When the all-new Lexus RC Coupe will launch in 2014, it will be available with a striking red paint that brings more brightness and contrast thanks to an entirely new painting process.
Using a two-color base of both silver and red, the luminous red paint is achieved through a paint process using four base coats of paint, which are then baked twice.
Lexus says 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 usually work against each other.
To prepare the color, the factory starts with a base coat of silver and then applies a clear coat that is covered by a translucent red coat, which is topped with another clear coat. The four coats of paint are then baked twice to set the color.
Thanks to this process, light hitting the paint reflects off the red layer and off the silver layer below, adding depth and a metallic highlight to the red coloration. Before using this new procedure that will debut on the Lexus RC Coupe , the factory used base coats with the same color tone (red and red).
By Dan Mihalascu
