Porsche Paint to Sample – hundreds of new, classic & custom paint colours now available; 3-month lead time

Porsche’s personalisation division, Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, has officially revived its cult-classic colours and made them available for modern Porsche cars. This, the automaker said, is on the back of increasing demand for custom-painted models.

Now called Paint to Sample (was Custom Colour previously), customers can choose from existing predefined hues such as Maritime Blue, Rubystar and Mint Green. These colours were first introduced in the 1990s for the 911 (Type 964).

For the 911 and 718 models, there is now more than 100 additional paint colours to choose from. The Panamera, Macan and Cayenne get over 50 new shades, while the Taycan sees 65 new hues added to the list. Paint to Sample can now be ordered as part of new vehicle configurations at Porsche Centres. This will be added to the Porsche Car Configurator in early 2022, complete with filter options.

According to the automaker, custom colours add three months to the delivery lead time compared to standard colours, and prices vary depending on the model and trim level.

A new colour-mixing bench is already operational in Zuffenhausen, where paint specialists blend dozens of ingredients to help customers achieve their desired shade. Each batch of paint will be divided into two paint pots for bodywork and add-on parts. This is to ensure colour uniformity when painting over various materials, such as aluminium, plastic, carbon-fibre and other composites.

There’s also Paint to Sample Plus, where customers can send a sample of their desired colour to Porsche. “Anything is conceivable – from a favourite shirt or scarf to a nail varnish colour,” Porsche said. This is offered only for customers of the 911, 718 and Taycan models.

The process is rather extensive. Upon getting the sample colour, paint experts begin the formulation. The colour gets refined under different light sources, such as daylight or artificial lighting. Then, the feasibility of the colour is tested in the factory, where Porsche can define the layer thickness, which enables process-stable, reproducible and error-free painting.

Before the actual customer vehicle is painted, the colour is applied to a test body. If for any reason the desired shade cannot be realised in accordance with Porsche’s quality standards, it will bear all costs of the feasibility test.

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