The Porsche Club of America is a big Porsche owner/enthusiast group in the U.S. Here, they’re helping build a database of Porsche paint colors so people can look up what colors exist and see examples.
They’re using “slippery slope” to mean “once you start, it’s easy to get pulled into more and more.” In this case, looking at colors can lead to bigger decisions like repainting or buying a specific car.
Renbo is the name of the Porsche color catalog site being discussed. The hosts explain it as a playful derivative of a “rainbow of colors” idea tied to Porsche’s wide range of paint options.
“Air-cooled” means the engine is cooled mostly by air flowing over it, not by liquid coolant running through a radiator. Porsche fans often prefer the air-cooled cars because they feel and sound different and have their own set of quirks.
“Water-cooled” means the engine uses liquid coolant to move heat to a radiator, where air helps cool it. It’s the opposite approach from air-cooled, and Porsche owners often talk about the difference because it changes how the car feels and what you maintain.
This is a Porsche 911 from 1986. The 911 is Porsche’s famous sports car, and in this story it’s the “air-cooled” kind they’re talking about—meaning it uses an engine cooling design that doesn’t rely on a liquid radiator system.
“Totaled” means the damage was so bad that it wasn’t worth repairing. The car is considered a write-off, even if some parts might still be usable.
Term
Fonsac Mac
They’re talking about a specific named paint color. Even if it’s “black,” different paint names can look slightly different depending on the exact formula.
Python Green is a named Porsche paint color. It’s not just “green”—it’s a specific shade Porsche uses, and it can look different depending on the light.
Term
paint can color
“Paint can color” here means a mainstream, easy-to-sell paint shade that dealers can stock and order without taking on too much risk. It’s contrasted with more distinctive, less common custom or special colors.
ABS is a braking system that helps stop your wheels from locking up. That way, you’re more likely to be able to steer while braking, especially on wet or icy roads.
The Chevrolet Cobalt is a compact car made by Chevrolet. People may talk about it when they’re searching for a specific color or specific version. In the podcast, it’s connected to the idea of finding a car in cobalt blue metallic.
Cars and coffee is a casual car meet where people show up with their cars and chat. The speaker mentions it because people often ask what color the car is.
Sapphire blue is a named blue paint color. They’re saying people think their cobalt blue might actually be sapphire blue, but the speaker explains the difference.
A “unique color Porsche” refers to a less common factory paint color (or otherwise distinctive color) that stands out from the most typical options. The speaker claims these cars often command a premium because they’re more desirable and generate more discussion at shows.
Bring a Trailer is a popular website where car enthusiasts buy and sell cars through auctions. The host is saying their search involved trying to win one there.
“P-car” is just a nickname people use for a Porsche. They’re talking about trying to buy a Porsche during their search.
Term
one paint can Porsche
They’re using a shorthand for how complex the paint job is—how many paint colors/steps are involved. The point is that rarer, more special paint setups can raise the price.
They mean paying extra money for something special. Here, the “something special” is the car’s color, and they’re debating if you get that extra cost back later.
They’re talking about a Porsche Macan GTS, which is a sportier version of the Macan. They chose a rare red color and believe it helped the car’s value later.
Aubergine is a deep purple color. They’re using it to describe what the car looked like, then explaining how that color relates to other repaint colors the car had.
Viper Green is a named paint color. In this context, they’re saying the car was painted that color at some point, even if it wasn’t the original factory color.
A repaint is when someone changes a car’s paint color by redoing the paint job. Collectors care because it can mean the car doesn’t have its original factory color anymore.
A Cardex is Porsche’s paperwork that shows how the car was originally built, including the original paint color. Collectors use it to check whether the current color matches the factory order.
Here, “surplus” means Porsche had extra stock of a certain paint color. If they had a lot of it, they might paint more cars that color during that time.
Guards Red is a particular named red paint color used by Porsche. The speaker is saying it was very popular decades ago, but it’s less common on modern cars now, so it stands out.
“Rosso” is Italian for red, and Ferrari often uses specific red shades with that name. The host is saying some Ferrari owners care a lot about having the right red color.
Ferrari 328 is a well-known older Ferrari model. In the conversation, it’s part of the example list showing how Ferrari fans may care about color along with the model itself.
Car
Ferrari Testarosa
Ferrari Testarosa is a famous older Ferrari. The host mentions it to compare Ferrari fans’ color preferences versus Porsche owners’ obsession with color as a differentiator.
The host is saying Porsche owners use paint colors to connect their car to Porsche’s racing past. It’s like choosing a color that tells a story about where the brand came from.
“Golf blue” is a specific Porsche paint color name. The idea is that using an older, historic color on a newer car makes it feel connected to Porsche racing history.
The Porsche GT4 is a more track-focused Porsche than the regular versions. They’re using the same “Mison blue” paint on a GT4 to show how a classic color can look on a modern performance car.
The Porsche 356 is one of Porsche’s earliest famous cars. Here, they’re talking about painting it “Mison blue” so you can compare how that same color looks on an old Porsche versus a newer one.
Here, “Porsche heritage” means Porsche’s history and classic roots. They’re saying people like to connect today’s cars to older Porsches, and paint color is one way to do that.
An “allocation” is basically a limited permission/slot to request the special paint option. Since it’s limited, you might not be able to get the exact paint-to-sample choice you want.
The speaker is referencing the Renbow.org catalog’s breadth—“over 600 colors”—as evidence that Porsche color history and options are extensive. For enthusiasts, a large color database makes it easier to find heritage shades and compare them to modern paint offerings.
They’re saying the paint-to-sample program has 126 color choices. Even though that’s a lot, picking one still feels tough because there are so many options.
“Paint the sample” means you’re not limited to the usual paint colors. You can request a custom color, and Porsche has to create and verify the paint so it looks right on the car.
A configurator is the website or ordering system where you pick options for your car. Here, it’s where you choose paint colors and see which ones cost more.
Custom paint takes time because Porsche has to verify the color formula and make sure it comes out right on the car. That’s why it can take a long time to deliver.
PTS means "paint to sample." It’s when you pick a custom color for your Porsche instead of choosing one from the normal paint list. Because the paint has to be mixed and tested, it usually takes longer and costs more.
The Porsche Cayman is Porsche’s mid-engine sports car. In this segment, it’s used as a comparison point to show that the same custom paint can look different on different Porsche body shapes.
“Golf orange” is a specific orange paint color name. The host thought the orange looked extreme until someone explained it was a particular PTS color called Golf orange.
Paint to sample plus is for when you want a very specific color. Instead of picking from Porsche’s existing paint options, they have to create the color for your car and verify it, which typically increases cost and lead time.
A paint chip is a little sample of a color. It can look different on a real car because of lighting and the car’s shape, so it’s not always a perfect preview.
Standardizing photography means trying to make the photos look more similar—same lighting and style—so color comparisons are fair. Otherwise, the same paint can look different just because of how the photo was taken.
User-generated content means the photos are uploaded by regular people. That’s helpful because it shows real cars, but the photos can vary a lot in lighting and editing.
This is a specific older Porsche 911 generation that came with a turbocharger. The host is using it to show how the club checks whether a submitted paint color is real.
A “historical search” here means digging through archives and prior records to verify whether a paint color existed for a given model and era. It’s the club’s method for validating rare or unusual color claims beyond what’s already in their database.
A data plate is a factory label on the car that lists important build details. Here it’s being used to prove the correct paint code for the color being claimed.
“Marsala metallic” is a named Porsche paint color. “Metallic” means it has tiny sparkly particles, so it can look different depending on the light. Here, they explain it actually looks more purple than brown or red-brown.
They’re using submitted photos as evidence for what color a Porsche really is. The goal is to confirm the color is accurate and historically correct, not just what someone thinks it is.
Here, “documentation” means paperwork or records the owner has that help prove what the car’s original color was. They use it to avoid mixing up factory colors with later repaint jobs.
They’re double-checking whether a paint color name really belongs to Porsche. If it turns out the color was actually from another brand, they don’t include it in the Porsche color list.
