01-26-2005, 01:20 AM
So I wonder, would you buy a car that wasn't glossy off the dealership floor? That wasn't painted at all? That had completely plastic skin with the color impregnated into it?
I'm not asking if you like the styling of this late '90's concept, but is it "shiny" enough for you?
![[Image: wNzU0ODExNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg]](http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNzU0ODExNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg)
image stolen from here, more info too if you never saw this concept car. Its skin was unpainted PET plastic and actually had a nice metalic shine to it when I saw it in person:
http://www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/pronto-spyder.html
I've just always wondered why we hang on to the notion that a good looking car has to be shiny. It just seems silly to me that we try to maintain a gloss finish on something that will meet shopping carts, door dings, road salt, tar, bugs, rocks, fender benders, I'm sure you see what I mean. Obviously, there have been other prototype cars with the same idea, and unpainted plastics are already on the road and making their way into more vehicles. But they are often grey and part of a two tone scheme, ie, the Honda Element.
But unpainted plastic doesn't have to be dull grey, it can have a luster and a color and I would LOVE to have a car that was wrapped in it. Keeping it clean would be much easier, it would last longer and stay just as nice, chips would be un-noticeable, and it would cut way down on production costs, hopefully reflected as a savings to the customer.
So why hasn't a manufacturer run with the idea? Would you WANT a car that had a trouble free exterior even if it wasn't as glossy as a nice paint job? I'd like to know.
I'm not asking if you like the styling of this late '90's concept, but is it "shiny" enough for you?
image stolen from here, more info too if you never saw this concept car. Its skin was unpainted PET plastic and actually had a nice metalic shine to it when I saw it in person:
http://www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/pronto-spyder.html
I've just always wondered why we hang on to the notion that a good looking car has to be shiny. It just seems silly to me that we try to maintain a gloss finish on something that will meet shopping carts, door dings, road salt, tar, bugs, rocks, fender benders, I'm sure you see what I mean. Obviously, there have been other prototype cars with the same idea, and unpainted plastics are already on the road and making their way into more vehicles. But they are often grey and part of a two tone scheme, ie, the Honda Element.
But unpainted plastic doesn't have to be dull grey, it can have a luster and a color and I would LOVE to have a car that was wrapped in it. Keeping it clean would be much easier, it would last longer and stay just as nice, chips would be un-noticeable, and it would cut way down on production costs, hopefully reflected as a savings to the customer.
So why hasn't a manufacturer run with the idea? Would you WANT a car that had a trouble free exterior even if it wasn't as glossy as a nice paint job? I'd like to know.