Will the real Cobalt Blue please stand up....

I have seen many different photos of cobalt blue on the forum - I even went and did a search on the web. The only thing I can tell for sure is that in each photo cobalt blue looks different. Either it is the lighting and angle of view or the photos aren't accurate. The "best looking" photos of cobalt blue, to my eyes, were posted by Marco Polo in the GT2/GT3 forum. Are these photos accurate or were they maybe taken with some type of polarizing lens? The reason I'm asking is that I am planning on ordering another blue car when I get my next Porsche (most likely the next generation turbo). I love my lapis blue 996 cab, but am looking for something with a little more "pop." Right now I'm thinking either Cobalt Blue or Iris Blue.

I sympathize with you. There is a great deal of overlap in how these colors appear on the computer screen. Lighting, camera angle, software, and the monitor of the viewer all come into play. I'm also fond of the blues (colors, not music) and have found that the following can all masquerade as one another depending on the picture: Lapis, Cobalt, Iris, Zenith. There is really only one option--you have to find one to look at in person. A few years ago I hurriedly ordered a blue BMW based on how the color appeared on the website; I ended up with something completely different than I expected!

Remember the Smurfs ? That's Cobalt Blue in person on a bright , slightly overcast day. It's a love it or " hmmm" - type of color. Better see it in person.

While it's not aperfect substitute every dealer has a set of color panels that you can look at. If they don't have the color you want to look at ask them to get a panel in. It works if you take the panel outside and look at it from different angles and against the other blues you are considering.

Hi, I recently posted a picture of my Cobalt Boxster S. Yes the lighting, computer, et. al does dramatically effect the color appearence. Remember Cobalt is a metalic paint and is significantly different depending on natural light, sun, clouds, daytime, nightime. ect. It changes appearence significantly which is part of it's appeal should see it in person to really get an appreciation for it. Mark

I suppose it's possible, but to me the "smurf blue" is much closer to Riviera Blue (also known as "Please Arrest Me Officer" blue) or to the original Gulf Blue. I like Cobalt, in fact I would rate it #2, after the Accept-no-substitutes Iris, but it may be too close to your current Lapis. By all means, try to see them in person.

Have you ever seen Cobalt Blue in person? I agree with JayM and think you have it confused with Riviera Blue if you think it looks like Smurf Blue. I never confused my Cobalt Blue Boxster S with Smurf Blue and we have plenty of bright, slightly overcast days here in FL.

There's a Cobalt GT2 sitting at the Auto Gallery here in Woodland Hills and the one thing I noticed that hte pictures don't convey is that in artifical light it is MUCH brighter than you see in pictures. It's almost got a purple touch to it, definately one of my favorite Porsche colors of all time.

Jay, the car in the photo is iris blue, right? I remember when I was in dental school looking through the 993 brochure and loving the color - I'm leaning heavily in that direction but want to see cobalt blue in person too.

cobalt blue looks to me like a brighter, lighter version of lapis blue. i find the name cobalt blue to be misleading since it suggests a dark blue color. it's not dark at all. i must say i prefer lapis blue but either is a great color. the photo above makes the color look darker than it is in real life. smurfs are not an apt comparison--they are too light colored. the bmw m3 comes in a color just like a smurf--how appropriate!

Yes, that's Iris.

Cobalt is a PITA to photograph because it changes so much based on lighting conditions. Here's links to a couple of shots of my Boxster S taken with the same digital camera so one variable is reduced: Indoor shot of Cobalt Blue Outdoor shot of Cobalt Blue I didn't post the images as they're about 1MB each.

Talk about a PITA color to photogrpah. That has to be Atlas Grey. They car can look anywhere from dark midnight blue, black, or grey depending on lighting.

Here's another example of Cobalt. http://www.symbolicmotors.com/frames...3647/3647.html -Scott

This is the car I was talking about, it's now at the Auto Gallery.

Nope, it's been sold: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=108416

I thought that the colour reproduction on the Shambolic Motor's site was a very good representation of the real colour. I bought a new Boxster S about 2 years ago that was finished in that premium priced "exclusive/designer" colour - well that's what the salesman told me. On the way home, in my brand new "exclusive" car, I pulled up at a set of traffic lights and an SLK finished in exactly the same colour stopped next to me! Exclusive my A*@5#! 3 Weeks later I found a nice 911!

Sorry about the " Smurf " reference . I didn't mean the literal flat 993 -era Riviera '"gumball " blue in exact tone , but that as Zamirz says, in certain lights it is very " bright " , not always subdued like Lapis, Iris, Midnight. Brighter than early -996 Zenith .

I have a cobalt blue 911. One thing that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is that it looks different depending on how dirty the car is. If it's dirty, it looks a little more purple. I ordered my car without ever having seen cobalt blue in real life. I am very happy with the color. b-man