Flat black is paint that doesn’t shine like regular glossy paint. It’s a specific look, and matching it correctly usually means using the right paint and finish, not just “black paint.”
“Restored” here implies the car’s appearance was brought back to a prior condition, likely including repainting to match the original flat-black specification. Restoration matters because paint finish and color matching are key to authenticity when you’re verifying period-correct details like “paint the sample.”
A “color number” is like a paint ID code from the factory. It helps confirm the exact shade/formula the car was originally specified with.
Brand
Renville dot org
They’re talking about a website people use to look up Porsche paint colors. When someone mentions a color at a meet, others check the site to figure out the exact name.
“Carmine red” is a specific Porsche paint color. In their system, it’s considered moderately rare (a three out of five) because it was only offered as an option for certain model years.
They’re saying this is the Porsche Club of America’s system, not an official worldwide Porsche factory database. Because of that, they have to use club knowledge and old records to figure out how rare colors were.
They’re using old records and documentation to figure out what colors were actually used. It’s especially important because they can’t just look up official production totals.
They’re talking about a way to rank paint colors by how common or rare they are. Higher rarity rankings tend to make the color more desirable to collectors.
They use a numbered scale to rate how rare a paint color is. A “four” level is treated as rarer, and that can push prices higher when cars are listed or sold.
These are custom-looking labels people put on their cars that point to the paint color code. In Porsche circles, it’s a fun way to show what color the car is (or what color it’s referencing) using the same kind of labels the club uses.
Term
one paint can decal
This is a playful way of saying “I’m only putting one paint-color label/sticker on the car.” It’s basically about referencing the paint code(s) in a simple, fun way.
A paint sample refers to the process of verifying or selecting a specific factory color (often via approved samples) before the car is built. In Porsche ordering, this can be part of the workflow for special or less-common colors.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a high-performance 911 built to feel very “race car” on track. Here, they’re talking about how some GT3 RS buyers don’t always chase the rare custom paint options.
Term
paint sample plus colors
They’re talking about custom paint choices—basically, how people can pick special colors and whether they’re trying to make the car as unique as possible. Some buyers care more about the look than about having the rarest possible paint.
Term
$15,000 or $30,000
They mention that custom paint can cost a lot of extra money—tens of thousands of dollars. That’s why not everyone chooses the rarest paint option.
They’re saying that with paint-to-sample, the color is basically unique to that car order. That uniqueness is part of what makes the Porsche color choices feel special to fans.
Term
black on
They’re talking about a trend where black cars (like a black GT3 RS) are especially popular. Even if people like rare colors, some colors still go in and out of fashion.
“Period correct” means making the car look like it did in the time period it came from. In this segment, they’re talking about how color preferences tied to that idea may change over time.
Concept
hue
“Hue” is basically what kind of color it is—like whether it looks more red, more blue, or more green. The hosts say you can sometimes tell the era by the hue of the paint.
“Arctic silver” is the name of a particular Porsche paint color. In this segment, the hosts are arguing about which numbered color category it should fall into.
“Cobalt blue” is a specific blue paint color name. The host is saying that to judge whether a car really is that color, you need to see the whole car in good lighting—not just a small body panel.
“Lighting conditions” means the way light hits the car—like bright sun versus shade. Paint can look different depending on the lighting, so editors want photos that show the whole car clearly.
“Midnight blue” is the name of a specific blue paint color. The point they’re making is that the same car can look almost black in shade, but clearly blue when the sun hits it.
They’re saying the photos need to be clear and sharp so the paint color can be judged correctly. If the pictures are blurry or only show part of the car, it’s easier for people to get the color wrong.
“Unicorn colors” means super rare paint colors. The idea is that only a tiny number of cars were painted that way, so they’re hard to discover and track.
Here, an “icon” is just a small picture/symbol on the website that helps identify a color category. They’re debating whether that symbol is enough or if the site should list the color details.
This is about the exact paint colors Porsche used from the factory. Collectors care because “blue” can mean many different shades, and the exact color name/code can be important.
Term
concor field
A concours field is where cars are lined up at a car show for people to look at them closely. It’s a good place to see rare paint colors in real life.
A speedster is a type of Porsche that’s usually open-top and built to feel light and sporty. Here it’s mentioned because the discussion is about a rare Porsche color associated with that kind of model.
The Porsche Macan is Porsche’s smaller SUV. Here it’s mentioned just to give an example of what color a Porsche SUV can be.
Brand
Rennbow.org
Rennbow.org is the website they’re talking about. It’s focused on Porsche colors and plans to add more detailed stories.
Term
color expert
They’re describing a specialized role: being the go-to source for Porsche paint colors. The idea is that the site won’t just show colors, but also explain where they came from.
The Porsche 944 is a classic Porsche sports car from the 1980s and early 1990s. In this segment, it’s referenced as part of a story about a particular paint color.
The Saturn Vue is a compact SUV. It’s a regular family-style vehicle meant for everyday driving. The podcast mentions it while talking about what to do next with the Vue team or project.
Paint books are collections of color samples in one place. They help you pick the right paint color by comparing swatches. It’s like a reference guide so everyone is talking about the same color.
“W 60” sounds like a specific paint identifier—basically a code for one exact color. Instead of just saying “that blue,” the code helps you find the right paint match. They’re using it to check whether the wheel color is truly the same.
LIVE
Welcome to the Porsche Club Insider, your one stop for all things Porsche and PCA.
Here's your host, Vu Gwin, and the Insider crew.
Welcome everyone, if you're into Porsche colors, have we got an episode for you.
It's great to be back at the PCA national office here.
I've got Manny to my right, Damon to my left at the controls, and before I introduce our
guests I want to thank our presenting sponsor, Pirelli.
Pirelli tires have to achieve the highest levels of performance, safety noiselessness,
and grip on the road surface.
Innovative tires that can satisfy even the most specific mobility needs of the end consumer.
Thank you all for listening.
If you aren't currently a PCA member, grab your VIN, head over to PCA.org and make yourself
a member.
If you're looking for that special Porsche for your driveway or garage, we have the test
drive program, which you can join and unlock all sorts of resources so that you can find
that special car.
Today we have a member, I believe almost 30 years, and I've been on several calls with
him with regards to Rembo, Rembo.org, and he's always got this face that's just a pleasant,
happy fellow.
So almost 30 year member, volunteer lead for the Rembo program here at PCA, and this is
Jim Moore.
Jim, welcome.
How are you?
Thank you, Boo.
Hello, Manny.
Hello, Damon.
Thanks for having me.
Now, you have a passion for colors, and this is why, and PCA is fueled by volunteers.
We say this all the time, and not only have you picked up and become the lead for the
Rembo initiative, but you've also been a volunteer at the regional level and done many things
in the region.
That's right.
I'm a past president of Appalachian Region four years there.
I am a parade judge.
I'm a works judge, and I try to jump in and do a lot of driving with leading tours and
what I consider the best driving roads in the country here in Western North Carolina.
Well, thank you so much for your volunteerism to the club again.
Without our volunteers, this club wouldn't work, and one of the initiatives that was,
I guess I should give credit to Mr. Sass.
I think it was his brainchild to come up with a website that had, we all love colors, right?
Whether or not people buy colors, we'll talk about that later, but we all love Porsche
colors, especially the vintage colors and such, but there wasn't really a one-stop
resource with examples and such, and I think it was about 2019 that we finally introduced
Rembo.org.
You mean when the website was written?
Yeah, yeah.
I know we were talking about it back when I was on EC, but it was just talk.
It was disgusting.
I think at the same time Rob was thinking about having wheels and interiors and all this other
stuff, and I think we wanted to focus at the beginning just color, which of course turned
out to be a pretty monumental task and something that coincidentally Porsche was very interested
in too.
Yeah, it's an unprecedented library of Porsche colors that goes all the way back to 1950.
