The Origin Story Of One Of Porsche's Rarest Colors

An obsession with one hue spurred a stunning collection.

Porsche is of course known for its rich legacy of luxury performance vehicles, but among enthusiasts especially, Porsche is celebrated for its expansive library of colors throughout the years. Thanks to its Paint to Sample program, not only are Porsche clients afforded the opportunity to specify a certain shade for their dream Porsche from the manufacturer’s vast archive of colors, but they are also able to create new colors of their own for extra-special projects.

However, one Porsche collection, owned by Justin Roeser, is dedicated to one historic Porsche color, which happens to be one of the rarest Porsche paint colors of all time: Moonstone. For years, Roeser has been acquiring cars painted in the elusive shade of lilac, and its origins are shrouded in mystery. Only 223 cars were painted in Moonstone between 1979 and 1980, and those were 924, 928, and 911 models.

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A silver Porsche 928 sports car, one of the rarest colors in its origin story, is parked on a dirt surface at sunset, with shadows cast by the low sun in the background.

A man wearing a cap and light blue t-shirt stands beside the open door of a Porsche in a grassy field at sunset, hinting at an origin story set against rarest colors of the golden hour.

A woman with short brown hair and sunglasses, wearing a white shirt, stands indoors with her arms crossed, partially obscured by a Porsche in the foreground—perhaps hinting at an origin story or rare colors behind the scene.

A silver Porsche sports car, painted in one of its rare colors, driving quickly past a blurred background of green trees and grass.

A silver classic Porsche sports car, one of the rarest colors in its origin story, is parked on a narrow road surrounded by greenery with a cityscape in the background at sunset.

Appearing pink, white, or purple depending on the lighting, Roeser owns three Moonstone cars, a 924, a 911 SC Targa, and one of just nine 928 examples ever made in Moonstone. His first was the 924, the model that made up the majority of Moonstone cars. Then came the 911, which, being a 1977 model, was adorned with the color as a result of a special request. However, his rarest is the 928, which he was offered years before, but refused initially, only to eventually find it again.

After acquiring his 928 in Germany, Roeser decided to discover the origins of the color, embarking on a journey that took him to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen to meet Vlasta Hatter, a member of the team that originally designed the color in the 1970s. The color, which has the name Flieder, or lilac in German, is inspired by the lilac plant, and the color was developed using inspiration boards that Hatter put together with wood, metal, faux leather, and clippings from fashion magazines. The reason the color has a mysteriously dynamic appearance without being a metallic paint is that it uses pigments that are no longer allowed to be used today.

The color was quite unpopular when it first appeared as part of Porsche’s lineup, but today, it serves as inspiration for the color “Moongem” in Porsche’s Paint to Sample palette, as well as Provence, featured on the new Macan Electric. Despite being unsuccessful and also being one of Porsche’s most uncommon colors, Moonstone’s incredible legacy gives significance to part of Porsche’s massive spectrum of colors.

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Image Source: Porsche