Porsche Boxster 986 colors

There are quite a few Porsche Boxster 986 colors available. While looking for my Boxster, the plasmas began to get so confused about the number of shades that I made the Porsche Boxster 986 Color Guide table. I divided the body colors according to the custom color spectrum. I collected all the Porsche Boxster 986 colors including Boxster 986 soft top colors, Boxster 986 color codes, and links to pictures of Boxster 986 colors. You can see what each color looks like on top of a Porsche 986 or another Porsche! The color has a big impact on what the car looks like and what kind of feeling it wakes up in others and of course in yourself. Check out my post what color you’d like to have your own 986! You can access directly to the correct paragraph from the table of contents below.

• White Porsche Boxster 986 colors embody innocence
• Yellow Porsche Boxster 986 colors show up
• Orange Porsche Boxster 986 color is a rarity
• Red Porsche Boxster 986 colors are classic
• Green Porsche Boxster 986 colors are always metallic
• Blue Porsche Boxster 986 colors have the most shades
• Violet Porsche Boxster 986 color is the rarest
• Silver Porsche Boxster 986 colors are the most common
• Grey Porsche Boxster 986 colors connect to quality
• Black Porsche Boxster 986 colors look valuable
• Porsche Boxster 986 soft top colors
• Porsche Boxster 986 color codes and Boxster 986 Color Guide
• Comment on which Porsche Boxster 986 colors do you think are the best?

White Porsche Boxster 986 colors embody innocence

White light contains all shades of the spectrum. The white color is often considered a color of purity and innocence. On the other hand, white is not always thought of as a color, but somehow empty. So maybe it’s a good idea to start this Porsche Boxster 986 colors post from white Boxster. Each model of the Porsche Boxster 986 is available in white, but each year there is only one white Boxster shade available. However, different model years are available in different shades of white.

Porsche Boxster 2.5 (1997–1999) is only available in Snow White (in German Firmweiss). In some markets, the tone was also called Glacier White, in line with the white color of the legendary Porsche 356A of the 50s. However, the old and new colors have a different tone.

When Porsche Boxster 2.7 and Boxster 3.2 entered the market, the color tone changed. In 2000 and 2001, the name of the body color moved further south, named Biarritz White (Biarritzweiss). Maybe the convertible felt too cold on the snow?

The third tone update came in 2002. All white facelift Porsche Boxster 986s received the marble-sounding name Carrara White (Carraraweiss), which had previously been offered for the Porsche 911. All white shades are non-metallic colors and have been available as standard colors. My rough estimate is that about 3% of the total amount of the 986s are white Boxsters. To see how these colors look on a Porsche Boxster 986, click on the names of the colors in the Porsche Boxster 986 Color Guide table at the end.

Yellow Porsche Boxster 986 colors show up

What color better fits on a convertible than a yellow color that symbolizes the sun? That’s probably what engineers of Porsche thought of, even though the tone of the first yellow 1997–1999 Boxsters is a softer Pastel Yellow (Pastelgelb).

Since 1999, yellow Boxster has been available in a more risk-expressing wasp-like Speed Yellow (Speedgelb) tone. The same body color has also been used in the 993, 996 and 987. There is a couple of interesting facts related to the yellow Porsche Boxster 986. The 1999 model is available in two shades of yellow, both Pastel Yellow and Speed Yellow. The same will happen again in 2004, apparently in order to maintain sales. The yellow paint finish in the last model year of the Porsche 986 can be both Speed Yellow and one year wonder, Fayence Yellow (Fayencegelb). Also known as the color of the Porsche Carrera GT. Like white colors, yellow ones are non-metallic colors. I would estimate that yellow Boxsters are slightly less common than whites with about 2% of 986’s total amount.

Orange Porsche Boxster 986 color is a rarity

Orange takes its name from orange and refers to fertility. It is considered a dynamic and energetic color. Even so, the orange Porsche Boxster is very rare. I suspect that less than 1% of the Porsche 986s is orange. Because of its rarity, the orange color could well be under the heading of the yellow or red Boxster, but since Porsche 356, the orange has been such an important and characteristic color for Porsche that I gave it its chapter. The picture above shows a couple of orange classics. Admittedly, they look good, even though the color is a bit different from the Boxster shade.

Porsche Boxster 986’s 2000-2003 model years are available in Zanzibar Red (Orangerot-perlcolor) tones. In some markets, this pearly color is also known as Pearl Orange-Red. For a sports car, this color is one of my favorites. Admittedly, the attention value is guaranteed by the orange Boxster 986!

Red Porsche Boxster 986 colors are classic

The color red is contradictory. It may refer to the devil and, on the other hand, It has been considered the most important color of all time. It is said to speed up the pulse and increase aggression. Maybe that’s why the red Porsche is a classic. Why not also a red Boxster? Iconic, originally inherited from the ’70s, Guards Red (Indischrot) is one of only the three shades in which the Boxster is available for each model year. It is also the only red, which is not metallic or pearly.

