Oct 26, 20212 min read

In Defense of Guards Red

Decades ago, Guards Red was essentially the default color for Porsche sports cars.

As noted by the Porsche Club of America’s Rennbow:

It's one of the most popular Porsche colors of all time, offered in almost too many models and model years to count. In the 1980s, it seemed like 50% or more of the 911s, and 944s sold in North America were Guards Red. Porsches on the big screen reflected this reality, from the 911 cab in "Against All Odds" to the 944 in "Sixteen Candles." Guards red is bright shade that gets its pop from the fact that it isn't really a pure red (there's more than a hint of orange in it much like the earlier colors of Strawberry Red and Signal Red). Every Porsche that we can think of looks great in Guards Red. And that, in a nutshell likely accounts for its extreme popularity.

But ever since the arrival of the 996, it’s had steep competition from all directions. As the standard 911 Carrera has settled into the role of a grand tourer, its buyers have opted for more subdued metallic colors and grays. And at the other end of the spectrum, many GT3 and RS buyers have chosen wilder and more obscure colors from the extensive, and prestigious, Paint To Sample catalog.

All this is to say: Guards Red seems almost rare now.

So when a Guards Red 911 GT3 and a matching Guards Red 718 GT4 showed up at the shop within a day of each other, we had a moment of surprise. You just don’t really see these specific cars in this color.

Neither eye-popping nor subtle, Guards Red is just a classic sports car color. It looks good in sun and shade, rain or shine. And on the 911 GT3 and 718 GT4, two of the most capable performance cars of the last decade, it’s a fitting choice.