Has PTS lost its shine? - Page 3 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

I saw yet another advert yesterday for a 992 GT3 in Rubystar and it seems to be now you’d be hard pressed to find a non PTS car. I remember when you used to see a non standard colour even if it wasn’t to your taste it would make you look, it was special. Now, not so much?

To be pedantic, rubystar is a standard colour now, but I agree on the overall PTS comment. For many of these cars it’s a prerequisite to an allocation now, along with a lovely timepiece!

To be even more pedantic, Ruby Star (PTS) and Ruby Star Neo (special) are not the same colour. The Neos are only just starting to roll off the production line in the last few weeks. Edited by Nuttcase on Tuesday 7th March 18:53

Amazingly with 991.2 GT3 we couldn’t get PTS in the UK because Porsche GB were given the choice of more cars or PTS slots….they chose more cars. How times have changed. Porsche now maxing out the £££. I guess it’s all about having something different for the ‘gram.

Cheib said: Amazingly with 991.2 GT3 we couldn’t get PTS in the UK because Porsche GB were given the choice of more cars or PTS slots….they chose more cars. How times have changed. Porsche now maxing out the £££. I guess it’s all about having something different for the ‘gram. Except a lot of pts choices are the same. My local OPC had 3 GT3’s in the same pts colour delivered in the same month

I love PTS. Disappointed that it wasnt available for some of the cars ive had and have coming.

Cheib said: I guess it’s all about having something different for the ‘gram. I think I’d have one in Gentian Blue if offered, I think that would stand out more

I have had a lot of Porsches and never bothered with PTS. More interested in driving the things.

I have a PTS car and wish it weren't. The colour (Gulf Orange) is the thing I like least about it. But then the rest of the spec was exactly what I wanted so I had no choice but to buy it.

RDMcG said: I have had a lot of Porsches and never bothered with PTS. More interested in driving the things. Indeed 👍

LunarOne said: I have a PTS car and wish it weren't. The colour (Gulf Orange) is the thing I like least about it. But then the rest of the spec was exactly what I wanted so I had no choice but to buy it. Wow! That's one of the very few PTS colours that I would considering ordering. And maybe some of the metallic greens

Nuttcase said: LunarOne said: I have a PTS car and wish it weren't. The colour (Gulf Orange) is the thing I like least about it. But then the rest of the spec was exactly what I wanted so I had no choice but to buy it. Wow! That's one of the very few PTS colours that I would considering ordering. And maybe some of the metallic greens I actually have a Countach in a similar colour. On a slightly smaller scale.

I was in an opc yesterday as the gt3 was having its mot and every other car in the showroom was pts .

franki68 said: I was in an opc yesterday as the gt3 was having its mot and every other car in the showroom was pts . Viola metallic is one of my favourite colours, but I saw it slapped on a Macan S which seemed a bit excessive.

Cheib said: Amazingly with 991.2 GT3 we couldn’t get PTS in the UK because Porsche GB were given the choice of more cars or PTS slots…. Was just thinking that as I opened the thread. But curious whether the %'s have actually changed versus historically. Porsche GB broke their own sales record last year - >18.5k cars. So could be that the % is similar to before, there's now just more actual cars with it.... OR people are trading up now at the end of their 2-5yr lending agreement

well, PTS with a creative new color would still be pretty special [of course at 25k Euros, I doubt many people choose it]. To me it looks like people are just picking colors from the past, not something truly unique

LunarOne said: Nuttcase said: LunarOne said: I have a PTS car and wish it weren't. The colour (Gulf Orange) is the thing I like least about it. But then the rest of the spec was exactly what I wanted so I had no choice but to buy it. On the contrary ,that colour is fab ,I don't hide the fact that I love orange . My current car is black. I have never owned an orange car . of 39 cars owned . What an eejit ,messed up the quote by deleting half of previous stuff posted

