Moonstone: the rare Porsche colour with a cult following
Porsche collector, Justin Roeser, on the tale of a very rare Porsche paint
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Discover the history of the rare Porsche paint colour – Moonstone – from its 1970s origins to its modern revival through Paint to Sample, told by collector Justin Roeser
When the noon sun hits Justin Roeser’s Porsche 928, you’d be forgiven for thinking that its colour is a brilliant white. But, over the course of the day, the changing light helps that colour morph imperceptibly into something else. A rare Porsche colour created in the late 1970s called Moonstone – or, as it’s known in German, Flieder. A colour that, it’s fair to say, Justin has fallen head over heels in love with. So much so, he has taken it upon himself to tell its story and track down as many models around the world as he could. He’s also bought a few himself, for good measure.Justin Roeser is fascinated by rare Porsche colours – especially Moonstone. Also known as Flieder (‘lilac’ in German), he already owns three cars, like this 928, in the colour, with a fourth on its way [photo Credits: Porsche]Moonstone is just one Porsche colour among hundreds created by Porsche designers over the decades. Each has its own backstory. Each its own individual inspiration and creator. Colours that mean different things to different people.Through his dogged investigative work and dedication to detail, Justin has thrown a light onto the importance of colour to not just to Porsche but to car owners and fans alike. This is the story of one man, an almost forgotten Porsche colour, the emotions tied up in it and the select band of owners of Porsche cars painted in Moonstone.Watch Justin’s film about the Porsche colour, Moonstone
?si=SNmnIRLd6QSvXKVSWho is Justin Roeser?Growing up in Seattle in the 1980s, Texas resident Justin Roeser became immersed in the world of cars from an early age. His Danish father, a maritime engineer, had a love for European cars, but developed a passion for American cars too. And it was a passion that he passed on to Justin, one helped by him washing his dad’s cars – always a great way to get to know cars.Justin’s Porsche 924 in Moonstone/Flieder Photo: Porsche',The interior of the 924 incorporates the Pasha material designed by Vlasta Hatter – the same Porsche designer who created Moonstone/Flieder Photo: Porsche'Flicking through his older brother’s imported European car magazines in the 1980s and ’90s merely enforced his growing love for all things automotive.“I always knew that Porsche was the top,” says Justin. “Obviously, there were other amazing cars, but they don’t have the same characteristics of Porsche. So I’ve always held Porsche in this super-high regard. Anytime I would see and hear these cars as a kid I would tap people on the shoulder, ‘Look at that [911] Slantnose!’. I remember being that annoying kid, reading the back of all the magazines so I knew all the statistics.”Following a period working in the recording industry, in 2005 Justin finally bought his first ever Porsche, a 1994 911 Speedster in black. It was a car he held onto for ten years – “I used that car a lot. I drove it hard. I loved it, enjoyed it” – but after a period away from Porsche as prices of classic models started rising rapidly, he picked up a 911 (type 997), followed by a 1975 911 Carrera. Both were in shades of bright green, their vibrancy bringing, in the words of Justin, “colour into my world”. And then, one day, he saw a type 930 Turbo in Moonstone. And it changed everything.911 SC Coupe in Moonstone Photo: Porsche',The interior features black leather Photo: Porsche'What’s so special about Moonstone?The sight of the 930 Turbo in a sales listing for the car in such an intriguing colour was the spark for Justin's curiosity to find out more about Moonstone. He knew it was rare. “It was such a different colour to any other colour I’d seen,” he says. “It was just so soft and candy-like.”That it’s one of the rarest colours Porsche colours ever made is borne out by the figures – just 223 cars received this paint, all between in 1979 and 1980, covering the 911 (G-Series), 924 and 928 models.“Purple is an outsider in the colour spectrum,” explains Justin. “But then when you make it this soft colour – almost luminescent – you can’t tell if it’s white, grey or even purple. It has this whole mystery to it.“Every person sees it differently and they can’t quite figure it out,” he adds. “And then the name, Moonstone, right? That’s just so interesting too, as well as being a colour that felt completely outside of the [usual] Porsche ethos.”One of the most striking qualities of Moonstone is its chameleon-like ability to seemingly change colour. In the late afternoon/evening, its lilac hue is pronounced… Photo: Porsche',…but at other times of the day, you can be fooled into thinking it’s a shade of white Photo: Porsche'Buying a Porsche in Moonstone colourThe fascinating, rare paint of that 930 Turbo convinced Justin that Moonstone was the colour for him. He was then offered a 928 in Moonstone that resided in Germany but, at the time, he wanted a Porsche with a manual gearbox rather than in the automatic this particular car came with.“The first Moonstone car I bought was a 924,” recalls Justin. “It was March 2020 and Covid had just shown up. I woke up, went on Instagram and I found this 924 – and I was really stoked.” He bought it, sight unseen. It would be the first car Justin ever imported, but he learnt a lot doing so – something he would later put to good use over the ensuing years. The 924 is the Porsche model that you’re most likely to encounter in Moonstone, accounting for 196 examples of the 223 models in the paint although the 924 Turbo in Justin’s film – see above – is the only other one, he says, that he’s ever seen in person). The rarity of Moonstone in other models further piqued Justin’s interest.