Matte Paint

It's not a new thing. It's just called "mat black" instead of primer black (etc). Flat paints have been around for a long time on cars/hot rods.

 

Very much a fad, but on a side question: What about black wheels? They have the ability to fulfill that missing piece and making a few Ferraris look even greater, e.g.: Enzo.

 

Correction, it's spelled as "MATTE" not mat. Sorry, I don't mean to be the spelling nazi but I hate seeing words mis-spelled. It's a pet peeve!


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- Ken B. posted this from his iPhone using Tapatalk.

 

I saw a Merc SLS convertible today in a matte metallic warm silver -- almost a kind of brown or gold color -- and it looked really good. Personally, I don't like the finish for Ferrari.

 

Black wheels are another fad. They remind me of the painted wheels on some vintage cars.

I don't think they help the cars visually, but then again I wouldn't rate the Enzo as great-looking -- great car, yes, offering 458 levels of performance, but not beautiful by any stretch.

 

IMO, on darker color cars, the matte finish brings the focus and sharpness back to the lines of the car. So, especially on dark colored cars with ultra beautiful lines, sometimes it helps to do them in matte finish so that we can appreciate the lines even more so. Also, under a certain light, it's wonderful how we can see more clearly how the light plays across the body of the car instead of full on gleaming brightness. For the record, I'm a fan of both glossy and matte. It all depends on the car, the color, and the light - both have advantages and disadvantages.

 

I think it looks good when done well. I think matte is here to stay. The Mercedes matte offering really looks tasteful and classy. The Ferrari's look absolutely great in the matte reds. I suspect the reason matte works on modern cars is because of the precision modern manufacturing is able to achieve. Matte finishes on perfectly straight bodies and consistent body gaps lend to being able to appreciate the shape of the body more closely.

 

Actually, I'd say the precision would show off gloss colors to better advantage. A matte paint job doesn't require flawless bodywork at all. Getting a black car to look dead straight is terrifically difficult, even with machine-stamped/formed panels as on modern cars -- any wave/ripple is reflected back at the viewer.

Matte can hide substandard build quality and probably allow more cost-effective mass production.

 

I like it a lot, but I think it's a fad.

 

If it were my guess, I would think the younger crowd likes it more than aged ones. It was said that gloss black requires flawless body work!



Ago

 

Then you should know it's "Matt", and has been around a looooong time :

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Unfortunately, not much staying power then, either. A couple of years, and he was done.

 

A loss for all of us.

 

Also, I've often wondered about long-term durability. Ability to touch up? re-spray and blend in only a section? Resistance to stains? Hairline scratches?

I've also been told you can't clearbra (and have it still look matte) and you can't wax & seal.

DL

 

Looks good on the occasional car, but mostly I cringe at how someone ruined their car.

 

I don't like matte finish paint, and as said you can't wax or polish it.

Black wheels I also don't like, they always remind me of the cheap black steel wheels people always get for winter wheels. Through the 60s, 70s, 80s, the most basic wheels on a car were black, and the higher end or optional wheels were alloy wheels.

 

As others have mentioned Matte paint has been doing the rounds in the hot rod/ricer/modified scene since the beginning of time.

I think the non-black matte finishes doing the rounds at the moment might be a fad but black will always be timeless.


Resale value?? Well they call it resale red for a reason

Talking about Pet peeve's
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Agreed, also depends on the car. But I also think it is a fad.

I like Lamborghini's matte blue.
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Definitely a fad, looks good in pictures but I've rarely seen it work well in person.

 

I voted love it. I think matte black and smokey silver cars are sexy. I also dig black wheels. However I still think its a fad that will hurt value down the road. In 1997 I worked at a Jeep dealership in Portland Oregon. Everyone had to have an emerald green Jeep. Now it is difficult to give one away that is that color.

 

Just another option. Sometimes it looks cool. Sometimes it doesnt. Its currently overused so it falls into the 'fad' category, but I dont see it ever going away. It looks great at times.

 

I saw the Aventador in matte white, looked stunning and fit the cars sharp angles perfectly!

Vivid Racing had a matte blue 997 Turbo and that also looked incredible!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/agup627/5452188909/

 

my neighbor has a matte black GTR and E63; the Nissan looks phenomenal, the Mercedes looks cheesy (despite having a much better wrap job).

so, it works on some cars, not on others.

I saw a matte gray Escalade yesterday that looked great. wouldn't have expected that to look good.

and yes Ashy, that matte blue LP640 is awesome

 

Just as a matter of curiosity, precisely how is a wrap job done?

Is the material heat shrink? Wouldn't that cause color variations?

Thanks.....

 

From my understanding it is not heat shrink material. It is stretchy vinyl with adhesive on one side and adhesion is achieved by a stretch and cover technique. Heat is actually used to peel of the material and somewhat returns the material to factory shape before the stretching. And yes, there are color variations especially at spots where the material is stretched dramatically.