There's something undeniably cool, and also a bit sinister, about a black car cruising down the road, particularly in a city at night where the illumination can play off the vehicle's body. The wonders of modern chemistry mean that it's now possible to have a machine that's even blacker by absorbing nearly 99 percent of the light.
When wearing paints like Vantablack and Musou Black, a vehicle's body goes even beyond the look of a matte finish. They look almost unreal on the road because even under bright lights, they don't seem to reflect anything back, unlike everything else in the world that we are used to seeing.
What's The Difference
Regarding these colors,Vantablack absorbs up to 99.96 percent of light. This is the rarer of the two shades because makerSurrey Nanosystems requests a sales quote from customers before supplying it.
Musou Black absorbs up to 99.4 percent of light. KoPro, its maker, sells bottles of acrylic paint for 2,500 yen ($18.20) for a 100-milliliter bottle. There are also versions available as adhesive sheets and fabric.
Porsche 911 Turbo
The video of a Porsche 911 Turbo in Musou Black hit the Web and garnered huge amounts of attention. The clip shows the amount of preparation necessary to apply this paint. At the end, the driver takes the car onto the road. During the day, it looks unreal. At night, the vehicle's appearance becomes even more enigmatic because your eye expects the lights of Tokyo to shine off of the body.
Ferrari SF90
This Ferrari SF90 presents a much bigger mystery. Despite the name of the video, we don't think this is actually Vantablack. First, the makerSurrey Nanosystems generally doesn't sell to the general public. Also, the color doesn't look quite black enough. As an alternative, this car might have Musou Black paint or the wrap that is available from KoPro.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
This Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is extra special. We first saw it in the video below when the car received a coat of Musou Black paint. The initial result was impressive.
The same painter then went further by applying a coat ofHyperShift on top of the Musou Black. It wasn't easy to do, either. The process required combiningthe color-shift layer withnaphtha thinner and then waiting for thenaphtha to dissolve. The final result was a sparkly finish with purple undertones that looked really neat.
BMW X6 Vantablack
Here is the only car that we can definitely say wears Vantablack paint. BMW unveiled this X6 in the super-black color at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. Then, for whatever reason, the company displayed the crossover in a room full of neon lights. Unfortunately, this presentation method made it harder to appreciate how dark the body was.
Gallery: BMW X6 Vantablack at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show
The press photos in the gallery below provide a better idea of what this X6 looks like. There was also a video on Instagram video that showed it on the move for an inkling of how this crossover appeared in the real world.
Subaru WRX
The custom vehicle painter Stillbruch Lack from Bergheim, Germany, applied Musou Black to a Subaru WRX. The dark color really makes elements like the lights and red badge pop out from the body.
Daihatsu Atrai
This Daihatsu Atrai kei car is ultra black, but this vehicle is not painted. Instead, the body has a wrap in KoPro's Fineshut Kiwami material. It absorbs up to 99.905 percent of visual light, which is more than Musou Black but less than Vantablack. The company sells a piece measuring 190 millimeters by 53 mm for¥2,300 ($17) or a 480-mm by 280-mm section for ¥12,000 ($87).
Lada
Let's say you can't get ahold of Musou Black or Vantablack paint. The folks from the Garage 54 YouTube Channel tried to make their own version and applied it to a Lada. The vehicle clearly wasn't as dark as the other entries on this list, but the effort was interesting.
To make such black paint at home, the channel created a fine dust of carbon black and then mixed it with a clear coat to apply the material to the car's body.
More on car design:
Volkswagen says its mainstream brands will be even more alike
Polestar thinks current car design is arrogant and it molests people
Sources: Surrey Nanosystems, KoPro, ピットワン via YouTube, DipYourCar via YouTube, stillbruch_lack via Instagram, Garage 54 via YouTube
FAQs
According to Surrey Nanosystem's catalog, the light absorption rate of VBx2 is 99%. This means that Musou Black Paint with its 99.4% absorption rate is almost 2x blacker than Vantablack VBx2!
Is Vantablack illegal in the US? ›
There's a paint, a “material,” that an artist patented, and no one else is allowed to use it. Anish Kapoor bought the exclusive rights to Vantablack, the blackest black available to artists. (Feel free to insert a “Spinal Tap” joke here, if you are of a certain age.)
