Due to the fact that I'm not badly colour blind, I also noticed the different coloured plastics. Not wanting to nit-pick but the paint on the frame doesn't look to have survived very well either .. looks to be failing in a number of places.
I guess if it's genuinely out of a crate 3 years ago (and making the assumption that the crate was stored in a dry place), then the only conclusion to be made is that they deteriorate without use or UV exposure.
And thinking that through, these bikes were race bikes not road bikes, built to be used (and abused) for a season and then replaced with the next best thing. Maybe manufacturers didn't put too much thought into the longevity of paint and plastics, more likely they spent their money on bringing the latest race technology to the punter. Makes sense if you think about it.