When a BMW 335i owner in Munich became bored with his black coupe, he hired a team to wrap it in white tape. Two days later, he drove home in his refreshed "Alpine White" coupe (with an M3-appearing black roof). No, it's not normal tape. It's a special 3M wrap, and the process is known as "foiling." Apparently, the German military has been using the process (with an olive drab tape) for some time now. Likewise, the process is popular with race teams and taxi companies. Available in countless colors, the tape itself is thick enough to protect the paint from minor chips and nicks, and it can be left adhered to the surface for 3-4 years without damage (!). Adhesion isn't a problem either, as the tape can even withstand an automatic car wash without peeling off. Thanks for the tip Frank.
[Source: E90post]
Paris Preview: Officially Official, Honda's new hybrid is the Insight!
Mazda Kiyora city car concept, MX-5 facelift head to Paris
Leaked: Official updated Mazda MX-5 image
Reader Spy: Chevy Volt caught on set of Transformers 2
Spy Shot: Production interior of Chevy Volt (maybe)
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged
By the Numbers - August 2008: New Digs Edition
In the Autoblog Garage: KITT Shelby GT500 KR
First Drive: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Nissan Murano
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
nissanfreak87 @ Aug 6th 2008 12:32PM
looks like Dinoc to me, a nice adhesive film used on Clay models in design studios. But that's a pretty cool idea if you don't like the color of your car
Mike @ Aug 6th 2008 1:33PM
Couldn't you see shops offering this service to change the colors of peoples cars at their request? Or plastering pictures and messages on cars? It could be a fashion statement.
Shipey @ Aug 6th 2008 2:26PM
I see heat guns on the floor... is this stuff similar to the Monocote or Ultracote used on model aircraft? If so it should be quite glossy and very resilient.
azzo45 @ Aug 6th 2008 9:31PM
Dinoc is stretched over automotive clay models all the time & this is nothing new in the motorsports graphics world...
... Most NASCAR schemes are huge "wraps". Penske Racing's DHL Porsche RS Spyder (ALMS P2 entry) is even "WRAPPED" to save weight on the carbon fiber body work.
MachinaDC5 @ Aug 6th 2008 12:33PM
The only problem with it is that it turned out so nicely... Well done, guy.
3seriesisking @ Aug 6th 2008 3:53PM
Well done indeed. From where I'm sitting, the quality and workmanship looks top-notch.
Torrent @ Aug 6th 2008 11:37PM
It looks so real. I wanna see it in person.
Nellydesign @ Aug 6th 2008 12:34PM
I'm amazed at the gloss level. Looks like factory paint!
overengineered @ Aug 6th 2008 1:15PM
It's quite common in Germany. All Taxis have that over here (so they can be reselled as a black/silver Mercedes with original paint for some profit), Police and Ambulance too. It will cost you just under 1000€ for a perfect new look.
Jay Evans @ Aug 6th 2008 1:39PM
Not when you see one in real life. It's no where near the gloss of paint and a b**ch to keep clean.
Randy @ Aug 6th 2008 2:12PM
"Not when you see one in real life. It's no where near the gloss of paint and a b**ch to keep clean."
That is correct with most of the colors! I'd like to see a car done in "Highly Reflective Safety Tape" in a dark red! or a Chrome! OMG Chrome an entire car! Like the Audi and even the Ford Reflex chrome! I wonder if that's how they did it!
Logik @ Aug 6th 2008 11:03PM
http://images.google.com
Search for "Chrome M3"
Kimura @ Aug 6th 2008 12:36PM
3M makes amazing stuff.
MemphisNET @ Aug 6th 2008 12:37PM
Wow, thats actually pretty impressive.
Paul @ Aug 6th 2008 12:37PM
very very cool. I wonder what the cost of something like that is?
Ming Hsu @ Aug 6th 2008 12:42PM
Really nice; especially since it would help a lot against corrosion.
Makes me want it for living in NY...
Andy @ Aug 6th 2008 12:58PM
The guy said it cost him 1200 Euros (~1800 USD)
Paul @ Aug 6th 2008 12:59PM
now here is the question - do you think keeping your paint in perfect condition for resale will net you that 2grand back? Probably not, but it might get you close.
Eric Bandholz @ Aug 6th 2008 2:17PM
It will be less expensive to do white rather than any other color because white is the natural color of the wrap material. You can print any design as they are done digitally. Typically projects like these depend on the total sq ft of the car + labor. If you want to find a local wrap company check out this site: http://www.fellerscertified.com/
Depending on who you go through I would reckon prices would be anywhere from $2k - $7k for a "normal" car.
Whubbsie @ Aug 6th 2008 8:33PM
It's just a vinyl wrap... material cost is pretty cheap considering how much you need to buy, though depends on the quality of the stuff you buy.
This has been done in Aus for years, generally only on race cars and and full body wraps on cars for advertising he'll were I work we've even done Buses.
Why is this even news? I've seen plenty of civilian ricer cars with blacked out bonnets , roofs or 2 toned in stuff like this.