Why are White Hondas rarer than other colors?

JS2k

JS2k

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Joined
10 September 2010
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206
Yep, I'm looking for a GPW NSX by the way. :tongue:

But I don't understand why Honda makes so few white cars. White and Silver are the most common colors of cars on the road today. IIRC, white overtook silver at one point for being the most common color.

NSX:
Take the NSX, 486 GPW out of 8949 total? No White NSXs in 95, but still a color produced almost all of the production years. That's 5.4%!
Compare that to 2780 Berlina Black, which was also a color available throughout the NSX model years.
Source

S2000:
index.php

4684 of 66,000 even though GPW was available every production year. That's 7%!
(Didn't fall in love with white cars until after I bought my S2000)

Fit:
Couldn't find any hard numbers on the Fit.
Taffeta White was offered in 07 only. Honda made zero white Fits in 08 (taking into account the older GD3 models 07-08).
I'd guesstimate about the same percentages as above. The numbers are even slimmer when you want a Sport, 5 speed, with black interior. Drove 1000 miles one way to get one.
 
I always thought it was weird when people said these cars are super rare in white. I looked at the chart myself and I never understood. A white/white NSX yes very rare thats why we call them unicorns.
 
As the owner of a Grand Prix White NSX, I can say that I love it. The color really shows the lines of the car the way they should be shown.
 
..and even stranger is that in Japan white is supposed to be a revered color, I think a good luck sorta thing, and is hondas racing color..so go figure.
 
Gpw NSX are very hard to find
Took me a long time but I ended with one when least expected
How much you willing to offer ;)
 
Rental company & other fleets generally have white vehicles as the highest % relative to other colored vehicles. I believe this is also the case in vehicle sales-showrooms throughout the world.
docjohn said:
..and even stranger is that in Japan white is supposed to be a revered color, I think a good luck sorta thing, and is hondas racing color..so go figure.
Click to expand...

It's interesting to see how a country's penchant towards a particular hue carries over onto competitive motorsports, thus creating a color-identity for that country...

Notable ones:

Italy - red
Germany - silver
Great Britain - green
France - light blue
Japan- white
 
I don't think it was Honda that made certain NSX colors rare, it was the first owners. Nobody bought a new NSX from a showroom floor, these cars had to be ordered and it was up to the person buying the car to choose what color they wanted.


BTW:
I always wondered why there was no white / red nsx ?

The only answer I have for myself is that mostly older/ wealthier people were buying the NSX new and those guys usually went after simple and popular colors

This is also why there were only 21 cars ever produced with red interior and every other 2002+ NSX is silverstone....

just my .02
 
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Osiris_x11 said:
Rental company & other fleets generally have white vehicles as the highest % relative to other colored vehicles. I believe this is also the case in vehicle sales-showrooms throughout the world.


It's interesting to see how a country's penchant towards a particular hue carries over onto competitive motorsports, thus creating a color-identity for that country...

Notable ones:

Italy - red
Germany - silver
Great Britain - green
France - light blue
Japan- white
Click to expand...


I am not sure if it is true but someone once told me that when you are purchasing a new car in Japan or China you have to pay extra for white.
 
socalx said:
white nsx and white s2000 are the best. (i am biased)
Click to expand...

^^^ ditto haha

*looks at sig*

good luck finding yer unicorn....i miss my gpw s2k (red/black interior combo!)
 
Actually my guess is that the rarest color are that Lime Green NSX, Hockenheim Green Pearl, the Magnum Grey Pearl, and I believe there is one called Quasar Grey Pearl. I've never seen a Quasar Grey Pearl NSX or a Hockenheim Green Pearl. I know there are like only 4 or 5 Magnum Grey Pearls in existence, none in the US, and I only seen 1 Lime Green NSX Type S that was usually used in the Best Motoring challenges. These have to be the rarest of all colors for NSXs. I'm assuming these were only special order colors and hence they are not common at all and you can't find them in the USA.