We tried to run it as current as possible, which is what Jim and the volunteer team does
there and just making sure that we have the colors listed, the color codes, but then also
members and non-members alike, I believe, are able to upload photos of their cars or
cars that they've taken photos of to show examples of these colors because you can find
vintage colors on the vintage cars, but then sometimes people want to see these vintage
colors on modern cars and having the opportunity to see some of that before maybe you're getting
your car painted or considering to buy a certain model.
You kind of fall into that slippery slope when you get into this site because they're just...
So who came up with the name Renbo because I was off D.C. by the time you were named?
That was around the table.
We kind of first started with the whole Skittles thing.
I think you think of colors and it's just Porsche has the Skittles of colors, all the
different, and their tagline was a rainbow of colors, and of course you can't use that
because it's...
Taste the rainbow.
Thank you, David.
I was thinking, I don't think that's the tagline.
Taste the rainbow.
You're right.
Taste the rainbow.
I eat the Skittles.
I don't remember the taglines, but it kind of was derived from there and therefore it
became Renbo.
Now, Jim, how many...
Well, first let's learn a little bit about you.
So as I said earlier, you've been a close to a 30-year member.
Unfortunately, I heard the story.
For those of you that are watching, there's this beautiful G-model behind him and he said
he actually had the one-to-one scale car had and unfortunately a few years ago it was in
an accident.
Thankfully, everything was okay.
I believe you had a 68, 9, 11 as well, but you sold that car a few weeks before the accident.
So you lost two cars like in one year, right?
That's right.
I love the air-cooled, so I do have a couple of water-cooled Porsches also, but I started
with Porsche Club when I bought this 86 911, the real one of it.
I enjoyed it immensely, kept it since I bought it, and unfortunately a year ago, somebody
pulled right in front of me with no chance of stopping whatsoever.
It totaled the car out, was a member of the family, I have to say.
My kids were devastated, I was devastated, but it's a car.
I wasn't hurt, no one was hurt.
It did its job.
You were safe when you're here today, so...
That's right.
That's right.
So the person who hit you is doing 30 to life right now?
So you make lemonade out of lemons, I think you started, you still have this air-cooled
void that needed to be filled, you went searching for a car.
When did you get into colors?
Was your...
So that was silver, so that's a pretty standard color.
That's interesting, my Porsches have not been really interesting, they've been basically
one paint can car, 997 Turbo is black, and I mean, it's just black.
Just black, yeah.
It's not Fonsac Mac or any black, it's black.
My silver 86, my 68 was ivory, but my background is I have a degree in art, I worked in the
advertising business for most of my career, creating commercials for the car companies.
So I've always been involved in the world of art and color and images and whatnot.
And Rob Sasse actually put a call out in Panorama about a year ago looking for volunteers.
And I raised my hand and said, oh, that's right up my alley, my presidency is ending
at Appalachian Region.
I would like to continue supporting PCA.
So I reached out to Rob and he assigned me to the volunteer team originally, and then
I said, well, Rob, could I do a bigger role than that of working with all the volunteers?
And we currently have a team of nine volunteers working on Red Bull, editing the colors,
photographing cars, et cetera.
So...
You know what's interesting, Mani, we talk about this all the time, like, Jim, you have
a background in art and colors, right?
And so you appreciate colors.
But here, like myself, we've ended up with cars that are silver, black, you know, white.
I think Mani's the only one here that has a colorful color car, which is Phoenix Red.
Phoenix Red, the only one.
So why do you think that is?
Why do you think that's the case?
Why do a lot of people love color, but when it actually comes to putting a car in your
garage, most of us end up with kind of fairly standard colors.
Well, I mean, we had to go ahead.
Oh, sorry.
What I've noticed is a lot of people love all the bright, interesting colors of Porsches
when they're on somebody else's Porsche.
And then it comes down to, is that what I want to drive every day, not necessarily every
Porsche's daily driver, but, you know, I've said when I've seen Python Green, Macan, wow,
that really looks great.
But do I want to walk out of the grocery store and look at that?
I totally would.
I totally would.
Yeah.
But that's a real paradox.
Yeah.
I know.
It's easy to say.
It's a paradox.
Yeah.
Is that people like looking at other people's cars in that color, but they tend to be more
conservative, wanting the Silver's, Black's and whatnot, and also comes down to the way
the dealer body works is that dealers tend to stock and order the Silver's, White's,
the more what I would call one paint can color, because that's what they can sell very easily
when somebody comes in looking at a Porsche.
They may have a, I'll use Python Green again, even though it's a great color, I happen to
love it, but it could sit on the lot for a couple of months because you've got to find
the exact buyer wanting that particular color.
Well, everyone can go with the Silver, White, Guards, Red, I wore my Guards, Red shirt today
because this is the number one color of Porsche, actually, the most popular color.
So it's easy to make those purchases.
So that's why you end up with that color palette out there.
Let's go back to making lemonade out of lemons and talking about purchases.
So after the air-cooled void, you set out for your next car and was color a part of that?
Yeah, it definitely was.
I had just started working on a rainbow at that time.
So I said, okay, I have the black car in my garage.
I do have a carmine red, which is slightly.
Oh, that's a pretty color, yeah.
Yeah, but I said, I have to find a unique color car.
I wanted another air-cooled and my wife actually said, well, you're just in a wreck in an air-cooled
that doesn't have a lot of safety features.
I would like to see you get one with safety features.
So to me, that was the 964 was the next in the evolution with airbags, ABS brakes.
So I started putting a search out for 964s in a unique color.
What I found through my research, and this is verified through internet research also,
is over 80% of 964s were produced in guards red.
The other 10% were in black, white, and silver, and only 10% were produced in colors other
than what I would call those basic colors.
So to find the car, which I eventually found after a nine-month search of a cobalt blue
metallic 964 coupe, was finding the needle in the haystack, I have to say.
And I'm really happy with that.
I haven't owned it very long so far, but it is a car that I find stunning every time
I walk out in the garage and look at that cobalt blue.
Do your people asking you, like cars and coffee and car shows, what color is that?
Oh yeah, that's the most common question is, what color blue is that?
People are thinking it might be sapphire blue because that's a more modern blue, and it
was interesting.
The first time I took it to a cars and coffee, I parked next to a 991 in sapphire blue just
so we could compare the two blues.
They're very close, but sapphire is a little brighter.
Well, cobalt is just a little richer, I would say, in the look.
So it's fun to have a different color Porsche, if you will.
It separates you, gives you lots of discussion when you're at the car shows and whatnot.
Well, congratulations to you, because finding a good condition 964 in itself, regardless
of color these days, is extremely difficult to be able to find one that is in good condition
worth buying that's in a unique color.
Like you said, you literally did find that needle in the haystack, but you spent nine
months doing it.
I said nine months, it took me to search and look.
A lot of failed bids on bring a trailer, a P-car, I also, what happens with unique colors
is they go for a premium, they tend to.
You can pay up to 20, 30% more for a unique color Porsche over what I'll call a one paint
can or a two paint can Porsche, so even though I'd find the car, I still had a budget as
we all do on how do you make that purchase?
Yeah, I love the car, but can I afford it?
And so sometimes you had to let one go here or there.
So without getting into too much of the personal price of the car, did you have to pay a premium
because it was cobalt blue?
Did you feel like you paid a premium or did you look out and just, you know, they sold
it for running?
No, I definitely paid, I paid a premium and I was willing to go in and say, I want a unique
color Porsche, I'm going to have to pay that premium.
And one of the advantages when you tend to buy the unique color Porsches is that you
will get that money back in most cases on the back end when you sell the car.
Such a, we'll talk paint to samples at some time, but Porsche is big in the paint to sample
world where you'll pay anywhere.
I think the prices these days are 12,000 to 20,000 plus for a paint to sample plus car.
I'm always under the, my own opinion is that when that time comes for resale, you'll get
that money back plus some.
I had the same thing with the, the Carmine Red I mentioned when I bought my Macon.
I wanted a Carmine Red Macon GTS.
Once again, it's hard to find vehicle, but and at that time the Macon, the Carmine Red
was about a $6,000 option, but once again, I know it's a rare vehicle and I will see
the benefits not only of my pure enjoyment of having that car, but financially on the
back end.