“I own three now,” he reveals, with another on its way. “The 924 – the first one – then I later bought and sold a 911 SC Coupe, then a 928 and a 911 SC Targa. And there’s one that’s currently shipping now, a Japanese 911 SC Coupe.” It will mean that when the Japanese import arrives at the warehouse where he garages his collection, he will own two of only 17 911 SC Coupe models and one of 12 911 SC Targa models made that were painted in Moonstone.Justin’s Porsche 928 in Moonstone Photo: Porsche',The tartan cloth, seen here in the Porsche 928, was a recent inspiration to the material used in the limited edition 911 Turbo 50 Years Photo: Porsche'Vlasta Hatter: the Porsche designer who created MoonstoneIn 2024, Justin travelled to Germany to pick up his 928 – the same one offered to him in 2018, after several years spent trying to track it down again, and a couple spent attempting to get the owner to sell it to him. It’s just one of just nine 928 models in Moonstone. Seeing it as a unique opportunity to get to know the car and more about the colour, he embarked on a 10,000 km road trip across Europe, combining it with a fact-finding tour to discover as much as he could about the story of Moonstone.He had already settled on a nickname for the 928 – ‘Oli’. The inspiration came from the name, Oliver, of the owner he bought the car from, as well as the great Hollywood movie director, Oliver Stone, whose name reminded him of Moonstone. With the help of Porsche, who saw in Justin a shared passion, he was able to track down the person responsible for the colour that he’d spent the previous six years obsessing over.Vlasta Hatter – the Porsche designer who created the Moonstone/Flieder colour, as well as iconic interior materials such as Pasha Photo: PorscheArriving at Porsche HQ in Stuttgart at the wheel of Oli, a dream came true when he met Vlasta Hatter. In her long career as a designer at Porsche, Vlasta was responsible for a number of colours and materials used across the model range. For example, she created Pasha, an iconic Porsche material, inspired by the black and white design of the chequered flag waved to signal the end of races in motorsport.But when Justin met up with Vlasta, there was one particular topic he wanted to talk about. He wanted to find out all he could about Moonstone – or ‘Flieder’, the German word for lilac, as Vlasta dubbed it. “She was so prepared for me,” says Justin. “And she’d spent so much time just to come and meet me. She even put [an image of] a lilac flower in her iPad. When she told me that was the origin of the colour it moved me so much. I had to literally pinch myself because I was just about to cry.”In the beautiful and revealing film that Justin and his colleague, Kevin McCauley, have made about Moonstone, Vlasta – who worked for Porsche from 1976 to 2008 – tells her Moonstone story. On her moodboards during the design process, inspiration came from fashion magazines, architecture and the furniture industry, among others. But one was more prominent than all others – the fields of ‘Flieder’, or lilac, that Vlasta saw everywhere in May. As for the shape-shifting nature of Moonstone? That has a more practical provenance.“It wasn’t a metallic paint,” says Vlasta. “Instead, we used pigments that are no longer allowed today. They’re responsible for this effect. It really was a very special colour.”Justin’s Porsche 911 SC Targa in Moonstone Photo: Porsche',The interior of the 911 SC Targa retains its original materials Photo: Porsche'How Moonstone remains an inspiration to Porsche designers todayMoonstone may have a particular exclusivity in the world of Porsche colours, but it continues to inspire today, beyond its championing by Justin. You can see it in the Paint to Sample colour Moongem, for example, and especially in the colour Provence, that was one of the launch colours of the current Macan Electric range.Rare Porsche colours: what’s next for Justin? Back home in the US, Justin is using the lessons he’s learned in importing his cars by helping other customers in the US bring over classic Porsche cars from Europe. But he’s also now embarking on another quest to track down cars to tell the stories of other Porsche colours. Films in the pipeline include ones on Birch Green, Magenta and Zanzibar Red.“They’re really stories about humans that happen to have colourful cars,” Justin explains. “Every time I’ve met these people or done research, I’ve been emotionally connected to their story, and I realised there’s something a lot deeper. It’s not just about the colour, it’s really about them.”“I’m currently fascinated by the colour Ocean Jade Metallic,” he adds. “It’s like Moonstone. Honestly, it’s this colour that no one really ordered in the late 1990s. And I think in the future, Frozen Berry Metallic [an option on the Taycan] will be a Moonstone-type of colour – super rare. Not so many people ordered it.”Justin’s current collection of three Porsche cars in Moonstone – soon to be joined by a 911 SC Coupe that he’s sourced from Japan – joined by a friend’s 930 Turbo and 911 SC Coupe in the same colour Photo: PorscheJustin on the power of Porsche coloursHaving spent so much time ruminating on the impact of Porsche paint colours, Justin has his own thoughts on the power they have on us. “Colour choice is how humans, through their automobiles, can express themselves,” he says. “Even if you’re ordering a ‘safe’ colour, you’re saying, ‘I’m conservative. I don’t want anyone to really look at me.’ Or, by choosing something full-on, like Rubystone, you’re saying, ‘I’m very extroverted.’”“Social media plays a big part,” he continues. “People are now ordering the brightest, most wacky cars they can [in order to show them off]. That’s also what I find fascinating about these earlier cars. That wasn’t the concept then. They simply ordered what they loved.”Moonstone at a glance – quick facts about the rare Porsche colourWhat is Porsche Moonstone?Moonstone, or Flieder in German, is one of the rarest Porsche paint colours ever created, produced briefly between 1979-1980 for the 911, 930 Turbo, 924 and 928 models. How many Porsche cars were made in Moonstone?Only 223 Porsche cars received Moonstone paint – 196 of which were 924 models – making it one of the rarest colours in the brand’s history. Who designed the Porsche colour Moonstone?Porsche designer Vlasta Hatter created Moonstone (Flieder) in the late 1970s, inspired by lilac flowers blooming in May.
Consumption and emission informationMacan GTS
(WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 20.5 – 18.5 kWh/100 km (preliminary value); CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km (preliminary value); CO₂ class: .
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