Interesting expensive car trend.

[Rick Potter]

There is a car dealer that specializes in Ferraris, Hummers, expensive Mercedes and BMW models and the like near me.

I took my '55 T-Bird for a ride today, and drove around his facility. There was a Maserati with a flat olive drab paint job, a couple big Mercedes vans with camo, a camo Hummer H1, and a BMW coupe with flat black. They all appeared to be almost new, if not new.

I seem to be behind the times. My brother is in the process of buying a 2007 slightly used Bentley Continental with very low miles on it from some celebrity in Beverly Hills. I will have to talk to him about a paint job.

I wonder if they are wraps?

[Wayne Lomman]

Flat and low sheen paint jobs have been around for a while. The Red Bull Formula 1 cars have had flat paint for a few years now. It's a trend that will pass like most trends. Don't change you own car's paint job. Low sheen paint really proves your spraying skills. You can't buff out your mistakes. Cheers

[Bob Glenn]

I think Harley Davidson started that a few years ago. I'm not a fan.

[Chris Parks]

They might be wrapped or there is another process now where a plastic sheet for want of a better word is sprayed on and if you don't like it then it can be removed without damage to the original finish.

[Peter Kelly]

Flat automotive finishes attract dirt like crazy too. Much harder to keep clean.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I'd rather have your 55 T-Bird. I saw a mercedes with what I would call more of a semi-gloss black than a flat- it looked great. It's a look that doesn't work in all cases, but it did on that car. I seem to remember that all the "chrome" was painted gloss black. I have a thing for black cars and bikes. I especially love the look on a bike.

[William Adams]

There's a story about that, "And of Course, It Was Black", by John M. Ford.

Love that on a bike as well, or a bicycle:

https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/montague-swissbike-x50-blacked-out-30784

(if it ever stops raining and I can get back to riding, I'll have to take some new photos since I switched to an Ortlieb Trunk Bag RC)

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Been a long time since a Hurst shifter, glass packs and Crager mags on a primer painted POS gave a young man a false sense of being hot crap.

[Warren Lake]

not that long :)

20 minutes ago small town breakfeast 10 miles away, then credit union country back roads, open and pretty farms and custom homes on land, rolling hills and views for miles in some spots, sun shining, 72 GMC shortbox, 410 rear, Cragars, TAs, rear window open, . 400 small block rumble made it complete. No ABS, no Air Bag, no key beep thing to get in, roll down windows. little angle window vent things for air, no push button start. Simple as a lawn mower. I like old woodwork machines and I like old vehicles. I like not keeping up with the Jones. You are not behind the times Rick, not at all.

learned to detail and work paint in LA then an excellent guy in Canada. Id have zero interest in trying to maintain a flat or low sheen finish.

[Jim Becker]

Those appearance alterations are very likely a vinyl wrap as has already been suggested.

[Warren Lake]

yeah maybe the new ones im not up on it and not interested, at the start they were sprayed that way. Know there is lots of gloss stuff that is wrapped, Ive only been asked to polish so far.

[Rick Potter]

Here is the T-Bird, and it is never gonna be flat black. One of the grand kids aboard. They all like to drive it.



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[Robert LaPlaca]

One of the local exotic car dealers places cars in the mall, I was looking at a Maserati Ghibili displayed in the mall, the car featured a flat black wrap job for only $9k additional added to the sticker price. I am a serious car guy and cannot understand the fascination with flat wraps..

[Rick Potter]

We get a lot of flat black cars around here, but they are usually 10 year old Altimas and such. Many have just used primer.

What made me notice was doing it to new expensive cars.

PS: My brother says 'not a chance', if he brings home the Bentley, which is still in negotiation.

[Jim Becker]

While doing a full wrap isn't inexpensive, it's considerably less money than a full repaint...and reversible. Partials are also somewhat popular with some folks, such as just the roof to make a two-toned vehicle.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Around here, we have a lot of two toned, either white and grey, or white and rust colored, Chevy and GMC vans and pickups. Never see a Ford in this two tone scheme. Maybe Ford knows better how to paint a white vehicle than does GM.

[Van Huskey]

As most some have mentioned the vast majority of flat and chrome colored "paint" on cars will actually be wraps. While they are expensive in some ways beyond the owner being able to have a unique car they (almost) fully protect the paint. There are some car buyers who are extremely picky and perfect paint and no respray can be worth more in resell than the wrap costs. Ferrari and Porsche GT series car buyers are among the pickiest and want used cars that present showroom new since they are often paying near or even over the original price for a car already a couple of years old. I think some cars, almost exclusively exotic or just sub-exotic, look good in flat or chrome finishes. I will admit to having become a fan of non-traditional paint colors. My current favorite on Porsche cars is Agate Grey here on a GT4
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[Kev Williams]

There are many places where flat black belongs, but to my eye, the entire body of a car is not one of them...

And to stir the pot - neither are wheels. Tires yes, wheels, yuk. As pretty as that GT4 in the pic above me is, those black wheels just turned it into a demolition derby car.

I like my wheels- and my black paint- to catch a little light ;)
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The ragtop, not much I can do to gloss that up :D

(this is my wife's car BTW)

[Roger Feeley]

A kid down the street has his whole SUV painted with Rhino Liner. That was one sinister looking vehicle.

[Warren Lake]

Cobbel Beach car show yesterday near Owen Sound, Canadas top car show simliar to Pebble Beach. Friends with cars in it from really old to new stuff GT-40 was one. Off the map quality cars from all over North America most brought in huge transports or at least trailed some driven. Zero plastic wrapped cars there just top pieces of car history up to some that are almost art work.

[Van Huskey]

Zero plastic wrapped cars there just top pieces of car history up to some that are almost art work.

You won't find wraps at a Concours d'Elagance but some people who actually drive their cars will wrap them between shows. I have a friend with a 288 GTO and he does that now. He loves it because he can drive the car without having a stroke.