What's interesting to me is how colors like fashion can go in and out and you being in
the club for 30 years, you seem, I'm sure you've seen this as well.
I use, I use example of a, a member in a club who had a, um, he had a green, a Viper Green
9-11, early 9-11 for the longest time.
And one day he shows up in the, um, let's see, a plant, aubergine, aubergine, aubergine.
I'm like, wow, I'm like, yeah, you got a second 9-11.
He goes, no, it's the same one.
And I said, but it was Viper Green.
He goes, well, that was a repaint.
He goes, this, it was actually originally our, our virgin and at some point, uh, it
was painted Viper Green, which made me think that means at some point someone got tired
of aubergine, which now is like a celebrated color and decided to paint it a different
color. We've seen this with 256 as friends of ours, a beautiful, like a Rob with the
sky blue 356 that is now silver.
Oh, I got to be on that one.
At some point, somebody was bored of sky blue, which is just a stunning color in
truth. These six and painted it silver.
Okay. I got you my car, right?
On its Cardex, originally beautiful, mice and blue, probably the most beautiful
colors you can have on it.
Mice and blue was the original color of my car.
What color is my car?
Black.
So somebody said, Hey, you know, let's paint over mice and blue and just make it black.
I have any nine 14s were repainted black, red or white because the 70s moved to the
80s and the Jim's point about guards, red, you know, suddenly Porsche, it was like
they bought a surplus of guards, red and every nine 44 of the guards, red.
People wanted to make their car look more modern.
So they took all these cool nine 14 colors and repainted them more modern colors.
Yeah.
You mentioned guards, red.
I think for a longest time, guards, red, kind of, it was so prevalent in the 80s
and early nineties that it kind of went away.
But now if you see a modern car in guards, red, it's rare, it's rare.
You're like, Oh, that's kind of cool.
You've got, you've got, so it comes full circle.
Pretty cool.
It does.
My, my own thought on guards, red, I happened to love the color.
And when people were trying to get me to buy a guards, red 964 I
hated saying I don't want guards, red because I love the color so much.
But, uh, yeah, I looked into the history of it because that's part of rainbow.
Also, what's the history?
And it was originally, as I understand, launched with the nine 30 turbo when
that was first launched, that was the, the hero color.
So, uh, as a result of that, I think there were a lot of people that were kids at
that time with that poster on the wall guards, red, nine 30 turbo and that's
the color they wanted.
And therefore I, I think that's what drove her to be such a popular color in
the, the Porsche world was that I had a red slant nose, uh, red slant nose on
the, the wall of my bedroom.
That was, that was the color that was, Jim, are you into other, um, car
manufacturers as well?
Like, do you think this whole color thing is just really specific to Porsche
people or do other car manufacturer fans care about colors as much as we do?
No one cares about color as much as Porsche owners is what I would say.
Uh, with, with, uh, Ferrari owners, you may get them caring about color more
that they want it to be Ferrari red.
Rosso red.
If you aren't Rosso red, they'll chastise you.
Um, yeah, that's right.
But, uh, Porsche owners are, uh, I'll say we're a unique breed that we're
so into colors and, uh, I think that really comes down to, if you look at
the history of, uh, the 9 11, I'll go, I'm a not tend to be a 9 11 guy.
That design has architecture has basically evolved, but stayed consistent
ever since it was introduced in 1965.
So what is the way that people can differentiate their porches from one
another, it's through color.
Unlike, uh, uh, let's use Ferrari as an example.
Again, every couple of years they come out with a new model of 308, the 328
Testerosa.
So somebody has a different car, but with Porsche, it's really becomes the
color is where you can start showing off that maybe a seventies in a 70 bright
color that you mentioned, Manny with a tangerine or a very per green or
something versus, uh, the more sedate colors as we got in some other decades.
And, uh, now we're seeing the resurgence of people wanting those exciting colors
from the past, if you will.
So you think the, um, you know, the colors that, uh, that have, have been so
prevalent in the past, uh, do they?
Like a Ruby stone or Ruby star, like they, they have modern iterations of,
of those colors.
I think we're starting to see a lot of that happening.
Like they don't, they don't just simply bring in old color from, you know, past
decades, but they're sort of creating a modern twist to it and applying it to
the newer cars.
Yeah.
Porsche is, uh, as with their color palette in 2026, I think is where they
came out with it.
They started taking oak green metallic and making an oak green metallic
kneel, making the Ruby star kneel, uh, to signify it's a new version of a
historic color and they just do a little twist to the color to make it.
So it's as it's strong roots to, uh, the heritage of that color, but, uh,
provide a more modern look to it.
I think that's one of the key things when you go back to your question about
Porsche owners and their focus on colors is that it's really a way through
color that a Porsche owner can go back to the heritage of the vehicle,
particularly if you look at racing in particular, and Porsche has used a lot
of different unique colors in, in racing and, uh, you know, you could on your
modern day, such as I just had a, was that a show and somebody had golf blue
GT for RS.
Well, by putting their RS into a golf blue, a historic color, they all
sudden are tying back to that heritage of Porsche racing from the
nine 17 Steve McQueen cars.
And, uh, you see a lot of that.
You mentioned Mison blue, uh, we had a rainbow show, uh, uh, down here in
Asheville and I had two cars, one a Mison blue 356 and a Mison blue
GT four right next to each other.
And it was a really nice, uh, dichotomy of looking at the two cars, same color,
but yet you had the original Porsche and attract monster, basically what a GT
four is and, uh, but people like to tie back to that Porsche heritage and
colors, one way they can do it in the modern Porsches.
And I think that's what is great about Renbow.org is you can use it as a
resource if you're lucky enough and you get an allocation for paint to
sample, but man, I think that's probably the most difficult thing.
Like you get the allocation and then you go, Oh, what color am I going to
choose?
Cause how many color, how many colors are on renbow.org now?
Roughly, uh, there are over 600 colors on renbow.org right now.
And you mentioned paint to sample there on the Porsche's current, uh, paint
sample program.
There are, I believe it is 126 paint to sample colors that you could choose
from and it, it's interesting as people say, well, if you could buy any car,
you actually got the allocation for paint sample.
What, what would you buy?
That would be hard for me.
I've been a loss.
I, I've looked through, cause I studied the colors.
I've looked through this list of 126 paint to sample colors and every day I
think I have another one that would be my choice.
I'm not sure if you get that allocation, how you make that decision.
Quite honestly, do you have favorite colors that you would order
if, uh, allocation was unlimited for you?
Well, I'm color blind.
So that's, that little book looks about like five or six colors to me.
I'm just kidding.
I could see, uh, uh, some of the colors, but I think it's worth explaining it
really quick.
Uh, so paint the sample for the new to the hobby or new to Porsche is, um, uh,
colors that aren't on the normal palette, if you will, uh, when you go to the
configurator, you're going to see all these different colors and levels of cost.
And then you have, see it says paint the sample.
And when you open it up, it's like a palette of a hundred and some colors.
You can buy a nice little thick book with swatches on it.
Uh, if you want to, uh, um, get even closer, look at the colors.
Uh, but then above and beyond that is paint the sample plus.
And that is where they create your own special color.
So that's where you used to see the commercials where the guy walked in with,
uh, a nail polish that his wife always used and said, I want to match this or a
blouse or a dress or something, please match this.
So that became a pretty big deal to create your own color.
Um, I would imagine the allocations for that are very limited.
And I think it can take up to two years because they have to test these colors.
Uh, just like they would any other color.
And that can take a long time where PTS, the colors I've already been tested,
they've all been already been improved.
They're just not regularly painted on a car.
So, uh, you know, to your point, uh, and I think it depends on the car.
Um, I love, uh, uh, golf blue with the you.
I like it with the, oh, also golf blue.
Um, but I saw a McCann and orange and I looked at it.
I was like, wow, that, that is a lot of orange because it looks different.
Then like on a nine 11 or a Cayman, this was a lot of orange, but then someone
said, Oh, it's a PTS.
It's golf orange and it's only, he got a pass.
I'm like, well, now that's cool.