Besides, Boxster is available annually in another shade of red. For the 1997–2000 models, this task is assigned to a pearly color called Arena Red Pearl (Arenarot-met). For the 2001–2003 year, it turned into an Orient Red Metallic (Orientrot-met) paint. In the last model year 2004, the Porsche Boxster 986 is available in sophisticated Carmona Red Metallic (Carmonarot-met) metallic. For me, Porsche has always been red a little like a Ferrari. However, a lot of people think otherwise, because I estimate red Boxster accounts only about six percent of the Porsche 986 stock.

Green Porsche Boxster 986 colors are always metallic

Green is considered a color of life and growth. The human eye is able to distinguish the most different shades from the green color. There are many greens in different shades in the 986 color pallets – as many as five different! A large number, especially since the percentage of green Boxsters is probably not much higher than 2%. But admittedly, many of the shades of green look really good on the Porsche 986. Maybe because all the greens are metallic colors.

The green Boxster series is started by Libel Turquoise Metallic (Libelltürkis-met). It is available for Porsche Boxster 2.5 (1997–1999). The 1999 model year is available in two other shades of green: Wimbledon Green Metallic (Wimbledongrün-met) and darker Forest Green Metallic (Tannengrün-met). Wimbledon can be found in the 1999–2001 models, but forest green remained in production until the end of the 986-generation.

Let’s stay in the woods, as in 2000 Jungle Green Metallic (Dschungelgrün-met) will replace Libel. The tone, which also appeared under the name Rainforest, is available in 2000–2002 models. In 2003 and 2004, in Porsche Boxster 986 facelift models the Rainforest was replaced by Dark Teal Metallic (Lagogrün-met), which in some markets is called Green Lagoon. So there’s plenty of choices and roughly the colors darken as the model series ages.

Blue Porsche Boxster 986 colors have the most shades

There seemed to be a lot of green shades, but Porsche really likes blue tones. There are as many as eight different shades of blue on the Boxster 986-generation! There are no other colors with so many shades. No wonder there seems to be a lot of them. I would, therefore, estimate that about 16% of 986s are blue Boxsters.

The first model year 1997 is already available in three shades. Unlike the more typical metallic and pearly colors for blue Boxster, Blue Turquoise (Blautürkis) is a non-metallic color. It is only available for 1997 and 1998 models. The other two shades of blue that begun the 986-generation, the metallic colors Zenith Blue Metallic (Zenitblau-met) and Ocean Blue Metallic (Oceanblau-met) are both available in the 1997–2000 models.

I think 1999 was a blue Boxster year because there are as many as six shades of blue available! One of the new shades of this year is the metallic Cobalt Blue Metallic (Cobaltblau-met) and is available until the end of the Porsche Boxster 986-generation. The two new pearl colors, Dark Blue Pearl (Nachtblau-met), also known as Midnight Blue Metallic, of the same year, is also available until the end, and Iris Blue Pearl only in the 1999 and 2000 models. Dark Blue (Dunkelblau) won’t last until the end, only until the 2001 model year. The 2001 Porsche 986 is also available in the last Lapis Blue Metallic (Lapisblau-met) tone until the end of the 986-generation.

Violet Porsche Boxster 986 color is the rarest

Violet color is considered to express wisdom and love. Purple was a very appreciated color in antiquity and due to its rarity only a few very exclusive people were allowed to wear purple clothes. That’s what it seems to be in Boxster’s color spectrum. There is only one violet shade, Viola Metallic (Viola-met), and only in three model years 1999–2001. It has been one of the most valuable of Porsche Boxster 986 colors on the accessory list, which in its part explains its rarity. I would estimate that violet Boxster is the rarest of the colors of the Porsche Boxster 986 colors and is well below 1% of the total.

However, it was also possible to get the Porsche Boxster 986 with the customer’s color scheme, so in addition to the color spectrum of this post, you can find very rare customer factory colors and, of course, aftermarket paintings. There are hardly any pink Boxsters like in the picture above… Brown and gold were not included in the colors offered on Boxster 986, but they are also likely to exist as individual special colors.

Silver Porsche Boxster 986 colors are the most common

The silver color is considered valuable like a tone of money. Silver has been the world’s best-selling car color for many years. Silver is also Boxster’s most common color and I estimate that 34% of 986s are silver Boxsters. It’s no wonder because the first Porsches were silver and for many the real color of Porsche is silver.