£25k?! Is that how much it costs for PTS? Or is that for a new colour that hasn't been done before? The Flying Carrot (as I call it) was actually a press car, so the colour and spec was chosen by Porsche GB marketing dept. I'd been lured to see it by the dealer who advertised it as Lava Orange, a metallic colour that I really like. I gasped when I saw the car in its flat non-metallic orange as seen on an RAC van near you. But being a manual car with PSE, PASM, Sport Chrono, and PTV (super rare on a non GTS), this is basically a GTS car in spec. It's also been featured in videos, magazines, newspapers and it's even on the cover of a book. And I literally cannot park anywhere without people wanting to talk about it - and it's the colour they all start with. So I guess everyone loves the colour but me. It's grown on me a bit, but I'd still rather it weren't so ostentatious considering that I'm a fairly respectable person with a boring job in IT! I've considered wrapping it in a Lava Orange-like colour, or just turning it metallic grey or something. I didn't in the end, but I did have to have the solid black wheels repainted (I went for McLaren Sparkle Grey) and done so that they have metallic spokes and rims like standard Sport Techno wheels - I hate black wheels! And I added side decals in graphite grey to break up that solid orange. I guess it's a matter of taste whether you like it as it was from the factory. You can see it as it was in this article: https://driversplanet.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/por... Can't find a link to the Telegraph article they did on it... Edited by LunarOne on Wednesday 8th March 17:53

The 25k is paint to sample not an approved colour

So when is it paint to sample, and when is it an approved colour? I know Gulf Orange is/was a Porsche colour, but it's not one you could order the car with as standard. And the build sheet I have says "colour to sample" - I assume that's the same as paint to sample:

I think the terminology has changed over the years, or at least the meaning of it. PTS, paint to sample, actually these days means an extended pick list colour palette. Mostly historic colours, colours previously created for custom orders etc. PTS Plus, is what the old paint to sample was. You give Porsche a colour and they mix paint to match it. Bespoke order stuff. All explained here: https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/2021/products/pors...

Twinfan said: I think the terminology has changed over the years, or at least the meaning of it. PTS, paint to sample, actually these days means an extended pick list colour palette. Mostly historic colours, colours previously created for custom orders etc. PTS Plus, is what the old paint to sample was. You give Porsche a colour and they mix paint to match it. Bespoke order stuff. All explained here: https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/2021/products/pors... Thanks - that's answered something that's baffled me. How can it be paint according to a sample, when they appear to have paint code(s) for that colour already? In my case there seem to be four different codes: Body colour: L998 Exterior paint colour: 98 colour to sample Individual body colour code: L019 Code for exterior colour to sample: 789 I want to try to order a paint stick to touch up a couple of stone chips, but how to I go about that? I can't even work out which the paint code actually is. L998? 98? L019? 789?

LunarOne said: Thanks - that's answered something that's baffled me. How can it be paint according to a sample, when they appear to have paint code(s) for that colour already? In my case there seem to be four different codes: Body colour: L998 Exterior paint colour: 98 colour to sample Individual body colour code: L019 Code for exterior colour to sample: 789 I want to try to order a paint stick to touch up a couple of stone chips, but how to I go about that? I can't even work out which the paint code actually is. L998? 98? L019? 789? 019 is the code for gulf orange

LunarOne said: Thanks - that's answered something that's baffled me. How can it be paint according to a sample, when they appear to have paint code(s) for that colour already? In my case there seem to be four different codes: Body colour: L998 Exterior paint colour: 98 colour to sample Individual body colour code: L019 Code for exterior colour to sample: 789 I want to try to order a paint stick to touch up a couple of stone chips, but how to I go about that? I can't even work out which the paint code actually is. L998? 98? L019? 789? No worries. From what I can gather: Body colour: L998 - generic code for a PTS car Exterior paint colour: 98 colour to sample - is the generic code for a non-metallic colour Individual body colour code: L019 - 019 is the code for Gulf Orange Code for exterior colour to sample: 789 - another generic code for a PTS car

