No Longer the Dour German: Volkswagen Spektrum Program Offers 40 Custom Colors for 2019 Golf R

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

Fans of the Golf R, a machine generally accepted as being the most serious car … in the world, will have the chance to jazz up their ride with VW’s Spektrum Program, now available on the Golf R.

The program will allow customers to choose from 40 custom order colors in addition to the five standard colors. Price for such largesse? $2,500.

Your author is of the firm belief VW’s Golf R is, while an outstandingly capable machine, like dating a really hot woman … but you know she’s totally not into you. Colder than Hoth, the Golf R seemed perpetually annoyed at my attempts to have a bit of fun.

“NEIN, NEIN, NEIN! DO NOT DRIVE MIT YOUR CLOWN SHOES ON, ENGLISHMAN!” it seemed to perpetually shout at me, all the while flinging me towards 60 mph with all-wheel-drive élan. The Golf R is a fantastic machine, but remained several degrees too cold for this driver.

The Spektrum Program should fix that. Available hues range from Nogaro Blue Pearl and Violet Touch, to Caribbean Green and Copper Orange. It’ll definitely give the R a boost in the personality department. My pick is Viper Green, a shade originally found on the European Mk 3 Scirocco before appearing on buff book covers by way of the Lamborghini Huracán.

VW dweebs will be delighted to learn the company is offering a few historical colors among the 40 choices. Deep Blue Pearl was found on the Mk 4 and Mk 5 R32, Ginster Yellow showed up on the 1997 Driver’s Edition GTI, and Mars Red appeared on the Mk 1 GTI. Drivers with no sense of adventure or style can continue selecting from the existing palette of five colors, most of which are shades of grey.

A build tool will soon be live on VW’s website [www.vw.com], where those with too much time customers can try out all 40 hues while spinning the vehicle on a 360-degree camera. Dealers will get a sample kit with paint shop-quality color cards to help shoppers pick their poison. After submitting an order, the build and delivery time will be eight to sixteen weeks.

The Golf R currently bears a starting MSRP of $39,785. Options include an $1,100 DSG transmission and a myriad of accessories like floor mats and trunk liners. I know where I’d rather put my money.

[Images: Volkswagen]

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • Wheatridger Wheatridger on Aug 15, 2018

    This is the best news I've heard all day! I hope it catches on and spreads down the line. A cool color and long warranty are two of the three or four things I'd want to consider another VW. I've looked at VW's Euro sites and gawked at all the colors they offer throughout the line. Marvelous! Though I drive a white car now, it's because I didn't want midnight blue or blood-bruise red. But I was also proud to own a lime-green New Beetle, so...

  • Dpriven Dpriven on Aug 16, 2018

    Har-le-QUIN! Har-le-QUIN! Har-le-QUIN! Everybody now.... Har-le-QUIN! Har-le-QUIN! Har-le-QUIN!!!

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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