German tuner Gemballa has announced an innovation that should lead to many cars that surpass the gaudiness of even its own gold-splashed Mirage GT Gold Edition. It's a car finish made from crushed diamonds.
"When Gemballa speaks of diamonds, we really mean it", says CEO Andreas Schwarz. "Our complex process uses genuine diamonds as its key ingredient – not metal pigments, glass fragments, or crystals."
Gemballa's challenge was to crush the diamonds small enough that they could be applied fluidly like paint while still maintaining their sparkle ... because what good is having diamond paint if people can't see it from a mile down the highway? According to the tuner, grinding stones into a fine powder actually helps to increase shine, thanks to the innumerable reflective facets of the ground stones.
Gemballa hasn't elaborated on where we might see an actual application of the diamond finish, but it does mention that due to the diamond's carbon makeup, it will make for a natural accent atop carbon fiber body work. It also says that the finish can be applied on both the exterior and interior. We have a feeling a Mirage GT Diamond Edition is deep in the works.
So yes, Gemballa is dedicating some of the world's most beautiful, sought-after precious stones toward making its paint extra sparkly. Just one more way for the rich to feel all warm and privileged inside, we suppose.
Source: Gemballa via World Car Fans
The reflections from some cars' rear windows can be annoying enough at times, without some idiot with more money than sense making their entire care reflective and presumably dazzling from miles away.
This will not stop a German company selling the paint but a car with it sticks out like a sore thumb, unlike the original reflective number plates.
I always liked the glitter of a silver flake paint job or the metallic paints but this I've got to see.
I thought at first the aim might be the durability of a diamond based paint but I guess that's not the deal. I've seen diamond cutting wheels with fine diamond particles embedded in them and I don't remember any glitter. Oh well, learn something every day.
Mr E