I, now I get it.
I said, I might need a little bit of golf blue stripes on it, but, uh, that's
pretty awesome that he painted it.
Cause evidently he had a, uh, golf blue, um, nine 11 or something to that
would match between the two, uh, but yeah, that's, that was a, uh,
something hard to swallow when you first saw all that orange.
Journal McCann to put it all into perspective.
Damien, if you can go back to the configurator, um, just if you're
wondering pricing wise, I think paint to sample is about $15,000.
That's where you can choose from about 130 or so colors that are already
established in a palette.
If you get the opportunity to do paint to sample plus, which is where you
bring in the special color that you want and they have to mix it, test it, so on
and so forth.
That's about a 30, $32,000 option.
And that's, that's Sunderwunch.
So that's kind of like going to Costco.
You think you're only going to go there for a pair of pants?
Oh yeah.
That's the stuff that's where it starts with $800 worth of stuff.
Sunderwunch is the same way.
You're not leaving there.
We just paint.
You're probably leaving there for the lot of other customer stuff.
And Jim, to answer your question, here's where it would be tough for me
because I know there's colors that I like, but looking at a, a paint
chip or a swatch doesn't necessarily mean that I would like it on a car.
Just like that golf orange you said, maybe golf orange looks cool or the
idea of it looks cool, but would it look good on a car?
And I think that's where Renbo really helps because there are a lot of cars
with these colors on it.
So you can get a better visual depiction of what that, that color might look
like and it might not be your 911 or Macomb, but to have that much orange on
a car, would you like it or not?
A paint chip is, it's hard to tell.
Well, remember when we did the club coop color for the 60th club, Lowe, uh,
they not only gave us the different color blues that they were going to
base it on, I think it was like three or four blues, but, uh, in addition,
they gave us white, red, black.
They said, these are all colors that are going to be next or near the color
blue on the car.
So you're going to want to see how that blue interacts with all these other
colors, which I never thought of.
I'm like, oh, that's, I guess that's a good point.
You know, that they don't, they don't get all these other colors.
So, um, obviously they knew exactly what they're doing when they do these
paint, the sample plus colors.
Let's talk about, yeah, you bring up an interesting point because when I
first moved into this position, I, I immediately went out to work's Monterey
and I, I did, uh, man on the field interviews of people about Renbone and
why they used it, what they found, uh, useful about it.
The number one reason was I was shopping for a car and I wanted to see
what I'd act that color actually looked like on a car as opposed to the paint
paint chip.
And one of the biggest things that came out of that also was then, well, is
there a way you can standardize more the photography, the looks of, uh, the
photos are in there because they're all user generated.
So you can imagine there are over 16,000 photos in Renbow currently all being
uploaded by members and non-members of PCA, I have to say.
So well, one thing we've done, uh, the color editor team that I have of nine
different color editors, they're going through and trying to edit the colors.
If they don't quite look right to represent that color, I hate to say we
have to pull it down because we want the site to be very representative of, of
what a 9-11 or a Cayman, a McCann, whatever the model is, looks like in
that color.
We've also established some, uh, real guidelines on the photos as we evaluate
them because when they're submitted, this color editor will now look at it
and determine, does this meet our guidelines of lighting, of angle, make
sure there are people in there, some people want to submit photos to get
their, their kid on the site.
That isn't what the purpose of the site is.
Uh, um, we've tried to put some, uh, guard rails in, if you will, with
the photography and the submissions that come in.
So we still want everybody to submit photos and put their colors in because
we, we continue to get colors that in some cases we didn't even know existed.
I had a one recently, uh, 930 turbo got submitted a Marsala metallic.
We didn't have it in the database.
We went through a whole historical search and we could not find this color
listed, but he sent us the data plate and it showed it was a paint to sample
color, uh, had the right code for paint to sample back in that day.
And we ended up going out to restores of Porsches to see if this color ever
existed that they knew of.
And we, we did finally determine and qualify it as yes, this was, this
was definitely a portion of paint to sample color back in the day of the 930
turbo being launched, but it just gives you an idea that we don't just accept
everything that comes in.
We tried to now put, put some, uh, real research and, uh, look into the, the
background of what these, these colors are.
So it becomes a really valuable resource for portion owners, researchers, et cetera.
When you mentioned Marsala metallic, I'm trying to envision what color it was.
And Damon just pulled it up.
I totally guessed wrong on my head.
Marsala.
I was thinking like Marsala wine, kind of brownish, whatever, reddish.
Turns out it's more of a purple hue.
Yeah.
It's very purple looking.
Beautiful purple metallic.
It's beautiful.
It was interesting owner actually had a lot of documentation and I'll have to
say that's one thing we rely on, not only for photo submissions, but information
and documentation as far as does, was this car color a real portion of color?
Because you mentioned it, Manny, there's a lot of repaints out there.
And, uh, when people are repainting their porches, they don't always
abide by, is this a, a portion of color or not?
So, uh, we, we have to really make sure if somebody says, oh, this is, uh, a color
that existed, well, sometimes we've looked at it and no, it was an Audi color, but
it wasn't a Porsche color.
So therefore we're not going to accept it.
So I thought it was the, uh, and I don't, I don't know if this is in
Rambo yet or not, but we did an article in panorama about it.
So two years ago, I think it was at Amelia Allen concor.
There was a flat black 930.
And the first time I saw it, I walked by it cause I thought it was a wrap, but
as I'm walking by, I'm thinking, why would Rhodes scholars bring a
wrap 930 to the Amelia Allen concor?
So I, I, I did a U-turn.
I'm like, there's something more to the story and come to find out.
This is a paint the sample.
I think one of three, maybe, um, nine thirties that were painted in flat black,
which, uh, wasn't, it was re, re, it was restored and the painter
happened to be there.
So I asked the owner, I'm like, uh, what was it like having to paint this?
He goes, well, talk to the painter.
He's right over there.
So I asked them, the young guy, and it was basically like a nightmare.
They couldn't make one mistake on this flat.
But then I, uh, was Rob Sass was there and I was talking to Rob and I said, I
don't think this is in Renville cause it's, it's just was like a debut this car.
But to your point, the owner had all the documentation from the factory,
including the paint the sample, uh, um, uh, documentation of what the color
number was and someone from Porsche was there as well looking and he peered
over my shoulder and he said, that's legitimate.
He goes, that's what we use for a paint the sample back then.
He goes, and that's correct.
I go, he goes, it's a real flat black.
So yeah, it was, but I, my first thought was, uh, cause I mentioned to him, I
said, have you contacted anyone in Renville?
He said, no, I said, we got to get it on the site.
If you haven't, because, uh, people are going to be looking this car up.
And I've seen that happen at cars and coffees at events.
As soon as someone starts talking about a color, I see them whip out their phone
and go to Renville to see if they can find it.
The only thing I wish we had that technology be able to scan the color
while you're there and let the, uh, the website find out what color it is.
Because I can't tell you how many times the owner's not around.
And we're all trying to figure out the color of what it is.
So that flat black, obviously is a five paint can, um, color, but for those that
haven't been on Renville dot org, they might not understand the paint can
reference.
So maybe Jim, if you can share what the paint can references.
This paint can references become probably the most popular aspect of Renville.
I don't know if, uh, Voo, Manny, you were around in the beginning.
If you realize that, that would happen.
But, uh, what happens is every color is given a rating of number of paint cans.
And it goes from one paint can to five paint cans.
And when one paint can is what we'd call the common colors of Porsche,
whether it's guards, red, it's silver or it's white, uh, those colors, a five
paint can is extremely rare and hard to find.
And that would generally be a paint to sample or a paint to sample plus color.
And then there's in between, you have, uh, the scale such as I mentioned
my Carmine red, it's a three paint can, cause it was an optional color when
it was offered on the various models.
So it wasn't always as common as what a base color would be, but yet it's
not as rare as what you would say a paint to sample is.
So we, we try to evaluate from one paint can common to five paint can
it extremely rare and this, this gets difficult.
