Phoenix Yellow, Love it or hate it?

Phoenix Yellow was the launch colour for the E46 M3. I remember when I first saw it, not being particularly impressed with it....Vomit Yellow sprang to mind!!!

I think the E46 M3 is ageing particularly well. As the E46 M3 ages, I think the more risqué colours are actually now cooler that the standard silvers and greys. Phoenix yellow has actually grown on me a lot, to the point that it's actually now one of my favourite colours in an E46 M3. just like the E9 CSL, I think the loudest colours like Inca Orange and Taiga Green have aged the best.

I'd be interested to see if others share my opinion. So....a quick question.

Do you like Phoenix yellow or hate it on an E46 M3?


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I agree. PY really appeals to me. I would think that its more nostalgia than a love for the colour. I see that pic above and thats exactly how I remember a M3 looking when I saw it on top gear as a younger petrol head, and now when I see one it just seems right. I also think tastes are more towards colours at the moment, and people seem to want something other than your grey, black or blue car of the austerity years.

Horrible on launch, horrible now. I don't mind colours that are a bit more out there - but phoenix yellow is like something you puke up after the contents of your stomach has long been emptied.

I don’t love it or hate it. I can see why people like it, but it wouldn’t be my preference.

I was probably the same where it would not have been for first preference in an E46 M3 in the early days. But as the years went on it has drawn me. One of the guys I dealt with on Maxwell Motors was trying to sell me one years ago. Two brothers hade bought two PY cars with sequential reg numbers, like me with my cousin and our 2002 Turbos.

The guy I bought my Alpine White car from has a PY car which has has always wanted and looks very nice indeed. There used to be a ‘02 car floating around Swords on 18’s and was a very nice thing indeed.

When PY is fully detailed and the paint is popping it's an impressive colour. But its certainly marmite....I'd live with it! :)

I'd love it. I'd probably prefer it to carbon black

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I think the reason for the changing view is that first owners want something that is a bit distinctive, but not too distinctive. A few years down the road and subsequent owners, especially when it becomes a toy, then part of the point is to be distinctive. As part of that people will also seek out some of the rarer colour combo’s.

As with others, I would have thought of PY as a bit loud but a pal bought one recently and it really has aged well. The point about it popping when it’s properly detailed.

I’m not a fan, I like yellow but Atacama Yellow would be the kind of yellow I’d like my sports car to be.

I am and always was “imola” fan and before may 2017 I have always dreamt of owning m3 e46 in that colour... then in 2017 on Saturday morning a friend of mine “female” called me saying that one of her friends is selling a yellow bmw...and I went to see it! My first impression was “wow” that’s “Phoenix yellow” which I’ve never met before among non-m cars. Even though it has been lacking two pots under the bonnet but with relatively low mileage 60k miles on the clock, I didn’t hesitate much..:)

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The long term goal however is still there ... [emoji7]

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It’s a marmite colour, I get the same reaction with the Yas Marina blue, two people (of a more mature age) asked me if I was going to keep it that colour when they saw a picture of it. That colour like most of these “out there” colours look far better in the flesh.

In the e36 Estoril Blue was the colour to have but when o see it now I am not as much of a fan of it as I was a few years ago. Who knows I might like it again in future.

Colours can be a polarising thing. A friend of mine is blue/green colour blind so I’m sure that colours also look different from person to person, extremely different in the case of my friend.

Colours like Phoenix Yellow are important, otherwise we’d all be drinking boring cars.

like like like PY

I’ve always liked it as a colour both on the e46 & e92, saying that I do seem to gravitate towards to edgier colours as opposed to the safer sheep ones.

I think PY is a great colour for a car in a collection of garage queen so it can be kept shiny and come out on sunny days when it looks great.
I’m not sure I’d fancy PY on a daily, it might just be a bit too much every morning.

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Originally Posted by rebel.ranter

......two people (of a more mature age) asked me if I was going to keep it that colour when they saw a picture of it.

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One of the people I referred to saw it in the flesh today and loved the Yas Marina! PY is the same, stunning in the flesh.

I love Phoenix Yellow, I would love to own one, daily or not!


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Originally Posted by redwin

I am and always was “imola” fan and before may 2017 I have always dreamt of owning m3 e46 in that colour... then in 2017 on Saturday morning a friend of mine “female” called me saying that one of her friends is selling a yellow bmw...and I went to see it! My first impression was “wow” that’s “Phoenix yellow” which I’ve never met before among non-m cars. Even though it has been lacking two pots under the bonnet but with relatively low mileage 60k miles on the clock, I didn’t hesitate much..:)

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Lovely car, PY looks well on a non-M actually.

Someone I know got a PY yellow Z4 recently. He also has a Taiga Green E9 CSL and a 2002 Turbo in Polaris Silver. I wonder what the PY would look like beside his brothers Fun Gelb Z1.



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Originally Posted by Moe

I agree. PY really appeals to me. I would think that its more nostalgia than a love for the colour.

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That's a fair comment Moe......I had to think about that for a second but I don't think it applies in my case as I never liked the colour to start off with. However, I'm sure there a lot of petrol heads coming of age now who have the money to buy a nice E46 M3 and PY was their first memory of the car when they were a lot younger and a lot poorer.

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Originally Posted by JohnH

I think PY is a great colour for a car in a collection of garage queen so it can be kept shiny and come out on sunny days when it looks great.
I’m not sure I’d fancy PY on a daily, it might just be a bit too much every morning.

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I think you've hit the nail on the head John. I think it would be great to have a gleaming "popping" example of a PY E46 M3 to roll out of the garage on a sunny dry day. I think to daily the car in the middle of a wet and windy mud splattered Irish winter, the novelty would wear off fairly quick.

As with a lot of the brighter metallic colours, I think they really suit a good climate, such as Valencia Orange on a 1M. In sunlight it looks great, on an damp overcast day, it looks almost brown.

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Originally Posted by dergside

A few years down the road and subsequent owners, especially when it becomes a toy, then part of the point is to be distinctive.

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I think you are spot on Dergside......as a toy it's a great colour but as a daily driver when it was brand new, it would have been a brave move by the first owner.

Unsurprisingly, PY has spilt opinion and I think it always will. I am actually surprised that it seems to be getting more likes than dislikes.

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Originally Posted by rebel.ranter

Colours like Phoenix Yellow are important, otherwise we’d all be drinking boring cars.

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Agree 100%

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Originally Posted by Bayerische

Agree 100%

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Drinking or driving! Doesn't matter which!

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Originally Posted by rebel.ranter

Drinking or driving! Doesn't matter which!

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There's nothing worse than driving boring beer. :D

This is 100% the right answer.

I love it when it’s fresh from a detail, but as it gets dirty it disimproves greatly.

As a non individual colour it’s cracking.

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Originally Posted by IRISHD M3

I love it when it’s fresh from a detail, but as it gets dirty it disimproves greatly.

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This is exactly how I see it too. Seems to be the general consensus here.