Many individuals bemoan the shortage of colour choices obtainable on automobiles at the moment, but within the case of this particular Volkswagen Golf R listed on the market on Bring A Trailer, it was mockingly the colour gray that led to a brand new number of colours within the firm’s lineup. The seemingly regular paint this automobile wears — a shade referred to as Carbon Metal Gray Metallic — was obtainable just for the Golf GTI on the time, but it by some means ended up on a Golf R, kickstarting a series of occasions that led to VW revamping their whole colour pallet.

Whereas the precise reason behind the mispaint nonetheless stays a thriller, Volkswagen was capable of supply up a attainable rationalization. After the present proprietor reached out to VW seeking the story behind his uncommon automobile, the German auto big defined that it was doubtless both a system error or an improper coming into of the four-digit paint code (the paint code for Carbon Metal Gray Metallic is LA9W, whereas for Limestone Gray, the colour the automobile was purported to be painted in, it’s LA7N). Since Carbon Metal Gray Metallic was a colour that was technically obtainable within the manufacturing facility, and the paint didn’t show any bodily defects, it was shipped out with out getting flagged.

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After phrase obtained out of this uncommon manufacturing facility mistake, folks in every single place have been attempting to get their arms on the automobile. The excitement surrounding it was so intense that it managed to be a focus for Megan Closset, the product supervisor for the Golf GTI and Golf R on the time. Coincidentally, it was additionally at the moment that Closset was attempting make a case for bringing VW’s Spektrum program to the U.S. market, and it was precisely that buzz that proved there was a requirement for the paint-to-sample choices stateside.

Due to one thing as small as a Golf R painted within the incorrect shade of gray, VW was capable of supply an additional 40 colour choices for the automobile within the USA, broadening the attraction of the already-loved scorching hatchback much more. As for the unique mispainted automobile, VW America formally acknowledged it as one-of-a-kind, sending the proprietor a certificates of authenticity, in addition to a hand-written letter from Closset noting its pivotal function in kicking off the Spektrum program within the U.S.