Even though Porsche, I think Voo, you and Manny were at a dinner where
you mentioned this to Porsche AG and it was blessed as a site to move forward.
But yeah, it is a PCA site and not a Porsche worldwide site.
So we really have, we don't have actual production numbers to rely on.
What we have to rely on really is knowledge of PCA members.
I mentioned that we use restores out there.
We, uh, go back through a lot of historical data to just try to see, um,
like when I was at Monterey works, I was, uh, making contacts with, uh,
restores out there who had the actual paint chip folders from the 1950s and
the 1960s.
So you could, uh, I have those records now that we can look at and say, okay,
yes, that was a real color back there.
And so it, uh, has become a real, uh, interesting point of how,
how do you place these paint can ratings on it?
And what's most interesting now is it's becoming an industry standard.
Uh, a lot of people are watching, bring a trailer these days.
You will often see on a Porsche listening that this is a four paint can rating.
So watch the price go up because of that.
So, uh, it's one of those things that, uh, it's becoming an industry standard
and one that, uh, we need to keep refining and, uh, and moving forward.
And we did a video a couple of years ago, I think Amelia Allen,
where I decided to, uh, I have access to the registration and I said,
I wonder how many five pink can cars are entered in the concor.
And so, and so I had to basically one by one cross reference, uh, uh, this
color here and then let's see, uh, how many pink cans it was.
I visited a rainbow quite, quite often.
Uh, what was funny to me was, uh, how many, uh, silver and gray and black by
pink cans there were, because I guess if I was going to get a rare color,
it would be a color, not gray scale.
Uh, but there, I really had to look hard for color because I'm like,
we can't have this whole video of gray and black car.
Right.
I know they're really rare gray and blacks, but we got to have some colors.
I think I actually went down to four pink cans so that I could, we could get
some color in there cause I'm like, how can we say the rarest colors yet?
They're all very gray and black, not, uh, not, but it's amazing how many rare
blacks there are out there.
Yeah.
That's true.
And grays.
I recently had a rainbow display down here in a car show and, uh, somebody
submitted a Nardo gray as, uh, one of those that qualified as a four or five
paint can and that was one where I had to say, really a gray and yeah, sure
enough, uh, is rated as a four can color.
Uh, you always think that those rare colors are going to be the bright,
uh, unusual colors and it's not always the case.
And you mentioned how, uh, how common that reference is used.
I've even seen now, I know Jim, you're, you're, you're working towards this,
but, um, people have created their own four or five paint can stickers and put
it on the cars.
Yeah.
It's pretty cool.
Like we need, we need to do that.
We just haven't had the blessing to be able to create.
Like I would rock a one paint can decal on my black 996 just
because I think it's funny.
Is yours just black or did that mine's just black.
It's just plain old mine's probably not even a one paint can.
It's like half a paint can.
I felt insulted when my McCann was called just white, just white.
So whenever I, I enter into a show or something, I'll put on their grates,
white and somebody said, I can't find that at a Renville and I'm like, it's a
joke, I said, brought these means free, free white.
That's it.
Portionally has two free colors, white or black and I got white.
So I said, but white sounds so boring.
One of the cool programming things on rembo.org.
I don't know if you've noticed, but if you look at the paint cans, the paint
that's in the paint can is somewhat, somewhat, somewhat an accurate description
of the actual color.
So if you bring it up, Damon, you, people can see like, if it was that, yeah.
So Carmine Red, see the, the, the paint in the paint can is actually
close to Carmine Red.
How cool is that?
That's very cool.
I did not realize it.
All right.
I'm not sure I realized it either.
See the insider stuff you learn just by listening to us, but you know,
it is pretty cool when people do put that on their cars because it makes you
want to, it makes you stop and say, wow, this is a really rare color I'm looking at.
It's, uh, and sometimes you need that help.
I always say, if there was docents at car shows to, to point out, oh, by the way,
this car, you just walked by, it's like one of 20 that Porsche ever built.
So this is a super rare.
You may want to turn around and take another look at it.
Uh, same thing with colors.
You know, once you find out that, Hey, this isn't just a gray.
There's a certain gray that was, uh, really rare because it wasn't
ordered much, uh, definitely makes you take a second look.
And I think we know the answer to this.
You talked about that GT four in Mison blue.
We all know getting a GT four GT four RS allocation in itself is very rare.
Getting these paint a sample and plus allocations is also very tough.
Do you think it's an automatic for people that are buying these cars that
they strive to get these allocations?
Like, is it a must have to make your car Uber rare?
No, I, I don't think it's a must have, uh, knowing various people who have
bought GT three RS's and, uh, uh, GT four RS's, et cetera, they, they don't always
seem to strive for the paint to sample and, and, uh, paint sample plus colors
because they see those cars as standing, allowing them to stand out just based
on what the color is.
I think it's, uh, the special person who wants to spend that, as you mentioned,
$15,000 or $30,000 to then separate that car a little more.
But it is one thing that has made Porsche colors so unique and so special
within the community is that this whole paint to sample program is everyone's
aware that if it's a paint sample color, that is basically a one of a kind color
and paint to sample, uh, the first, first level of it.
So, um, I, I think it is a case of not everyone necessarily strives for it because
it becomes a financial decision also, uh, but I, I think everyone, uh, would
welcome the chance to be able to say they have a paint to sample color.
Do you think we talked about, uh, cyclical, uh, fashion and taste last night?
I was watching Kevin Hart's like standup comedy, uh, show on Netflix and he
pulls up to an LA comedy club in, I think it was a, it was a map black.
It was definitely black GT.
It was like black on GT three RS.
Do you think at some point people go, okay, enough with colors.
Let's just go black, silver and white.
Well, hmm, I know there's definitely a cyclical nature of colors.
And I think right now, the, what you mentioned, black on is,
it's pretty trendy.
I think at some point that will go away as being, uh, to period correct for
two period for the, this point in time, uh, just like in the seventies, the
bright jellybean colors, if you will, of, uh, Porsches at that time, eventually
faded out to the more traditional colors in the eighties and nineties.
And so it's going to go, go through those types of, uh, cycles and you'll, you
know, you'll look at a color of a portion and say, oh, that's the seventies
portion or that's the nineties portion, just based on the hue of the color.
Have you done, have you had to do much adjustments of ratings on the site?
Like we thought it was a four or five paint can, but then a ton of
submissions started coming in and they're like, ooh, this is actually a three
paint can or a two paint can.
Well, it actually, uh, has gone the other way.
What we've noticed is we are getting a various inquiries from owners who say,
Hey, this is, you've got us as a three paint can car.
I think it should be a four or five paint can because they realize all the
benefits being able to say it's a four or five paint can.
We don't just take an owner's word for that.
You know, I think Arctic silver should be more than one paint can.
Pretty sure Arctic silver should be half a paint can.
Just like my black silver is going up.
So seal gray.
But, but you bring up an interesting point downgrading.
We have, since I've been involved, we haven't downgraded a paint can rating yet,
but, uh, that probably would be one thing that editors might want to look at
is based on number of submissions, maybe the original rating was off.
But like I said, most of our effort is trying to assuage owners who think their
cars a higher rating than what, uh, we attributed it to.
And then that requires a lot of work because we want to go back through and
try to see the historical data.
Was it a base color that particular year?
Was it a paint to sample, you know, what, what do, you know,
how many submissions have we had, et cetera, et cetera.
Before we say, okay, we might have been wrong making it a two or three paint can.
We should maybe raise it up, but like I said, that we don't do that lightly.
As I mentioned earlier, that one of the beauties of rainbow.org is the users,
the viewers can upload photos not to make your life and the editors,
the volunteer editors life easier.
What would you like to say to those that are submitting photos to make it
easier for you all?
Well, one thing I would like is, uh, at least provide one clear in focus.
In focus is key.
Entire car photo to set the stage.
People like to just all of a sudden we'll get a photo of just, uh,
a fender with a wheel, uh, partial fend, and yes, it shows the color,
but I'm not sure that's going to help somebody evaluate that, that cobalt blue,
what it looks like on an entire car.
