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 illegal to drive a Vantablack car? ›
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.
How is Vantablack used in the military? ›
Since no light can escape it, the material becomes essentially invisible to the human eye, causing three-dimensional objects to appear two-dimensional. Vantablack seems like an incredible resource for military applications, such as enhancing stealth aircraft or camouflaging soldiers.
Why can't anyone use Vantablack? ›
Because Vantablack is not produced as paint or pigment in the traditional sense, NanoSystems says it is “generally not suitable for use in art due to the way in which it's made.” A form of the substance that can be sprayed onto surfaces, called Vantablack S-VIS, requires “specialist application,” the company says.
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.
Is Black 4.0 blacker than Vantablack? ›
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. The difference is not that small. On the other hand, Vantablack is highly toxic (similar to asbestos), while Black 4.0 should be quite a lot safer.
Can you see a Vantablack car at night? ›
BMW Vantablack X6 roams through the night. Almost invisible, its super black coating plays tricks on the human eye. In September 2019 BMW presented a spectacular one- off show car with a deep black paint finish that highlights the expressive design language of the BMW X6 to perfection.
How much is Musou black car paint? ›
Called Musou Black, this paint is said to be the darkest water based acrylic paint in the world. This custom Porsche 911 was painted by Pit One Customs garage in Japan. A 100 ml bottle of the paint will run you a little over $18, so painting a full car will cost a pretty penny.
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.
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.
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.
Can I purchase 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.
Can Vantablack be touched? ›
While Vantablack is sensitive to touch, it's super robust against other forces, like shock and vibration. This is due to the fact that each carbon nanotube is individual, and has almost no mass at all. Plus, most of the material is air.
What does Vantablack feel like? ›
Wrinkles, volumes, bumps; everything disappears. Imagine looking at a screen in which a shape has been cut out, leaving nothing but its absence. Standing in front of something in Vantablack makes you feel like you are staring into space.
What is more darker than Vantablack? ›
There are several coatings which are blacker than Vantablack. While Vantablack absorbs 99.96% of incoming light, the latest blacks can absorb 99.995%, almost 10 times blacker.
Is Musou black the darkest paint? ›
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 black 4.0 blacker than Vantablack? ›
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. The difference is not that small. On the other hand, Vantablack is highly toxic (similar to asbestos), while Black 4.0 should be quite a lot safer.
What is the closest color to Vantablack? ›
I have some of the Stuart Semple Black 3.0, which is probably the closest you're going to get to Vanta Black. It is indeed VERY black (and it's also cheap).
