TEASER - R-M The Code : Lapo Elkann
TheArsenale and R-M Paint present the teaser for the R-M Code Lapo Elkann chapter, one of twelve artist collaborations in the annual R-M Code program. Lapo Elkann, the Italian entrepreneur and founder of Garage Italia Customs, was invited to create two entirely new and exclusive shades of blue using R-M Paint's professional colorimetry laboratory, resulting in colours that will be individually named, registered, and permanently added to the R-M Paint catalogue.
Lapo Elkann and R-M Code: Creating Blue from Scratch
R-M Code is built on a simple but ambitious premise: give an artist access to the world's most advanced automotive refinishing technology and complete creative freedom. For Lapo Elkann, that freedom translated into a deep exploration of a single colour family: blue. Working with Raffaella Pozzi, Team Leader of the R-M Colour Laboratory, and Mark Gutjahr, Head of Design and Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions EMEA at BASF, Elkann developed two distinct shades that express entirely different emotional registers within the same spectrum.
The first colour, "Blue Navy Garage", was created specifically for application to a dedicated Garage Italia Customs vehicle project. Dense, authoritative, and anchored in the tradition of Italian naval and tailoring heritage, Blue Navy Garage is designed to be used across cars and motorcycles in Garage Italia's bespoke commission work. The second colour, "Azzurro Lapo", is a lighter, more personal shade reserved for Lapo Elkann's own use, a direct expression of his visual identity in automotive paint form.
How a Custom Automotive Colour Is Created
Creating a new automotive colour for the R-M Paint catalogue is a process that combines artistic intention with precision chemistry. The R-M Colorimetry Laboratory in Cesano Maderno, Italy, translates a creative brief into a reproducible paint formula that can be applied at professional refinishing quality across any vehicle surface. The formula is calibrated to ensure colour consistency across different substrates, lighting conditions, and paint application methods, whether sprayed, airbrushed, or applied by hand. Once registered in the R-M catalogue, a colour becomes a permanent reference available to any bodyshop or custom paint studio working with R-M products worldwide.
For Elkann, registering two personal colours in the catalogue extends the R-M Code concept beyond a single artwork and into a permanent contribution to the professional paint industry. Both Blue Navy Garage and Azzurro Lapo will be available to other R-M users indefinitely. Read more about the R-M Code project on R-M Paint's official page.
The R-M Code Program: Twelve Artists, Twelve Visions
The R-M Code annual collaboration selects twelve artists from across Europe to create unique works using R-M Paint's professional refinishing systems. Artists working in graffiti, fine art, coachbuilding, and automotive customisation are invited to push what the medium can do, resulting in a series of one-off vehicles and registered colour contributions that document a particular moment in automotive art. Previous R-M Code participants include German graffiti artist and automotive painter René Turrek, who created a bespoke Aston Martin Vantage GT8 using R-M's water-based paint systems. Lapo Elkann and Garage Italia Customs represent the R-M Code's reach into the world of Italian design entrepreneurship and bespoke vehicle customisation.
Explore Garage Italia Customs and Automotive Art at TheArsenale
Lapo Elkann and Garage Italia Customs have been a consistent presence in TheArsenale's world of bespoke vehicles and design collaborations. Browse the full Garage Italia Customs collection, which includes the Pagani Huayra Lampo and other commissions from the Milan-based studio. The TheArsenale Gallery presents fine art and mobility objects at the intersection of design and craftsmanship, and the After The Race collection offers genuine race car panels as collectible art pieces for those who understand the value of automotive heritage in physical form.