So it's really some basics of entire car in focus, some nice lighting on, on the
car, not sitting in shadow.
And, uh, we do like to see the cars though in different lighting conditions
because many of the Porsche colors really change color,
depending on if it's full sun on it or if it's in shade or whatever.
I was looking at, uh, actually a friend just acquired a 964 RS
and midnight blue.
And, uh, my wife first saw and she goes, this is a black car.
And I said, no, it's in the shade.
Go to the other side where the sun's hitting it.
And sure enough, it pops up as a midnight blue car.
So, uh, it's, it's a lot of just clear, sharp photos of the entire car is what
we asked for is kind of the first basic criteria and then we'll get into
I feel your pain from having, when we do articles about the mart cars on the
mart and we always joke that, uh, there'll be photos of the cars at, at
night in the garage lit by one light bulb, uh, or like 30 feet away with
just, uh, to your point, just a fender and a little bit of the car, but not
the whole car and we're thinking, and they want, and then they wonder why
they can't sell this car.
I know.
I, I'm surprised that people are willing to pull their car out of the
garage, out into a nice setting.
If they're going to take a picture of it and either sell it or put it on
Renbow where they're, they're clearly proud of their car and they want to
display it to the portion of community.
So I guess that's another thing I would ask is try not to photograph your car
in the garage.
Let's, let's find a more interesting setting than that.
So, absolutely.
How about the, you know, elusive unicorn, five paint can colors.
Are there colors on our site now where we know the color exists, but we
don't have car photos?
Yes, uh, there are various colors and we're, we're trying to fill in some of
those blanks.
If you actually look at, uh, for instance, in the blue category, you'll
see there's just an icon in certain places where it mentions the name of
the color, but it doesn't show the, the, the, an actual car in that photograph.
We know that color exists.
Arrow, blue, metallic.
Yeah.
And, but we just haven't had submission.
And one of the unique aspects of Renbow is that it's all user generated photos.
We don't want to go out there and take the stock photo from Porsche to fill it
because it goes a little bit against what the, the nature of the site is.
The site is user generated user, uh, put it together.
So we're, we're starting to work now with Jim Hemmick and Damon, actually, where
we want to start going out on the various newsletters and say, we are looking
for these following colors.
If you have these colors, please photograph your car and submit it to
Renbow so we can fill in some of those blanks.
But as far as, you know, what, what those unicorn colors are, they, they
change almost every year as paint, new paint to sample colors come out.
Those, those tend to be our real unicorns at this, this point.
Cause we may know looking at Porsche's list that these colors exist, but you
know, it may be only one car on the whole world painted in that color.
So it's, it's hard to get the user to submit it early.
Three 56 is we're still, you know, looking for some of those rare colors
that are, are out there.
And, uh, those one off colors, like the Marsala metallic, I mentioned
that we didn't even know existed.
Um, so every month, every year, those unicorn colors are, are changing as we
learn a little more and as Porsche introduces new colors, you know, we're
getting ready in 20, 27 Porsches bound to introduce new colors into their color
palette.
So how do you find out when Porsche introduce a new colors?
Well, that, that's one area we'd like to work with portion more in the
future is try to get that information of what's coming down the line.
Cause right now we, we rely on the configurator going to the, I look at
the configurator for each of the models once a month to try to see if I identify
their new colors and, uh, for like 20, 27, there'll probably be a whole palette
of new colors and at that point we'll add them to the system and then start
putting our, uh, finders out there and that we, you know, not only the editors,
but, uh, just the word out there.
We're looking for oak green metallic Neo, for instance, in, uh, uh, 20, 26, it
was, was one that we had to, to find it.
Surprisingly, one was delivered right to my local dealer.
So I was able to photograph.
I, I, uh, work with our local dealer and that, you know, and I encourage
all our editors to do that, work with the dealers.
If they've got an unusual or new color coming in, give them the words so
we can get over there and, uh, photograph it and make it.
So it's no longer the unicorn color that, uh, has that little
icon that we can fill that slot.
So Jim, every year are you looking not only the new colors that enters
the standard color palette, but you're also looking at new colors that
enter into the PTS palette as well.
Yes.
Yeah.
What we, we're looking at both.
I'll have to say right now, uh, since the, we, we had a real debate with point
paint to sample since there are 126 or 130 different painted sample colors.
Do we really want to put all of those in rainbow with just the icon?
Cause then it's going to make the site filled with a lot of non.
So we decided we will not put a paint to sample color in unless it is submitted.
We have in the submission that somebody can check off.
This is a paint to sample color.
And then at that point we will fill out and, and make it a color just so the whole
site, we're not seeing a over a hundred blank spots in there that we've been unable
to fill because out of all those paint samples, we don't know whether they,
they've really produced a car in every one of those colors or if they've only
produced 50 of those paint to sample colors.
So, uh, that's, that's a real challenge and one where we hope in the future, I
know, uh, the contacts both of you have with Porsche worldwide, maybe we can work
with them more on, uh, and, uh, resolving some of those open issues on rainbow.
But, uh, as, as you know, first it's been important to just establish rainbow as,
as it's been established as the premier color, uh, wiki, if you will, for Porsche
colors.
And now, uh, yeah, I think it will allow us to do a lot more in the future as, uh,
we have this base in place, if you will.
I almost want to put the PC juniors to work and say, here's a list of colors.
Oh, go out to the concor field and see if you can find us any of these colors and
come back because, uh, there's like hunting a wild animal that has never been
photographed, uh, because sometimes people also, uh, will put the color blue.
That's it.
Yeah.
And that, not the actual name of it, they just write on their blue and you're
left, left wondering going, wonder what shade of blue it is.
Is it a rare blue?
Is it, you know, uh, what not?
Cause I always looked through the entry to see if it works for union to see
there's a rare car that we should be aware of.
When we get there to maybe film or talk to the owner, um, and the color is
themselves too.
We, we, we look at the sea of, uh, if there's a bi-pain can, you know,
something that people probably have never seen or it's kind of rare.
And I think of golf blue with the golf, uh, no, not a U.
Um, most people didn't realize that color even existed.
And I had never seen one in person until I went to, I think works Monterey
and there was one on display and I was like, wow, I'm like, this is a, uh,
super rare color.
Cause everyone thinks I'm saying golf with a U, not golf, like the sport.
Isn't it true that in some cases it is just blue?
Like a, I think it's a speedster.
That's pure blue though.
Is pure blue is the, the late model speedster, like the original old school
speedster, it was just blue.
My macan can be white.
Or my example of, um, the 997 turbo I owned was black.
Just black.
Mine is just black.
Speaking of the future, what can we expect, uh, of rembo.org in the next
couple of years?
What are you guys hoping to do?
Well, uh, what we'd like to do is continue and increase the awareness
and an establishment of it as a kind of the color expert out there.
What we want to do by doing that is make it real, uh, premium content site, if
you will, right now, people come to it looking at color palettes and whatnot.
But there's so many great stories.
I mean, you mentioned one Manny with just, you know, here's a flat black and the
whole story about how that color came to be.
I think people really enjoy reading about that.
The cover story of panorama, not too long ago with the woman with her, I think
it was a 944 and, uh, yes, special.
I think people are just really taken with, uh, stories about color.
So we want to try to increase the premium content that's out there.
We also, one area I'd like to go into, if we could, was that some of our
special events to bring red rainbow into it, uh, you know, whether it's works
or a parade or whatever, whether we can, uh, have special rainbow, uh, displays at
it, we want to have merchandising.
As Vue mentioned, whether it's decals or special shirts that we come out with
this month, Irish green polo next month is the guards red.
And then there's a moonstone the following month so that we can continue.
So we have lots of ideas.
We're working with the EC and with Vue's team on trying to determine, you know,
where should we go next with, uh, the first opportunity.
And one of the biggest things this might be inside baseball, but I'll share it
is we also want to see, make sure that we can take all our visitors.
We have over 400,000 visitors every month to run bowl.
How do we make sure that they become members of PCA?
Because you'd like to think that everybody who owns a Porsche is a PCA
member, but that's not true.