Boxster’s first model year is only available in one shade of silver, Arctic Silver Metallic (Arktissilber-met). That’s one of the three shades that remained in production throughout the Porsche Boxster 986-generation. For three years, 1998–2000 silver is also available in pearly color, Mirage Pearl (Paladio-met). From the model year 1999 and until the end of the 986-generation, the Porsche Boxster 986 is available in a little bluish silver Polar Silver Metallic (Polarsilber-met) shade. The 2001–2004 models are also found in a bit brownish silver when the silver Meridian Metallic (Meridian-met) is available. In the final year of the 986, there are as many as four shades of silver Boxsters, while Porsche Carrera GT’s GT Silver Metallic (GT-silber-met) is available, albeit only for the special model Porsche Boxster S 550 Spyder 50th Anniversary Edition.

Grey Porsche Boxster 986 colors connect to quality

Although grey is considered a color of ordinary, it is often combined also with quality and durability. Then where goes the line between silver and grey? Silver is often perceived as metallic, while grey is more paint-like. On the other hand, grey Boxsters are all metal colors except one, which is a pearly color. Roughly speaking, the grey Porsche Boxster 986’s are darker than silver, approaching black, and looking less untreated metal.

Even a Porsche might have thought about this because, in the first model year, the grey Boxster is not available. Porsche 986’s 1998–2000 model years are available in pearl color Vesuvio Metallic (Vesuvio-met). The metallic Slate Grey Metallic (Schiefer-met) is available in Porsche Boxster 986 models from 1999 to 2004. After Vesuvio’s departure, the 2001–2004 Seal Grey Metallic (Sealgrau-met) paint is available, which is already pretty close to silver. And in the last year, there is the dark Atlas Grey Metallic (Atlasgrau-met). In my estimate, the proportion of grey Boxsters is about 10% of the total stock of 986.

Black Porsche Boxster 986 colors look valuable

The black color is associated with elegance and style. Black emphasizes wealth and strength. Black Boxster 986 is the second most popular after silver. Both are generally very popular in car colors. Surprisingly, the black Boxster’s shade is called Black (Schwarz). It is the non-metallic color and has been in production throughout the Porsche Boxster 986-generation. Right from the start, there is also a metallic color, Black Metallic (Schwarz-met), available. However, the Porsche 986’s model years 2002–2004 are available in Basalt Black Metallic (Basaltschwarz-met). At the same time, the content of the Black paint changed and it got a new color code. I estimate that 26% of 986s are black Boxsters.

Porsche Boxster 986 soft top colors

Hood, soft top, cab, rag top, canopy, the roof of the convertible has many names. The soft top of the Boxster’s 1997 model year was available in any color, in the same style as T-Ford, as long as it was black. From the next year until the end of the 986-generation, the range of Boxster soft-top colors is wider. So besides Black, the Boxster soft top is available in Metropol Blue and Graphite Grey. Last year’s special model Porsche Boxster S 550 Spyder 50th Anniversary Edition not only has its own color for the body but also its own color for the soft top, Cocoa Brown. The soft top of the Porsche 986 was updated several times during model history, but the biggest change concerns Porsche Boxster 986 facelift models. For model years 2003 and 2004, the rear window is smaller than in previous ones, but it is made of glass instead of plastic. The picture above shows the space reserved for the rag under the hood lid.

Porsche Boxster 986 color codes and Boxster 986 Color Guide

The Porsche Boxster 986 color pie above shows my estimate of the percentage of Boxsters in different colors. My estimate is based on the proportion of different colored Boxsters for sale on the sites of mobile.de and leparking.fr.

In the Porsche Boxster 986 Color Guide table below, you can see more clearly the colors and shades of each model year. There are also all the Porsche Boxster 986 color codes. The paint of the Boxster 986 is either water-borne or solvent-borne. If two codes are associated with the same shade, the first of them is the water-borne color code and the latter is the solvent-borne color code. Since 2002, water and solvent-borne paints have had the same color code and only one code in the table. Black paint also received a uniform color code, which is why black has three codes.

The corresponding Porsche Boxster 986 color code should be found in the Boxster’s maintenance book. The color code is preceded by an “L”. The position of the Boxster color code in the car is most common in the front luggage compartment, either directly underside the lid on the sticker or under the carpet near the driver’s side front light.

By clicking on the color name, you can see what the shade on top of the 986 or other Porsche looks like! You can find the image credits from my post of Porsche Boxster 986 Photos and the source material used from my post Porsche Boxster 986 Literature.

If you are looking for Boxster specifications, please check my post of Porsche Boxster 986 specs and Porsche Boxster 986 History can be found here. And if you think this post could be useful to your friend, thank you if you’ll share the post with your friends ?

More 986porsche reading:

• Porsche Boxster 986’s entire model history
• Porsche Boxster 986 Specs
• What is good Porsche Boxster 986 Literature?

Comment on which Porsche Boxster 986 colors do you think are the best?

In my opinion, the best color for 986 is red or rare colors like orange and violet. Don’t you agree? Comment, which do you think is the best color for the Porsche Boxster 986?