Best pink cars ever: famous pink creations that preceded Jaguar’s Type 00
The new Jaguar Type 00 concept car has got us all talking about pink cars again - here are some of the best from years gone by
Jaguar has got the world talking with its new Type 00 concept, which has a striking design and bright pink bodywork that makes it look like nothing else the brand has ever produced. Jag’s managing director Rawdon Glover told Auto Express that “people are talking about Jaguar in a way that they haven’t talked about us in decades whether they like it or not” and part of that is down to the bold colour choices made in the advertising campaign.
Using pink on a car is certainly a good way of getting the world’s attention, as it’s still a rarely-seen colour on the roads. It’s not completely unheard-of, though, as many car makers over the years have turned to different shades of pink as a way to get some attention to their latest models. Here we’ve picked out some of the best examples of pink cars, from the tasteful and cool to the downright tasteless. We’ll let you decide which is which.
Jaguar Type 00
Jaguar is reinventing itself as a luxury brand, aiming to launch itself further upmarket and the Type 00 concept car is its mission statement. Once you get past the bright pink colour you’ll spot the huge bonnet, sweeping coupe roofline and massive wheels tucked right into the wheelarches.
It’s so bold that the design even manages to eclipse the colour choice - you hardly even notice the outlandish paint over the bluff design at the front and rear, while the gold accents hint that the real customers Jaguar wants to catch the eye of are not European middle-management types any longer: it’s the ultra-rich that it needs to impress.
While we don’t expect the production version to debut in pink - though it’s possible - it should look at least a little bit like this concept car. Jaguar told us that the car’s “stance, the large-profile wheels, the beautiful fastback profile from the A-pillar down to the rear of the vehicle… you will see it [on the production car].”
Porsche ‘Pink Pig’
Porsche has a long history of producing pink race cars, starting with the Porsche 917/20 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was a prototype racer that initially ran with a drinks company livery, but the company wasn’t happy with the car and didn’t want its colours applied - so Porsche designers quickly threw together the ‘Pink Pig’ look. It went on to become an iconic livery in its own right, using cuts of pork as an in-joke for the company’s engineers and fans.
It’s been used again since then on other models including the Porsche 911 RSR that won its class in 2018 and also a Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo as part of a marketing campaign in 2023.
Gypsy Rose
Fans of the American custom car scene of the 1960s and 1970s will no doubt have thought about the classic Chevrolet Impala that became known as the “Gypsy Rose” in the era. It’s often said that this is the most famous lowrider ever built, and according to the car museum where it’s held now (the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, USA) it’s “the most iconic lowrider of all time”.
Along with the low-riding suspension that still inspires car modifiers today, it’s painted pink, red and white and features over 100 roses on the exterior. The interior is even more pink thanks to the full velvet upholstery in a very lurid shade.
Fiat 500
Imagine, for a moment, that ITV’s legendary game show Family Fortunes had asked 100 people to name a pink production car. It’s a fair bet the Fiat 500 would feature highly in the answers, given how fastidiously the Italian brand has launched a string of special editions and personalisation options since the model’s 2007 launch.
In many respects the 500 has transcended motoring to become a fashion accessory, aided by models such as the 2010 500 Pink and 500C Pink, which Fiat hailed as “must-have” purchases. The company clearly knew it was on to a good thing, having produced a 500 Barbie show car to mark the doll’s 50th anniversary back in 2009.
Mansory Vitesse Rosé
For the uninitiated, Mansory is a German company that apparently specialises in the modification of luxury cars, “resisting convention” while delivering “master craftsmanship”. Hmmm… In 2009 it turned a Bentley Continental GT Speed into the Mansory Vitesse Rosé in conjunction with a brand of cosmetic surgery that even Michael Jackson may have considered too extreme.
The exterior is divisive enough, but the interior is an assault on the senses, with Bentley’s usual understated opulence eschewed for a vivid blend of leather and carbon fibre in various shades of pink – sorry, rosé – and purple. Only three Vitesse Rosé models were ever made…
Volkswagen Beetle
The enthusiasm that greeted the rebirth of the Beetle in 1997 had dipped by the time the second generation of the new Bug appeared in 2011, and interest in the car continued to wane throughout its lifespan. This prompted VW to embrace what, in hindsight, might be considered increasingly desperate measures, including the launch of a Fresh Fuchsia Metallic model in North America in 2017.
