Brown may not be the preferred color of sports cars, but there’s no denying that for vehicles of a certain era, it is indeed period-correct. But does it ever begin to work against a certain class of vehicle because enthusiasts prefer to own one in a more sporting color? It’s hard to say for sure, but this pretty 1973 Porsche 911T may have already sold if it came in a blue or red that registered as a more suitable color for a vehicle as desirable as a long-hood Porsche. The mileage on this Sepia Brown 911 is believed to be original at just 39,376, and it’s listed here on eBay for $119,000 or best offer.
I, personally, take no offense to this color. I owned a barn find 1980 BMW 320 that was a European-spec model that wore a very similar shade of paint. I remembered being slightly disappointed upon finding the car that it wasn’t a more conventional shade of paint, which was really more about my own perception of what a “desirable” color should be than anything else. When the paint was cleaned up and revealed to be largely original beneath a thick coating of dust, I was shocked by how handsome it was, especially with the right wheels. The seller’s car gives me similar pause, as the paint is truly deep and lustrous and the Fuchs wheels look incredible against it. It’s amazing how well the black trim and chrome accents work with it, too.
And brown paint also makes for a fitting backdrop for an interior color scheme from the same family. While a caramel-colored interior works well with a blue or white exterior, it also blends incredibly nicely with a brown finish as this car has. The 911 featured here comes with what looks like a highly original cockpit featuring flawless leather bucket seats, nicely-preserved wood trim on the dash, an original radio, crack-free dash pad, gently used carpets, and door panels with a two-tone scheme that compliments the exterior perfectly.
The listing notes that the last owner was incredibly detail-oriented, logging every fuel fill-up with the corresponding mileage. I don’t know what it is, but the owners who do that inevitably own very nice examples of a specific marque and model. They sweat the details, which comes across with the strong cosmetics and highly original appearance. Given how expensive a clean air-cooled, long-hood 911 is going for these days, the asking price here honestly doesn’t seem that bad, which I’m guessing has to do somewhat with the color not being everyone’s top choice – but I’m here to tell you that a color like Sepia Brown deserves a closer look.
20 years ago Sepia brown was called $hit brown by many. It was a car you were able to buy at a good price and often times these cars were repainted resale red. I’m happy to see the market trend has changed. I don’t know why we go through these cycles but one thing for sure if you wait long enough a color that not considered desirable now will be in the future. When I worked at the first dealer a customer had towed a 911 to us for service. Another shop had the engine apart and not reassembled it correctly and I would have to rebuild it again to correct the mistakes. The owner offered to sell it to me but I immediately turned it down because it was beige with tartan sport seats. At the time I thought the car was hideous. Now a car with those rare options and color would command over 50K. Who knew?
I love the color. Since we live in a time where you can pick from six shaded of silver, a black, white, maybe a metallic burgundy or dark blue, I wish we had real color choices. It’s getting a little better, but we need more non-metallic vivid color choices. Just my 2 cents.
My son owns a 2018 Civic hatchback in fire engine red. I find many colors I like recently, but by the time I want to buy a particular car, the company changes them again because of a different year. In the distant past you had 20-30 possible choices for colors. Those were the golden days of sitting down in a dealership and ordering the exact car you wanted. I miss those days, i really do. When I bought a new Dodge in the 1970s I had like 4 or 5 shades of blue to pick from. Just blue! Why no choices? Is it a way to nickel and dime the public? For what cars costs these days, we should be given different choices. If enough people stopped buying new cars, then I think choice would come back. Might even be allowed to buy a true entry level new car too.
I’ve see brown, and gold on these cars. They almost cry in humiliation. Worst of all colors!
Ebay ? Porsche Panorama with a higher price or PCAR market
A story I heard was that automotive colors can be predicted by the color of women’s lingerie – after about a two year delay. If true, now we know what color many women were buying in 971 . . .
I think it is beautiful. Color looks great on it. Many cars from this era were brown. Mustangs, Triumphs, to name a few.
One color that isn’t represented enough is green/teal. That was my dad’s favorite color on a car. Of the eleven cars he owned in his lifetime, five of them were green. It’s difficult to find that color now. My present car is machine grey, but I’d rather have one in a nice shade of green.