Matt Black Bonnet

Has anyone else noticed these black bonneted cars on the roads? What on earth is that about - a tribute to Mr Bean’s Leyland Mini?

Rigil

It might be new replacement bonnets. I hit a bushbuck a few years ago and the bakkie went in to the panel beaters. You have to push them to get your vehicle back so I went to check every few days. When the new bonnet went on it was black, but they resprayed it of course. I would have thought white would be a better undercoat, but no, black is apparently better.

I see … so not some fashion, then.

I do know why we see a lot of matt black (and some matt “other”) cars in joburg lately: the invention of Plasti Dip. It’s a “peelable” “paint” any amateur can apply to their car without much hassle or risk, to make it any colour they want. So long as that colour is matt (they claim you can do gloss, but it’s not great). So I can definitely say matt-anything is in style atm so far as car coatings go. It is a tad on the expensive side to do a whole car with the stuff, so I can imagine (no prejudice here, just facts) more out-of-town folk may have to skimp a bit in an effort to attempt the same effect.

That’d be my guess, though the replacement bonnet thing sounds plausible too.

Full disclosure: I know some people who are in to hotting up cars, that’s how I know this.Youtube videos of examples here.

Honestly, if I could be fooled into believing plastidip was a factory gloss coat, I’d get it too just for the extra bit of chip protection it gives you.

I should have added that I also know some people who have had black vinyl put on various flat-ish parts of their cars. Bonnet, roof, and sometimes the boot lid. I imagine doing more compound curves is a lot more challenging when done with vinyl. A couple of these were quite well done and accentuated their cars well. A lot of others, not so much.

We have a number of the manufacturers doing road tests on new models prior to production. Many of these have sections blacked out to provide a degree of disguise to the cars.
Many of the cheaper Eastern imports have paint work that seems not to be able to stand up to our conditions. Flattish surfaces that are most exposed to the sun, roofs and bonnets being two become bleached and discolored. As most of these models do not have great market value and respraying is expensive, covering the affected area with a fiber or a Kevlar sheet usually in black is very much cheaper.