Billed as the first vehicle ever to be “named as its own hashtag”, the limited edition was officially labelled by VW as the #PinkBeetle. However, no amount of marketing spin could alter the fact that the Beetle had #outstayeditswelcome, and the axe fell for good in 2019.
Rolls-Royce Ghost
It would be easy to question where this model fits into Rolls-Royce’s commitment to delivering an “everlasting expression of the exceptional”. But let’s rise above any sneering, and acknowledge that the 2013 extended-wheelbase Ghost, inspired by FAB1, Lady Penelope’s car from TV’s Thunderbirds, was created for an undeniably worthy purpose, to raise money for Breast Cancer Care.
Highlights included pink-accented umbrellas and hand-embroidered headrests featuring the charity’s pink-ribbon logo. While you can be forgiven if you’re sceptical of its aesthetic appeal, rapper Nicki Minaj for one was suitably inspired; she showcased a pink Cullinan of her own on social media last year.
Nissan Micra C+C
At the other end of the price spectrum from the Ghost, but similarly motivated to raise funds to battle breast cancer, was this extrovert version of Nissan’s diminutive convertible. After a one-off model had toured the UK in 2005, the Japanese company launched a limited-edition version in March 2006, with the media of the time noting that it was designed for “fun-loving motorists wanting to add a bit of colour to their lives”.
As in Barbie, Nissan embraced the gender stereotyping that comes with pink, claiming that the car would be “rarer than a Chloé Paddington handbag”. Girl power!
Porsche 718 Cayman
Bet you’ve dreamed of owning a Porsche at some point. But would it be this one? The 718 Cayman Style Edition was driven by Auto Express earlier this year, with our chief reviewer Alex Ingram describing the colour palette as – in commendably restrained fashion – “lively”.
Porsche seems to have gone out of its way to avoid using the ‘P’ word by calling the shade Ruby Star Neo – which sounds more ‘adult entertainer’ than ‘paintjob’ to us – but let’s call a spade a spade. It is a deep, dark pink that, as Alex noted, turns heads everywhere. Mercifully, we can report that the exhilarating drive we have come to associate with the Cayman remains unaffected.
Maserati Grecale
Last year’s extraordinary version of the Grecale was an official Barbie tie-up, no less – and it now looks like a hugely impressive piece of strategic marketing, given how Barbiecore has exploded in 2023. Created by Maserati’s Fuoriserie customisation programme, the one-off was offered in US luxury retailer Neiman Marcus’ Fantasy Gifts Christmas catalogue for $330,000 (£268,000).
To be fair, part of that sum did go to charity, plus the Grecale had the muscle to back up its unrepentant looks, because it was essentially a Trofeo version featuring the 523bhp twin-turbo V6 Nettuno engine. With wild acid-yellow detailing complementing the ultra-pink finish, this was a Mazza that was safest to view with shades on.
Jeep Wrangler
And here’s one that we think really works. Introduced in the US in 2021 on the Wrangler, Jeep’s indestructible go-anywhere icon, this bold Tuscadero Pink shade was designed to make the 4x4 stand out both on and off road. The original intention was to offer the dazzling hue for a limited time only, but overwhelming demand led to more than 30,000 orders in a matter of months, making it the brand’s most popular feature colour ever. As such, availability was extended into 2022 to allow even more owners to light up America’s most remote outposts.
FAB 1
FAB 1 is the name of Lady Penelope’s car from the 1960s puppet-animated television series Thunderbirds. It’s probably the most recognisable pink car to anyone who grew up in Britain in the late 20th Century, and it’s based on a Rolls-Royce. In the show’s lore it was modified to have all kinds of gadgets and tricks, as well as a futuristic glass canopy instead of a roof and six wheels.
Modern interpretations of FAB 1 include an example from the 2004 film adaption of the series, which had involvement from BMW-owned Rolls-Royce of the modern era. It was still a six-wheeler and had the iconic glass canopy, plus of course it was as pink as ever as well.
Panthermobile
The Pink Panther cartoon character got his own car in 1969 when a bright pink show car was designed and built to promote the TV show of the same name. There was only ever going to be one colour choice for the car, which was based on an old American barge called the Oldsmobile Toronado. Strangely for a car like this, it’s front-wheel drive, but less surprising considering the car’s origins is the 7.0-litre V8 motor.
Inside the car was a lounge area with pink upholstery, so it’s got to be the pinkest car of them all. Not only is it painted pink, it’s themed entirely around a character whose name is the colour in question.
Which pink car is your favourite? Let us know in the comments section below...
