This is the BLACKEST Car…Ever
BMW will be debuting its third-generation X6 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in a couple of weeks but is teasing the world with a black version of the SUV. But not in just any black, folks—the vehicle being showcased has been painted in the blackest of all blacks, aka Vantablack.
No, it’s not bad image rendering. It’s what you get IRL.
Vantablack is a substance invented by the UK’s Surrey NanoSystems for use in military, science and is even the cause of controversy in the art world.
It is the reflection of light that allows us to make out hues, shades and dimension but Vantablack can absorb all light that falls onto it, transforming it into heat insead. The Vantablack paint used on the X6 does reflect 1% of light but still, viewers cannot make out many details, except its silhouette and illuminated grille. It’s as inscrutable as any automaker can be when camouflaging yet-to-be-revealed models.
So this is what it’s like staring into a black hole in the shape of a car.
Now, before you decide you want to buy the X6 in Vantablack, you should know that BMW is very unlikely to offer Vantablack as a colour option. The pigment comprises carbon nanotubes (vanta=vertically aligned nano tube array) and would be impractical, not to mention very, very expensive.
Even if you can get your hands on some and get your local neighbourhood auto body shop to help transform your car into a vehicle more ominous than the Death Star, know that “normal” black cars are already more likely to be crashed into, according to statistics. Maybe wait a little and someone is bound to paint their car in the whitest white, which, by the way, is found on a beetle from Southeast Asia.