Twinfan said: LunarOne said: Thanks - that's answered something that's baffled me. How can it be paint according to a sample, when they appear to have paint code(s) for that colour already? In my case there seem to be four different codes: Body colour: L998 Exterior paint colour: 98 colour to sample Individual body colour code: L019 Code for exterior colour to sample: 789 I want to try to order a paint stick to touch up a couple of stone chips, but how to I go about that? I can't even work out which the paint code actually is. L998? 98? L019? 789? No worries. From what I can gather: Body colour: L998 - generic code for a PTS car Exterior paint colour: 98 colour to sample - is the generic code for a non-metallic colour Individual body colour code: L019 - 019 is the code for Gulf Orange Code for exterior colour to sample: 789 - another generic code for a PTS car Fantastic thank you. Sorry to hijack the thread but this has really helped fill in some gaps in my understanding!

LunarOne said: Fantastic thank you. Sorry to hijack the thread but this has really helped fill in some gaps in my understanding! Not a problem

Was at the Rare Shades meeting in Toronto, and it struck me how similar a lot of the colours are..the greens etc There was however a magnificent GT2RS...the colour was Python Green Chromaflair and apparently cost a fortune. The interior was not trivial either:

RDMcG said: Was at the Rare Shades meeting in Toronto, and it struck me how similar a lot of the colours are..the greens etc There was however a magnificent GT2RS...the colour was Python Green Chromaflair and apparently cost a fortune. The interior was not trivial either: There are some very nice colours and although I agree similar blues or greens etc. if you had one you wouldn’t see many the same. Look at how many cars are white or silver. Ten a penny. I know it’s expensive for paint but it makes the car very personal to you if your choosing the colour. If I ever ordered another Porsche I think I’d try and get a PTS allocation.

993rsr said: RDMcG said: I have had a lot of Porsches and never bothered with PTS. More interested in driving the things. Indeed ?? But what about the stitching

supersport said: But what about the stitching I am not knocking it......there are lots of reasons why people spec cars and if PTS is important in the decision, why not?. Personally I detest the current trend for flat grey, putty type colours that people are going for but it's their choice. . Fair play to them . There is generally a colour that works for me in the standard set for each model and I just spec it. Maybe I don't have the imagination

Not lost it’s shine for moi. Love

It depends whether you think the point of PTS to stand out or to get a car in a colour that you actually want?

AyBee said: It depends whether you think the point of PTS to stand out or to get a car in a colour that you actually want? I would argue that either is legitimate. That is how cars are sold. I see lots of posts trying to distinguish the difference between real enthusiasts and posers. If someone buys a car and keeps it on delivery mileage for instance. I have been in a private collection with amazing cars,well over $200 million and many icons. If you get enough of them then you graduate to being a collector. Just one makes you a poser Equally if you buy a PTS car to stand out this seems no different to those who buy a house on a prestigious street to have the “right” address. I don’t get it either but each to his own and I am just happy to do my own thing.

RDMcG said: Was at the Rare Shades meeting in Toronto, and it struck me how similar a lot of the colours are..the greens etc There was however a magnificent GT2RS...the colour was Python Green Chromaflair and apparently cost a fortune. The interior was not trivial either: Chromoflair is 100k option. Problem with it is, if it gets damaged the whole car needs to be resprayed Thats why most seem to be show cars, which are trailed around!

