Autoblog

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]

Normally, when you want to change the paint color on your car, you're facing lots of disassembly, extensive prep work, and expensive time in a spray booth followed by seemingly endless hand blocking. Instead of the conventional method, a new technology might be on the way to make a color change as easy as twisting a knob. It's actually quite similar to the magic General Motors has wrought with their magnetorheological dampers. The variable-color paint works this way: prior to paint, the body gets a special polymer coating that's got paramagnetic iron oxide particles in it. When a current passes through this coating, the ferrous particles change their alignment, which alters the way they reflect light, effectively changing the car's color. The default color when the car's not running is white, which hints at a future of exceptionally bland parking lots if this technology takes off.

[Source: Motor Authority]

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Nobody knows what this Lamborghini is, other than "really, really, hot." It's an LP640 with a fighter jet-style camo paint job, complete with rivets and warnings like an arrow reading "HEAT" that points to the exhaust. There's also a red star painted on the hood, which is intriguing because that was used to signify the Russian "Migs" way back when in Top Gun.

A VW Vortex poster claims it's a one-off paint job done on a Lambo in Singapore. The car is right-hand-drive, has a license plate that could be from Singapore, and looks to be sitting in a garage with a couple of Lotuses. Unfortunately, whoever took the pictures seems to have had full access to the car yet neglected to take one pic of the interior. The car even has a call sign written just above its rocker panels. It is, of course: LP640. Can anyone fill in the blanks?

[Source: VW Vortex]

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie Land!

Some things are just unnatural, and should never be attempted. Does the paint job give this car any pop-culture cred via osmosis? Yes, yes, calling it the "General Zee" displays a modicum of wit, but we can't condone trying to splice in cool with a paint job. Us Gen-Xers will always have a soft spot for the orange Charger with pushbars out front and "01" emblazoned on its welded-shut doors. Giving that treatment to a 2002 Z-28 does not make it a collector car, even if the abomination has under 40,000 miles on it. There's a "Dixie" horn setup, and enough amateur-grade extra wiring is present in the underhood shots to make us cringe visibly. Our favorite modification has to be the muffler, which "has holes added to enhance the sound quality of the V-8 engine." The dead newspaper tycoon operating the T5-6 is a nice touch, too. Must be a one-off, 'cause that's the first we've heard of a "Hearst" shifter. Reserve is not yet met at a current bid of $7,100. Us, we'd use that cash as a downpayment on a General Lee replica that's at least a Mopar, though an Omni GLH dressed up in this type of drag would be equally repugnant.

Thanks for the tip, Aaron!

[Source: eBay]