The Lexus RC 350 will make its North American debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January, and today Lexus released information on the new paint process used to create the coupe’s red exterior color:
The luminous red paint is achieved through a meticulous paint process using four base coats of paint which are then baked twice. Layers of colored and clear coating are used to control some of the color’s reflections and establish a balance between the brightness and depth – two elements that traditionally work against each other.
For the red exterior, the factory starts with a base coat of silver and then applies a clear coat. Then, the clear coat is covered by a translucent red coat, which is then topped with another clear coat. The four coats of paint are baked twice to set the color.
As a result, light hitting the paint reflects off the red layer and also off the silver layer below, which adds depth and a metallic highlight to the red coloration. Prior to this new, two-color base process, the factory used base coats with the same color tone (red and red).
Having seen this new red exterior color in person, this elaborate process is well worth the effort — the combination of brightness and depth is unlike any paint I’ve seen before, and it’s certain to become the defining color of the RC coupe.
[Source: Lexus USA]
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