MDL111 said: The 25k is paint to sample not an approved colour Its circa £11k i think

When I bought my Voodoo Blue Macan I didn't have much choice on the spec as it was on the showroom floor. Long story short the deal I got against my then Carmine Red Macan was better to the point of it more than nullifying the cost of PTS and better than waiting another 6-9 months for the new Macan I had on order with similar spec, so I bought it. Subsequently the number of positive comments I've had on the colour has been a very pleasant surprise and dare I admit it, I quite like having something a bit different and distinctive. It is also interesting sometimes at car meets where, if we're within earshot I can sometimes hear people arguing over which colour it is and most of the time getting it wrong

There was a list on Rennlist with approved PTS colours for the different model variants. I would have gone Blood Orange on my 1.2 Touring had it been available for the model, hence went Gulf Blue which turned out to be fantastic to my eyes. It's now approved for the 992 Touring but I didn't think it suits that model and went for Slate

rkwm1 said: MDL111 said: The 25k is paint to sample not an approved colour Its circa £11k i think might well be cheaper in the UK given Porsches are a lot cheaper. The 25k euros above was on the GT3 configurator in Germany [incidentally not available to order at the moment and neither is the cheaper PTS option]

MDL111 said: rkwm1 said: MDL111 said: The 25k is paint to sample not an approved colour Its circa £11k i think might well be cheaper in the UK given Porsches are a lot cheaper. The 25k euros above was on the GT3 configurator in Germany [incidentally not available to order at the moment and neither is the cheaper PTS option] From memory depending on model there are 2 prices for PTS, the first is currently around £6-7k and that gets you to the approved list of colours for that model. The second is for true PTS where you take a sample to be scanned and then they will go through an approval process at the factory to check if it can be used. That costs an additional £6-7k. Again from memory, there is no guarantee that the colour you want will be approved and if it isn't there is no refund. But if it is, my understanding is that that colour is then added to the pre-approved list for that model so anyone with a PTS slot can then select it for the initial £6-7k.

Voodoo Blue said: MDL111 said: rkwm1 said: MDL111 said: The 25k is paint to sample not an approved colour Its circa £11k i think might well be cheaper in the UK given Porsches are a lot cheaper. The 25k euros above was on the GT3 configurator in Germany [incidentally not available to order at the moment and neither is the cheaper PTS option] From memory depending on model there are 2 prices for PTS, the first is currently around £6-7k and that gets you to the approved list of colours for that model. The second is for true PTS where you take a sample to be scanned and then they will go through an approval process at the factory to check if it can be used. That costs an additional £6-7k. Again from memory, there is no guarantee that the colour you want will be approved and if it isn't there is no refund. But if it is, my understanding is that that colour is then added to the pre-approved list for that model so anyone with a PTS slot can then select it for the initial £6-7k. and on a GT3RS they want 29k for it, while on a 718 only 20k from memory. In fairness it is still not that much compared to other manufacturers, you can easily spend that on a fancy, but still "normal/not to sample" 3 or 4 layer color at Ferrari

Just looking at the 911 configurator now: The 'Paint to Sample' aka an existing approved Porsche colour is £6,228 The 'Paint to Sample Plus' ie true custom new colour is a further £7,997 on top i.e. £14,225 The irony is that 'Paint to Sample' doesn't really cost them any more, since they're constantly cleaning and changing colours in the paint booths. Also what is PTS on one model is often a standard colour on another model or in a previous model year of the same model. PTS Plus also adds months of delay as they have to test the paint for durability and colour matching on multiple surfaces.

MDL111 said: Voodoo Blue said: MDL111 said: rkwm1 said: MDL111 said: The 25k is paint to sample not an approved colour Its circa £11k i think might well be cheaper in the UK given Porsches are a lot cheaper. The 25k euros above was on the GT3 configurator in Germany [incidentally not available to order at the moment and neither is the cheaper PTS option] From memory depending on model there are 2 prices for PTS, the first is currently around £6-7k and that gets you to the approved list of colours for that model. The second is for true PTS where you take a sample to be scanned and then they will go through an approval process at the factory to check if it can be used. That costs an additional £6-7k. Again from memory, there is no guarantee that the colour you want will be approved and if it isn't there is no refund. But if it is, my understanding is that that colour is then added to the pre-approved list for that model so anyone with a PTS slot can then select it for the initial £6-7k. and on a GT3RS they want 29k for it, while on a 718 only 20k from memory. In fairness it is still not that much compared to other manufacturers, you can easily spend that on a fancy, but still "normal/not to sample" 3 or 4 layer color at Ferrari The most annoying thing about PTS though is you can't buy a touch up stick from Porsche to deal with the odd stone chip etc. There are others out there that can supply paint but not every colour is available if my experience is anything to go by

