From pitch-dark to mouse-gray: The beautiful, colorless world of cars

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When you look at our streets, you realize that the colorful world of cars will not disappear. With a share of 31 percent, the most popular car color in the world is plain white, followed by various shades of gray, including black and silver. Only ten percent of cars in Switzerland are blue, the other five percent are red (also interesting: that’s what your car says about your intelligence).

However, some car brands – even if they have their own color development departments – have always placed great emphasis on gorgeous colored paints. Some colors have become iconic company colors, such as Ferrari red or British racing green of British brands. So, how did color enter the automotive world in the first place?

All beginnings are black

The world’s first car was pitch black—literally. Color was not car paint in today’s sense, but pure cobbler’s bad luck! Car pioneer Carl Benz (1844–1924) drove his patented No. 1 motor car, which was completed in 1886, what was originally intended to make the sewn shoelaces more durable as protection against corrosion. In the following years, there was no need for individual paint. : one of the first motor cars ever owned, yet it stood out from the crowd.

Benz and other car inventors quickly realized that the cobbler’s curtain was not a permanent solution: it was not very weatherproof, it burst open. But after the invention of the spray gun and the start of mass production of cars in the early 20th century, colored paints became increasingly durable and affordable. For the first time, race cars have been given colors to better distinguish them. Then the color revolution got its way.

Color television and hippie culture

After the dark years of Europe, from the end of the Second World War, more and more bright colors characterized the street scene, which was also greatly influenced by the advent of color television – suddenly colorful cars buzzed on the screen. The hippie movement did the rest to make gray asphalt surfaces more colorful.

But as soon as the colored cars appeared on the streets, they disappeared again: today, colors such as white, anthracite and black dominate, although we can choose from an almost infinite number of different paints from the entire color spectrum. The reasons are simple: On the one hand, most people want to not be recognized on the street and, if possible, not stand out with a brightly colored car. On the other hand, white, gray or black cars are easier to sell for the same reasons.

Color at the touch of a button

Still, automakers are trying to grab attention with their new color creations (see box). They rarely succeed at this: the best example of this is the small car Polo, which VW launched in 1994 as a special model “Harlequin” in a wild four color combination. What would become a cult object was eventually sold just 3,800 times.

The bizarre i Vision Dee that BMW unveiled at the CES Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (USA) earlier this year looks even more promising: The concept car changes its exterior color and can even display messages at the touch of a button. or symbols on the body. “Good morning!” Near the bright yellow car to work? i Vision Dee makes this possible. Will the concept be the solution for more colorful streets one day? It would always be desirable.

Source: Blick