Yes, I agree that optimal view out the windshield is of the utmost importance,

Aside from my having to do a color space and monitor calibration, Porsche's web site color rendition is awful; chroma, hue, and lightness being way off. Most any image on the net at best has some sort of cast, and I've yet to find a side-by-side. (Shots in the shade, shots early or late in the day, or crummy fluorescent* lighting, etc.)

It seems that Platinum Silver is slightly darker and warm compared to Arctic. I saw a mention on another forum that Arctic has been discontinued, but I think Porsche should have non-special neutral greys like it and Seal. (Meteor is a bit warm.) GT Silver should be a regular metallic, and overall, Porsche should offer more easier to touch up flat colors. (Bring back Petrol Blue and Bahama Yellow!)

* Most any fluorescent's discontinuous spectrum really plays havoc with color perception.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2010 12:25PM by Laz. (view changes)

In recent weeks, I've been thinking about going to the 'dark side' and possibly ordering an '11 Cayman S if I can get a build slot. I've got my exterior color choices narrowed down to Platinum Silver, Meteor Grey, and Aqua Blue. I've never owned a silver Porsche, and have been wanting one for a while. Of course, no one has any Platinum Silver cars on hand for an up-close inspection. And, I'm told that the color goes better on a Panamera. So, now I'm back to Aqua Blue, lol.

-rick

that Platinum's warmth (?) is more evocative of a burnished, wood-grain luxury and elegance, as contrasted with the more machine-like neutral silvers for the sports cars. Meteor Grey is nice, and I might eventually go with it next time around, but Seal Grey is more to my liking. It works well with a blue interior, whereas Meteor with blue would probably clash. And as I've said before, GT Silver, which is apparently neutral/cold and darker than Arctic (still available?) ought to be one of the $710 options.

By the way, it'd be great if Porsche offered Alcantara just for the top of the dash as it would help minimize reflections. (One reason I would stay away from the lighter interiors.) I got this idea from Ferraris having black felt or something on their dash tops many years ago.

Minus 40 degrees... Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2011 11:21AM by Laz. (view changes)

and pulled into the parking lot at the dealer. Bought out of state and brought back to NOVA IIRC. I was stunned at how it shone rich looking and yet appropriate for the car. Then they go make it an optional color...darn marketing types. Only thing worse is Arctic Silver being extra cost.

Minus 40 degrees... Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?

A good pair of polarized sunglasses gets rid of all the refections in the windshield. I never drive with anything but on a sunny day.

Guenter
2014 Boxster S
GT Silver, 6 Speed Manual, Bi-Xenons, Sports Suspension (lowers car 20mm), Porsche Sports Exhaust, Porsche Torque Vectoring, Auto Climate control, heated and vented seats, 20" Carrera S Wheels, Pedro's TechNoWind, Sport Design steering wheel, Roll bars in GT Silver
[www.cyberdesignconcepts.com]

I discovered this by rotating polarized glasses in front of my face and seeing how much brighter the screens got.

Quote
Laz
I discovered this by rotating polarized glasses in front of my face and seeing how much brighter the screens got.

You are entirely correct. Since I spend most of my time looking through the windshield, I find it's not much of a problem slightly tilting my head if I have trouble reading the radio or HVAC displays. It's worth it to me for the safety factor to have clear vision through the windshield.

Guenter
2014 Boxster S
GT Silver, 6 Speed Manual, Bi-Xenons, Sports Suspension (lowers car 20mm), Porsche Sports Exhaust, Porsche Torque Vectoring, Auto Climate control, heated and vented seats, 20" Carrera S Wheels, Pedro's TechNoWind, Sport Design steering wheel, Roll bars in GT Silver
[www.cyberdesignconcepts.com]

but I found, at least for the lenses I was using, that the maximum instrument visibility occurred at about 45º. I suppose this is the best compromise orientation for various outdoor light situations. To me this isn't good for maintaining precise control of, to begin with, the steering wheel because there will be inevitable misalignment of one's arms. Further, there's a slight delay in processing external visual information due to tilted horizontals and verticals. Apparently the displays are polarized, so I think it would be a good idea for manufacturers to use light sources that aren't. Then I would wear polaroids without hesitation.

Minus 40 degrees... Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2011 07:23PM by Laz. (view changes)

The 2002 911 is Arctic Silver and the Panamera is Platinum. Both photos were taken on the same overcast day on a dealer's lot in Montreal last February. The two cars weren't oriented the same way towards the sun - you'll note the highlights on the side of the 911 aren't present on the Panamera. Hence, in this comparison, the Panamera looks darker than it is.

Platinum is slightly darker and warmer (with a hint of beige) than Arctic. Seal grey is a very nice medium-dark silver, which is darker than GT Silver, but significantly lighter than meteor grey.

GT Silver contains a lot of 'pearls'; as a consequence its hue varies considerably, depending on the light.


arctic silver



platinum



GT Silver

And the color temperature is more "standardized;" more towards 6-7k Kelvin. At this point I could only hope for professional studio images shot with diffused flash.

I figured GT Silver has a fairly complex composition, hence its greater cost. It would be nice if Porsche came up with the same hue & value at less expense.

Minus 40 degrees... Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?

Actually, I believe think Arctic Silver and GT Silver cost about the same to produce. (I know Roger has the answer to this one from personal experience.)

A couple of years ago, Ruby Red was a $970 CDN option. This year it's a $4280 CDN option. That part is a marketing game. Probably they only want to use a certain number of "standard" colours. Additional colours just make the process a bit more complex and Porsche uses it as an excuse to charge a REALLY good dollar for a "non-standard" colour for any particular year.

If someone really wanted an Arctic Silver car this year, they could still get it - at a cost of $7,500 CDN for "paint to sample".

Just my $0.02 worth on expense of paints.

Quote
Laz
And the color temperature is more "standardized;" more towards 6-7k Kelvin. At this point I could only hope for professional studio images shot with diffused flash.

I figured GT Silver has a fairly complex composition, hence its greater cost. It would be nice if Porsche came up with the same hue & value at less expense.

Guenter
2014 Boxster S
GT Silver, 6 Speed Manual, Bi-Xenons, Sports Suspension (lowers car 20mm), Porsche Sports Exhaust, Porsche Torque Vectoring, Auto Climate control, heated and vented seats, 20" Carrera S Wheels, Pedro's TechNoWind, Sport Design steering wheel, Roll bars in GT Silver
[www.cyberdesignconcepts.com]

Guenter's right, the component costs of the 'premium' paints don't appear to be higher - his example of Ruby Red is spot on.

When I had my 987 painted GT Silver last spring, I thought it might be a more expensive colour than the others, but it wasn't.

Interestingly, the painter found it a little trickier to lay down a colour coat of consistent visual depth on the Boxster's curves using GT Silver than with other silvers.