words and photos: Viktor Hadjiev, Continental Audi of Naperville
Editor’s Note: This story originally ran in the Fall 2017 issue of the Audi Club North America quattro quarterly print magazine. If you don’t receive quattro quarterly and wish to subscribe, join the Audi Club North America HERE.
When the S5 Sportback was first launched at the Geneva Auto Show, the car was painted Nardo Grey, a well-known color amongst fans of Audi Sport’s RS and R cars, not to mention Audi exclusive watchers.
Continental Audi of Naperville has a good relationship with the liaison for Audi exclusive in the US market and so reached out to confirm the color and place a like order. The dealership’s strategy was to order the car and another Adventurine Orange coupe in order into their stock inventory in order to promote Audi exlcusive’s capability of providing excellent colors outside of the usual black, white and 50 shades of grey that tend to be seen on the road.
The wait began. Ordered in February with an ETA in late May or early June. As luck would have it, one enterprising buyer browsing the Internet came across an inbound listing of an S5 Sportback in “Audi exclusive color (unspecified)”. This is how Audi of America lists without the dealer’s ability to change or influence all incoming inventory.
The prospective client called to determine the actual color. When he was told it was Nardo Grey, he was quite happy. He’d seen it on an RS 7 and loved it, but the S5 was more in line with his budget. He was somewhat in disbelief that the car existed at all and also just weeks away from arrival at the dealership.
Needless to say, he agreed to buy it right there and then. He took delivery as it arrived, agreeing to the request that the dealer be able to take photos in order to promote the car. He was gracious enough to allow that, which is why they can be published here.
