Porsche Goes to Great Lengths to Reinvent Gray for Turbonite Trim
There’s gray, and then there’s Porsche’s new carefully crafted Turbonite.
Porsche is the king of subtle, evolutionary changes. The most obvious example is, of course, the 911, but there are others. Like when Porsche changed its iconic badge a few months ago, most people (including us) couldn’t really tell the difference. Now, Porsche has gone out and attempted to redefine what gray should be with its new Turbo-exclusive Turbonite trim.
Credit where it’s due, the Turbonite trim is excellently mastered. For someone who knows the difference between Vanta Black and Giorgio Armani Midnight, this is a masterclass in color and texture. According to Porsche, it was "very carefully composed" by in-house Porsche color and trim experts. Turbonite uses gold elements to "create an elegant, metallizing effect" while the top layer is finished in satin. It is a genuinely beautiful gray, but this is a lot of effort to put into a shade of gray.
While the finish itself is subtle, the visual change from the bright gold-trimmed Porsche crest to the stealthy gray Turbonite crest will actually present beautifully. It’s something that’s done in the aftermarket fairly often, so Porsche onshoring that money is just smart business. And, like most things Porsche does, it's a slight change that could go a long way to completing the look of a fresh, custom-ordered sports car from Stuttgart. It also helps reinforce Turbo models as the top-flight, with Porsche saying that the trim should help "differentiate [Turbo models] more markedly from other derivatives such as the GTS."
While Turbonite primarily replaces the Porsche crest and subtle trim pieces like badging, some models will also get contrasting stitching, seatbelts, wheels, front fascia trim, and side window trim finished in Turbonite. It’s exclusive to Turbo models, which means you can get it on every Porsche except the 718. The first to receive Turbonite will be the new generation of Porsche Panamera debuting on November 24.
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