Edit: I just noticed your talking about "Hondas" not just the NSX lol.... I guess you bring up a good point then hehe.
 
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Brylek said:
I am not sure if it is true but someone once told me that when you are purchasing a new car in Japan or China you have to pay extra for white.
Click to expand...

Guess people there like to pay extra -- pick any parking lot in Japan, 80% white cars.
 
I was once talking to a bunch of recently graduated guys from Art Center in Pasadena an one of them (later very famous for his work with the Germans) brought up the subject of white color. All his colleagues were in agreement with him that white is a "dead" color, not to be used for prototypes and certainly not for presentation of a new concept or idea. They all claimed that it had little reflective quality and tends to use light against definition. Of course, later in the years, white gained new life with the introducton of metallic flakes and the like. I will always remember that conversation and fully agree with them regarding plain white. White NSX's are associated with the R and draw their fame and popularity from it, period. Sorry Tom !
 
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I had a chance to see a White NSX at a dealership about a month ago.
it was an older one. 91-93 I dont know what year it was it looked like shit.

wasnt washed, scatches all over it. looked real bad. it was obvious the owner didnt give a crap about washing it

now I have seen pictures and pictures of white NSX's and they look Bad ass.

I dont know we all want a White Rare NSX but in my opinion

Black just waxed/washed blows white outta the water.

Now after you wax your Black NSX and back it up, then pull it back into your drivway its dirty again. its an endless battle.

Now I have 2 white Acura TL's an 05 and an 08 type-s both are NH603P
I think they look the best. white.
but on a Bird I like black.

we call NSX's down here in Florida ( Bird ), like in SR-71 Blackbird

my little black bird. LOL
 
Well the Fit wasn't a good example, but cars like the NSX (esp the R), S2000, and Integra (the R again) were displayed quite often in white.
This thread has some good explanations. White as their racing color makes sense why the Type Rs are usually pictured in white.
:p but to make their signature racing color rare, seems like a conspiracy.

I regretted not buying a white S for a few years so I won't be making the same mistake again.
 
Some cars just look their best in certain colors and it turns out the flagship color for the NSX is GPW with a black top.
 
SaleenS7Rs said:
I always thought it was weird when people said these cars are super rare in white. I looked at the chart myself and I never understood. A white/white NSX yes very rare thats why we call them unicorns.
Click to expand...


This combo index is missing lots of colors, the most rare color is Imola not white especially in U.S if my data is correct.
 
Brylek said:
I don't think it was Honda that made certain NSX colors rare, it was the first owners. Nobody bought a new NSX from a showroom floor, these cars had to be ordered and it was up to the person buying the car to choose what color they wanted.
Click to expand...
Not true. NSXs were ordered by the dealers and delivered to the dealer showrooms, same as other Acura/Honda models. Buyers had a choice of the available colors, but cars were never built to order (at least, not in North America).

JS2k said:
But I don't understand why Honda makes so few white cars.
Click to expand...
That's not true, either. Look at the Acura Integra Type R. For the first two years in North America (1997-1998), 100 percent of them were Championship White.
 
NSX168 said:
This combo index is missing lots of colors, the most rare color is Imola not white especially in U.S if my data is correct.
Click to expand...

Nope the Wiki Index is correct for U.S. colors.

The rarest U.S. color is Monaco Blue Pearl w/44 cars made. Second is Imola Orange Pearl with 49 cars made.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142336

White is rare but not that rare. Its just heavily in demand.:wink:
 
Jetpilot3 said:
White is rare but not that rare. Its just heavily in demand.:wink:
Click to expand...
No, it isn't. In fact, Honda did a pretty good job of meeting demand, to the extent that individual colors haven't been experiencing a substantial premium or discount over cars of other colors - not when the cars were new, and not since then either.
 
As Tino said in his post, its associated with the Honda Type R that made "white" car from Honda desireable especially the NSX making it "rare"
 

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