The Most Beautiful OEM Car Colours

Factory car colours aren’t always bland and boring. Sometimes, they’re amazing.

Colour is often something we overlook when appreciating cars. Unfortunately, most cars today are either black, white or some sort of grey or silver but thankfully, manufacturers haven’t given up on colour just yet!

Whether it’s manufactured by Ferrari or Volkswagen, some factory car colours stand out in a way that just makes your car look ten times better and we’re here to share what we consider to be some of the best in the industry.

BMW – Frozen Dark Red Metallic

A rather niche colour but certainly one of the best. Found on the BMW M5 First Edition, this colour is a deep, dark red with a satin finish, creating a modern and aggressive look.

The M5 First Edition was revealed in September 2017 at the Frankfurt Auto Show and only 400 examples of this ridiculously fast super saloon were produced. The car is powered by a 4.4-litre V8 engine producing 600 hp and is capable of 0-60mph in just 3.2 seconds making it fastest BMW ever produced…that was until the M8 Competition came out.

The car was also shown off at GamesCon (as seen in the pictures) for Need for Speed Payback High Stakes as the car could be driven in the game before the real-world car was even released, all as part of an exclusive deal!

McLaren – Papaya Orange

In the same way that Ferrari’s signature colour is red, McLaren have a beautiful colour called Papaya Orange. Although it may not be quite as famous as ‘Ferrari Red’, Papaya Orange does have some history to it. Since 1968, this particular shade of orange has been used for McLaren’s race cars in F1, F2, Can-Am, Indycar and Formula 5000.

Not only can you see this unusual colour on McLaren’s F1 cars today, it’s also well known for being one of the most memorable colours on the McLaren F1 supercar. Not just the F1 either as you can also option Papaya Orange for your McLaren 720S, 675LT and P1.

Ferrari – Rosso Corsa

We couldn’t talk about the most beautiful factory car colours without mentioning the world-famous, iconic ‘Ferrari red’ or in its official terms, Rosso Corsa. Italian for ‘racing red’, Rosso Corsa has been used by many Italian automakers since the 1920s, being adopted by brands such as Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Ferrari.

The colour became the official international racing colour of Italy, just as racing green is for Britain. Today, Rosso Corsa is no longer officially recognised as the Italian Motorsport colour but it has, however, become synonymous with Ferrari’s brand.

Everyone’s favourite Ferrari, the F40, was famously only available in red and any F40 that is not red has been repainted by a third party.

Mercedes-AMG Green Hell Magno

Another satin paint finish makes our list, and it’s not hard to see why. Green Hell Magno not only looks as fresh as an unripe banana but also has a little story to it.

The Mercedes-AMG GT R is referred to as ‘the beast of the Green Hell’ – the ‘Green Hell’ being a reference to the world-famous race track on which the car was developed on the Nurburgring. Hence why the GT R’s unique green colour finish is called Green Hell Magno.

Not only does it give this incredibly powerful supercar an energetic look but once you know the story behind it, the colour feels almost like the direct result of the brutal testing the car went through on the merciless Nordschleife circuit.

Showing off the GT R in this eye-grabbing colour certainly was the right choice, giving it a personality of its own and a very memorable aesthetic.

Audi – Nardo Grey

Nardo grey is available on various car models from a range of car manufacturers, but Audi have managed to really own the colour and make Nardo feel like an Audi colour rather than just a car colour.

This flat, primer-coloured paint finish has become all the rage recently and Audi have successfully jumped on the hype train and given customers exactly what they’re looking for. Pairing this non-colour with a dechromed car makes for the perfect sporty look. Black grille, side mirrors, tinted windows and a sporty exhaust system for good measure make for the perfect accompaniment to Nardo Grey, which is why Audi’s cars own the ‘colour’ so well.

VW – Kurkuma Yellow Metallic

Now, this colour may not come from a Lamborghini factory or a Bugatti factory but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. It’s bold, exciting and is much more likely to turn heads than any primary colour.

Kurkuma Yellow is almost gold, almost bronze and you could even say it’s close to mustard yellow. Although it sounds very strange on paper, it looks marvellous in the flesh. You know a colour is good when it makes a car like the new Beetle look desirable.

For the Arteon especially, Kurkuma Yellow really makes the car stand out and although it’s technically a car for the people, an Arteon in Kurkuma could give a BMW 3 Series a run for its money in the looks department.