RDMcG said: AyBee said: It depends whether you think the point of PTS to stand out or to get a car in a colour that you actually want? I would argue that either is legitimate. That is how cars are sold. I see lots of posts trying to distinguish the difference between real enthusiasts and posers. If someone buys a car and keeps it on delivery mileage for instance. I have been in a private collection with amazing cars,well over $200 million and many icons. If you get enough of them then you graduate to being a collector. Just one makes you a poser Equally if you buy a PTS car to stand out this seems no different to those who buy a house on a prestigious street to have the “right” address. I don’t get it either but each to his own and I am just happy to do my own thing. I don't think I phrased my original comment very well, but I agree with you, my point was that I suspect most people don't pick PTS because it's "special", they pick it because it allows them to get the colour they want (whether that's because it's their favourite colour or they just want to stand out).

One of the first 30 PTS 911’s ever built….might be the only one in that colour. Hopefully back on the road later this year.

Guyr said: Also what is PTS on one model is often a standard colour on another model or in a previous model year of the same model. All of what you said is very true, but this point in particular I've noticed happening many times, even on the 992. I'd much rather go for one of the Iconic colours or pay a little extra and go for one of their 'special' non PTS colours like I did on my car, going for Shark Blue.

Cheib said: One of the first 30 PTS 911’s ever built….might be the only one in that colour. Hopefully back on the road later this year. That looks fantastic. Cannot wait to see pics of the finished article

Cheib said: One of the first 30 PTS 911’s ever built….might be the only one in that colour. Hopefully back on the road later this year. Yours?

Cheib said: One of the first 30 PTS 911’s ever built….might be the only one in that colour. Hopefully back on the road later this year. Looks fantastic. How close is it to the orginal colour? This PTS has lost its shine....looks completely different from the original car which is 50 years old! Must be something to do with the water lol

I was under the impression people get pts to get their cars earlier as porsche had been shipping them out first, also it was to gain favour with porsche in terms of the whole ltd allcoations etc

Voodoo Blue said: The most annoying thing about PTS though is you can't buy a touch up stick from Porsche to deal with the odd stone chip etc. There are others out there that can supply paint but not every colour is available if my experience is anything to go by How does something get stone hipped when it wrapped in clear vinyl and never leaves the heated garage? Cheib said: One of the first 30 PTS 911’s ever built….might be the only one in that colour. Hopefully back on the road later this year. That looks terrific! Is there any sort of build thread out there?

Pflanzgarten said: Voodoo Blue said: The most annoying thing about PTS though is you can't buy a touch up stick from Porsche to deal with the odd stone chip etc. There are others out there that can supply paint but not every colour is available if my experience is anything to go by How does something get stone chipped when it wrapped in clear vinyl and never leaves the heated garage? Haha not mine, they all get used. Life's too short to leave them sitting in a garage hoping to make a profit

Maxym said: Yours? Yes it's mine. Bought as a stalled restoration rkwm1 said: Looks fantastic. How close is it to the orginal colour? This PTS has lost its shine....looks completely different from the original car which is 50 years old! It's pretty close, bodyshop looked at/scanned some of the original paint that was still on the car under the dash. Agree that Sepia brown looks awful on the modern car...not my favourite colour but has more depth on the older car.. Pflanzgarten said: That looks terrific! Is there any sort of build thread out there? No there isn't one. I am hopefully going to see the car next week as it is in the process of going back together. I'll take some photo's then. Things move pretty slowly unfortunately! When I bought it it looked pretty similar to what it looks like in that photo i.e. a painted shell...there was a few things that weren't right...slam panels, shape of doors, panel fit etc etc So went backwards before we went forwards....