Is black 4.0 blacker than Vantablack? ›
Black 4.0 - 99.95%. So in other words, Black 4.0 'just a paint' is imperceptible from Vantablack using human vision, and the Anish Kapoor thing was just a publicity stunt? Looking at it the other way, Black 4.0 reflects 0.05% of the light, and Vantablack 0.035%. So Black 4.0 reflects about 40% more light.
Can I get my car painted in Vantablack? ›
Vantablack, specifically Vantablack VBx2, was not approved for use on vehicles by regulatory authorities in most jurisdictions. Vantablack is an extremely black material that absorbs nearly all visible light and is primarily used in scientific and industrial applications.
Who isn t allowed to buy Vantablack? ›
To the best of your knowledge, information and belief this paint will not make it's way into that hands of Anish Kapoor. Of course, Semple isn't cruel enough to ban Kapoor from using this color for life—only until Kapoor agrees to give up his exclusive rights to Vantablack, Power reports.
Can I buy Vantablack? ›
Vantablack S-VIS and S-IR coatings are not supplied to private individuals.
Why can't you touch Vantablack? ›
It's only when you turn it around and you realise that it's got a lot of dimensionality, that you grasp how different it is," Mr Jensen said. Because it's made of delicate carbon nanotubes that are more than 99 per cent empty space, Vantablack can't be touched without damaging the effect of the coating.
Does Vantablack get hot? ›
When light strikes Vantablack, instead of bouncing off, it becomes trapped and continually deflected amongst the tubes, absorbed, and eventually dissipated as heat. CVD Vantablack was an improvement over similar substances developed at the time.
Why is Vantablack so expensive? ›
Unfortunately, you can't just go out and buy Vantablack. It's grown using a patented process that can take up to two days and, ounce for ounce, it's more expensive than diamonds and gold. For more, watch Living Colour.
How fragile is Musou black? ›
This paint is fragile and the coating can easily be scratched/peeled off. Top or clear coats may improve its durability however this will decrease Musou Black's darkness. If you would still like to paint a vehicle, we recommend to do it solely for display purposes and not for long-term use.
Most surfaces that we think of as black actually reflect some light. These are very dark gray, but not absolute black. The blackest acrylic paint in the world absorbs 99.4% of light and was developed only in 2020, by the Japanese company Koyo Orient Japan Co Ltd, who called it Musou Black™.
Is musou black toxic? ›
Its non-toxic formulation makes it suitable for both children and adults. Musou Black is also a water-based acrylic paint which is easily applicable with a paintbrush or airbrush. For a limited time, a complimentary Musou Black is available with the brand's poster colour set of 18+1.
Is Vantablack wrap illegal? ›
Vantablack car wrap might be considered illegal in some jurisdictions, and for good reasons too, the first and foremost being the safety concern. Due to the color absorption property of Vantablack, your car might be nearly invisible in low lighting which can cause accidents on the road.
What happens if you shine a light on Vantablack? ›
Where does the light go? Basically, it gets trapped inside the material. Vantablack, as the material is called, is made by tightly packing carbon nanotubes — rods of carbon that are much, much thinner than any human hair — so close together that light goes in, but can't escape.
Which is darker, musou black or Vantablack? ›
What's The Difference. Regarding these colors, Vantablack absorbs up to 99.96 percent of light. This is the rarer of the two shades because maker Surrey Nanosystems requests a sales quote from customers before supplying it. Musou Black absorbs up to 99.4 percent of light.
Is Musou Black the darkest? ›
The blackest acrylic paint in the world absorbs 99.4% of light and was developed only in 2020, by the Japanese company Koyo Orient Japan Co Ltd, who called it Musou Black™.
Is Vantablack darker than a black hole? ›
Because while Vantablack is dark, black holes are even darker. They form when massive stars explode and collapse at the end of their life cycles. Black holes have such a strong gravitation force, they pull anything nearby into them: even light!
What is the blackest black shade? ›
According to Surrey NanoSystems, who created Vantablack, the color absorbs 99.965 percent of light. Vanta stands for vertically aligned nanotube arrays—which is exactly what the color is made up of. More specifically, it is created via the sprawling growth of tiny, carbon tubes on a substrate.
What is better than Vantablack? ›
Acktar black is considered to be more environmentally friendly than Vantablack due to its inorganic composition and extremely low outgassing properties. In contrast, Vantablack is made of carbon nanotubes, which may have some outgassing and potential environmental concerns.
