Trim at Style Porsche, emphasizes the need for colors that aren’t just trendy but can stand the test of time. This foresight requires the team to be ahead of the curve, anticipating and sometimes setting trends.
The process is a cornucopia of ideas and influences, drawing from fashion, architecture, and interior design. Each year, about 12 to 15 new colors are conceived, from which the Executive Board selects the final contenders. These undergo rigorous testing for technical feasibility before gracing the cars.
The transition from idea to paint involves mood boards, discussions with suppliers, and the creation of various color tones. A wider group of Porsche experts then deliberates on these samples, considering market demands and interior design harmony.
The final stages include painting ‘color frogs’ – miniature cars used to evaluate the colors in 3D – and high-tech visualizations on a 16-meter-wide LED screen. The final nod comes from the Executive Board, who evaluate the colors both physically and digitally.
But it doesn’t end there. Extensive testing ensures the paint’s quality and compatibility, from repair configurations to comprehensive tests like the Weather-o-Meter, simulating a year of Florida sunlight.
Porsche’s color odyssey from the drawing board to the showroom floor epitomizes its commitment to innovation, quality, and, most importantly, a flair for the dramatic. As Daniela Milošević, Colour & Trim Designer at Style Porsche, puts it with a smile, “Every color looks good on a Porsche.”
