How Custom Car Colours Are Created for the Most Exclusive Vehicles

Cars can now feature colours that perfectly match your favourite object or evoke the iconic hues of the 1990s. Automotive brands like Porsche are embracing vehicle customisation, offering an almost limitless range of paint options to meet the growing demand for cars with exclusive finishes.

The company has expanded its range of standard and special colours, now offering over 190 shades available across all its models. A key pillar is the availability of Porsche's historic colours, accessible through the "Paint to Sample" programme.

However, the major innovation is the "Paint to Sample Plus" option, available for the 718, 911, and Taycan models manufactured at the Zuffenhausen plant.

With this Sonderwunsch (special wish) programme, customers can literally create their own paint colour from any object as a sample, pushing personalisation to the limit.

Painting vehicles with such specific colours while maintaining Porsche's high quality standards is a complex process that demands a high degree of manual work and highly experienced personnel. "Each colour tone must be suitable for various surfaces and materials, requiring a perfect combination of colours," explains Boris Apenbrink, Director of Limited Series and Options at Exclusive Manufaktur. "We have developed a unique workshop manufacturing and industrialisation process, ensuring extraordinary paint quality."

Porsche's main factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen houses the largest colour mixing bank, where experts mix the desired shades for the 911 and Taycan models with milligram precision. Each batch is divided into two cans, one for the body and another for the accessories, as the diversity of materials (aluminium, plastic, carbon fibre) and the different application techniques and drying temperatures require slightly different compositions to ensure the final colour is identical across all surfaces.

The raw materials and pigments undergo rigorous testing to meet the highest requirements for weather resistance and stone impact.

The "Paint to Sample" category includes predefined colours that have already been technically approved and enjoy cult status within the Porsche community, such as Maritime Blue, Star Ruby, and Mint Green, typical of the 1990s. These can be ordered in the new vehicle configurator and have a delivery time approximately three months longer.

The offer varies by model: more than 130 additional colours for the 718, 911, and Taycan, and over 50 options for the Panamera, Macan, and Cayenne.

With "Paint to Sample Plus," personalisation reaches its peak. The customer simply provides a sample of the desired colour to their Porsche Centre (it can be anything from a handbag to nail polish). After a feasibility test, Porsche begins a colour development process that takes an average of nine months. Experts work on the formula until the colour perfectly matches the sample under different light sources. Once approved, the colour is given a name. If the colour cannot be implemented to Porsche's quality standards, the manufacturer covers the cost of the test.

With this innovative offer, Porsche ensures that each new sports car can be as distinctive as its owner's fingerprint, reflecting their lifestyle and boundless creativity.