Spiel

JUNE 2020 42 • When the 962 made its first appearance in an IMSA race, at the 1984 Daytona 24 Hour, the factory left it unsponsored in plain white. Looking very much like a throwback to the 1960s, it was driven by Mario and Michael Andretti. • The 961, which was the circuit racing version of the 959, appeared in plain white at Le Mans in 1986. • When Porsche won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998, the 911 GT1 was painted white underneath the modern art paint splashes and Mobil 1 logos. • In 2009 when the Boxster Spyder was shown for the first time at the Los Angeles Auto Show, it appeared in white although the 918 debuted in silver at the Geneva Auto Show in 2010. • Porsche's 919 endurance racers generally were painted white with black, or black and red accents for their three Le Mans victories. So, what is the right color for a Porsche? This is a rhetorical question in the end; a good topic any time Porsche club members get together. My first answer is, of course, the color you like! Porsche has created a rainbow of colors, including paint-to-sample, over many years. A great new resource came on the scene last year from PCA – see www.rennbow.org for a deep dive on the history and photo samples for all Porsche colors. The rarity rating (one paint can to five) is not scientific but gives you some idea just how rare your color might be. For purists who want to pay tribute to Porsche's racing history, it is still multiple choice. Silver is an obvious choice for many of Porsche's early successes in competition. Arguments for certain racing successes can be made for red, dark blue, and others. For the purest of the pure, German white would have to be my answer. Seems like a lot of GT3s came in white, now that I think about it… A good internet reference is an article called "The Colour In Racing" from Road & Track, 1960. The link is found on the Wikipedia page dedicated to 'international auto racing colors'. Well worth a look along with Rennbow. Porsche 962 Chassis 001 at Rennsport VI

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