So, uh, they love coming to the site, looking at colors.
Let's now make sure that they take that next step and become make it black
and white for non-members.
Yeah, that is a great point.
That's what we're looking at is, you know, how do you differentiate?
If you're a member, you get certain act and entry points.
If you're not sure you, you, uh, that's a great point.
A lot of our initiatives we do, obviously we want to create a resource,
but it also gets PCA out there for those of, uh, people that have interest in,
you know, Porsche colors, paint a sample.
It stands to, you know, be, uh, to, to assume that that's the type of person
that you want in the club.
And so it's, it's as much as creating a resource as it is a marketing effort
for the club as well.
Yeah, for sure.
That's right.
Yeah.
Well, let me remind folks, uh, Damon, I want to,
I want to remind folks to be sure to head over to PCA.org to sign up
for PCA's newsletters, performance news, e-brake news and mark fresh, all free.
Um, we are going to remind you that works reunion.
We talked a little bit about it earlier.
Uh, it's August 14th registration is open and I think, uh, I think we still
have a few slots for the judge area, but we have plenty of space for
Corral, uh, come out and join us.
It's one of the largest events that we hold every year.
We have Traffin at sea, the 2026 Pacific wine country crews.
That's September 19th through 25th, uh, registration is still open there.
It's a phenomenal deal for you to, uh, to sail out of, um, British Columbia
and down to San Francisco Vancouver Vancouver.
San Francisco, uh, Santa Barbara and then down into LA.
And obviously once you get to LA, there's tons of Porsche stuff to do there.
We're in mind, folks, if you want to race, fellow PCA members online,
we have PCA sim racing.com insider swag.
If you're looking for bottles, mugs, t-shirts, head over to PCA web store.org.
If you're looking for PCA insider, uh, decals, uh, to show your support
of the show, send us your physical address information to podcast at PCA.org.
Again, we'll send you a set and hopefully, like I said, one day,
I would love to rock some paint can decals or even some paint can merch.
I will be the one that says, yes, I'm only one paint can.
I'd be proud.
I would just want to say, I would love to see this in name of the color of your car.
Oh, yeah, or something that, uh, if, uh, even if you have a wine paint can,
this, uh, it would, it looks like a name badge at a PCA event.
Yeah.
Can't remember the person name, but it's just a color, uh, to see walk by and go.
If you had a decal, guards, red, Irish green, whatever, you have it on your,
your car permanently.
That's, that's a good idea.
Yeah.
Cause that's the question that, uh, you know, everyone asks, like you said,
in the Porsche world, the colors are very important.
Uh, I don't know what it would be like in a Ferrari meet, uh, with all the same.
Everybody would be Rosa red.
98, but the Porsche people, uh, uh, even the rare colors, even the colors that, uh,
uh, like the, uh, Cayman Arctic, uh, you know, Peridot green.
I think it was people always ask when they see that color.
What's the name of that color there?
You know, it's, uh, it's, uh, something that would be a lot easier to have the
name of the color somewhere on the window.
I also wanted to mention this is something that Manny and I kind of found out for
ourselves because we were dealing, uh, with colors and wanting to paint things.
And this is where again, Rambo is going to be a phenomenal reference because
paint chips and paint books and stuff like that, um, creating the color on a
paint chip or on paper is quite difficult.
Man, you have a story and I have a story where you tried to get club, blow for
your, which is, I think W 60 is the, is the color.
Yes.
W 60.
And we have the official Porsche paint, which I took down to the, it's a wheel
place that powder coats wheels, they don't paint them.
And, uh, he scanned it and, um, we reached later, I come to pick him up.
And as soon as he shows it to him, I go, that's not club, blow.
And he goes, uh, but look, and he takes the swatch book out that he saw I had
given him and he puts it right next to the wheel and he goes, I go, Oh yeah.
I said, it matches, but that's not club, blow.
And I pulled up my phone, I pulled that rainbow and I showed him, he goes,
you're right.
I go, that isn't club, blow.
Yeah.
And he's like, can you bring something metal?
And of course in my head, I'm going, who right now has a club coop that won't
mind me taking piece of their body work off.
But then it hit me.
I said, I have a one 18 scale model with that work.
He is, is it metal?
And I said, yes.
And he said, sure, that'll work perfectly.
And so he uses one 18 scale model, the club coop to, uh, for him to match the,
because in the, the powder coating, they didn't have W 60.
Yeah.
And it was, it was interesting to see how he got to it.
They took Nogaro blue and they had to take some blacks, a couple blackout,
add another color to it.
And it was all the instructions that PPG gave them to come out with club club
blouse so that he didn't match the wheel.
But what we learned was that the Porsche swatch book wasn't a hundred percent
accurate, at least when it came to club, blow, it wasn't a true
match.
And so we forewarned people don't use that as your, uh, if you're trying to get
a match, if you're just trying to get an idea what these colors look like,
that's, I'm sure it's fine.
Yeah.
For me, I, I'm, um, I'm custom building a, uh, an early 90s Porsche bike.
And, uh, it's originally guards red where I want to do kind of a cool color.
I love Smyrna green.
So I went to the, the Porsche swatch book and pulled out Smyrna green.
And it does not look like Smyrna green.
I'm like, uh, so I couldn't take that to the powder-coater, but I took a photo
of, um, a Smyrna green car, went down to the powder-coater and went through
their books and turns out there's this color called Onan green.
Onan green looks very Smyrna green.
Maybe it's a shader too, whatever, but that Onan green is closer to Smyrna
green in real life than the Smyrna green that's in the, the Porsche swatch.
You were afraid you were going to park your bike next to a Smyrna green 9 11
at some point in your life.
I just, I just wanted Smyrna green and I'm like, I pulled this swatch on
like that's not Smyrna green.
It can't be Smyrna green.
And so, uh, yeah.
So that's, that's, that's just a fair warning.
It's a, it's a great place to start, but don't think that is a hundred percent
definitive, even renbow.org is not a hundred percent definitive, but it's another
place for you to reference and get to the color that you possibly want.
Well, folks, uh, I hope you enjoyed, uh, geeking out on colors.
And Jim, thank you so much.
It's always, like I said, great to see your face.
It makes me happy to see you.
Uh, he's such a wonderful person and, uh, you've done so much for the club.
And I thank you for continuing to volunteer and staying busy and
congratulations on the Cobalt Blue 9 64.
Drive it, enjoy it, be safe.
And I feel like I've got to get all these, uh, colors that he doesn't have photos
for, uh, somehow in a spreadsheet.
So any works for union or parade that we go to, you're looking for that, that we
can at least scan and say, uh, it is, it's one of these rare colors.
Going to be, uh, it's like the ultimate form of a bingo or something to find these
colors that we don't have photos for.
All right, folks, I didn't have to send the kids out looking for the color.
I think so.
Put them to work.
And then I'm going to take that idea.
We can keep talking colors all day.
Sorry.
It's not the ones that are color blind early on.
All right, folks, thank you for listening.
Be sure to like comment and subscribe and consider sharing our show with fellow
portion enthusiasts until next time.
Stay safe and we'll catch you down the road.
See y'all later.
See you in parade.
Thank you, sir.
About this episode
Porsche Club Insider digs into how PCA’s color projects—centered on Rembo/Renbow—catalog Porsche paint with real-world rigor. The hosts trace the origin of Rembo.org around 2019, then walk through how volunteers maintain the database, verify submissions, and use standardized photo guidelines. Along the way, they connect color rarity to “paint can” ratings, explain why paint-to-sample and repaints complicate matching, and share stories about finding specific shades and paying premiums for unique colors.
Ever spent hours staring at Porsche paint samples? Welcome to your new obsession. In this episode, we sit down with Jim Moore, Lead Volunteer for Rennbow.org—the Porsche Club of America’s authoritative color wiki. We dive into how Rennbow catalogs everything from common "one-can" shades to ultra-rare "five-can" unicorns. Discover why owner-submitted photos change how we see these cars and learn about the mythical Porsche colors that have still never been caught on camera.
