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.
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 it legal to paint your car Vantablack? ›
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.
Is Musou Black legal on cars? ›
A: The simple answer is No. Musou Black was never designed to be used as an automotive paint. This paint is fragile and the coating can easily be scratched/peeled off.
Is Black 3.0 better than Vantablack? ›
Culture Hustle's “BLACK 3.0” acrylic paint isn't technically darker than Vantablack, which absorbs around 99.96% of visible light. (Semple said his creation absorbs “somewhere between 98% and 99%”).
Can I buy Vantablack? ›
Vantablack S-VIS and S-IR coatings are not supplied to private individuals. Many Vantablack S-VIS / S-IR applications do not require an export license. Vantablack VBx2. 3 does not require an export licence, but it is not sold to the general public as it requires professional spray systems and training to apply.
Who is banned from using 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.
Who can t buy Vantablack? ›
After two years of development, the artist Stuart Semple claims that his team has created the “mattest, flattest, blackest” acrylic paint in the world. They've made the paint, called Black 3.0, available for anyone to buy. Except the artist Anish Kapoor, that is. If you've followed this saga, you already know why.
Is Vantablack wrap illegal? ›
Yes, Vantablack Car Wrap is generally legal for road use.
Is musou black toxic? ›
Musou Black has a velvety matte finish and its light capturing ability makes it easy to achieve a non-reflective matte surface. This is due to its lower viscosity compared to general acrylic paints. Its non-toxic formulation makes it suitable for both children and adults.
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.
Does musou black rub off? ›
A: The simple answer is no. We do not recommend painting a car with Musou Black as the paint is fragile and the coating can easily be scratched / peeled off. Top or clear coats may improve its durability, but this will decrease the darkness of Musou Black.
Why is Musou Black so black? ›
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™.
Can you drive a Vantablack car at night? ›
They painted one of their cars Vanta black. So not only can't drive it. because people won't be able to see it at night, they're literally saying, like, this is just a theoretical. Just what would you want to do?
What is better than Vantablack? ›
Acktar black is superior over Vantablack in the ability to absorb light at extreme angles makes it an effective solution for blocking or absorbing light from various directions.
What is more darker than Vantablack? ›
Is Vantablack still the blackest black? No. It has been outshined by a new black created by MIT scientists. MIT engineers have cooked up a material made of carbon nanotubes that is 10 times blacker than anything that has previously been reported.
Is Musou Black the darkest color? ›
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™.
Which black paint is the darkest? ›
Musou Black is “a water-based acrylic paint that can absorb up to 99.4 percent of visible light,” which is claimed as “the World's Blackest Paint.” It's meant for plastic models and crafts, so painting a whole car with it might be … tough.
What is the darkest shade of black paint? ›
Vantablack, the pigment considered the blackest shade of black on the planet, is currently the source of commotion among the art world.
