VW Golf R Painted the Wrong Color By the Factory is a One-of-a-Kind Mystery

These days, most new cars come with a strictly limited set of colors from the factory. Usually, you get a small selection of blacks, whites, and greys, with red or blue sometimes joining the party. Every now and then, though, a car slips through the cracks and scores a color that was definitely not in the brochure. That's exactly what happened at Volkswagen in 2016, with a special kind of grey.

As seen on Bring a Trailer, the car in question is a 2017 Volkswagen Golf R. It's become a bit of a legend since it first hit the dealership lot in November 2016. That's because this Golf R was painted in Carbon Steel Grey Metallic, a color that was never officially available on the model from the factory. When the car was first listed for sale by Lindsey Volkswagen in Dulles, Virginia, the car caused a major stir.

The current owner dug deeper into the car's history, enquiring with Volkswagen as to how their car came to be painted in Carbon Steel Grey Metallic (paint code LA9W). The color was originally only offered on the Mk 6 and Mk 7 Golf GTI, but not the Golf R.

Volkswagen was unable to offer a definitive answer as to what happened. Company representatives indicated that the most likely reason was that the four-digit paint code was either entered incorrectly or the wrong paint was selected due to a system error. According to the company, the car should have been painted in Limestone Grey (paint code LA7N).

Since the paint was available in the Wolfsburg factory, the car was simply painted as such and passed through the production line. Quality inspection didn't turn up a problem as the finish had no issues, and inspectors aren't usually looking for cars painted in colors outside their strict designation.