It seems that there is considerable need for a comprehensive reference for original colors. I have often been in the position of wondering what some of the colors our cars were painted actually look like, and sometimes have had trouble finding out, even though the search function works well, and there are good resources such as Elferhelfer. What follows is my attempt to initiate a definitive resource for this kind of information. The format of this forum, of course, has advantages not available to those generating printed materials. In this format, every reader is an editor, and opportunities for corrections, revisions, and extensions of content are limitless. It is my hope that the content I post will be revised, corrected, and expanded with your participation, and that the resulting thread will allow anyone interested to have some idea of the appearance of early 911s in every original color.
Certainly, there are limitations that need to be recognized. Colors are hard things for computers to handle. Monitors are inconsistent in their representation. Photos, of course, are themselves subject to all kinds of variables including variations in cameras, light conditions, image processing, and the condition of the subject's paint. Nonetheless I think that this thread can be useful. I have attempted to use pictures that represent each color fairly (to the extent of my limited experience). If you have better pictures you'd like to share, please email me and I'll switch out the images, or post and let the forum discuss which best epitomizes the color at hand.
I'm not adding much in the way of new content here. Although I've taken a few of the pictures, most are culled from other threads. The value of this thread is that it is a consolidation of information in one location. I hope that it will read kind of like a catalog. I will endeavor to limit size of each post, and hope to represent each color with one image. I have tried to select images that, in addition to representing the color, are simply good photos. The quality level varies considerably. I hope that, over time, lesser images can be replaced with superior ones.
The scope of concern here are colors originally available, either as standard or special order, on 911s from '65 to 75.3 model year. Excluded are "special wishes" colors. Also, 356, 914, mid-year, or other later 911 colors are not within the scope of the thread. You may see a picture of a 356 that illustrates '65 only 911 colors that were originally used on 356s, as photos of those colors on 911s are hard to come by. Some 914 colors also are identical to those on 911s, so a 914 may pop up.
Most of you know a thing or two about Porsche paint codes. I learned quite a bit in the process of collecting the photos and generating a spread sheet that lists color names, color numbers, and paint codes by year. I learned that the paint number system is a handy way of organizing colors. This is a three digit number, with the first digit identifying the general hue in question. So, 0xx numbers are reds, 1xx yellows, 2xx greens, 3xx blues, 4xx browns, 5xx beige, 6xx grays, 7xx (700) black, and 9xx silvers. I have organized the following posts accordingly, as this seems the way to make the thread most usable. Color codes are a little more complicated. They tend to change every year or two, so any given color number is likely to be associated with a number of codes. Different codes for a given color number may or may not be exactly the same color. I'm looking to the experience of the board to clarify these nuances. I hope to add images of different codes within the post for a color number as these images become available and the differences are understood. I will also post my spreadsheet when it seems like the information it contains is verified as correct. It is my experience that published accounts of this information invariably contain errors, or at least contradictions from one source to the next. I have not been able to locate a comprehensive document that includes all codes, numbers, and model years.
At the top of each following post you will see the color number in bold, followed by the American market color name, the German market color name, and then the years the color was available along with the color code for each year.
Finally, there are some color codes that do not have a corresponding three digit color number. I'll try to group those with related colors and let the numbers be other than sequential.
Please let me know if you have corrections, missing photos, or improved photos. It will be essential to hear your feedback as the process of making the thread definitive begins.
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