Metallic paint

Historically, it was difficult to achieve an invisible repair if the paint was damaged because it is critical to reproduce the flop of the original surface as well as its pigment.

[3] Pearlescent paint uses embedded pieces of iridescent material to produce subtly different colours depending on the angle and intensity of the light.

"Candy apple" or "flamboyant" paint consists of a metallic base coat, usually silver or gold, covered with a translucent coloured lacquer, or more commonly urethane.

One example of such a color is Mazda Soul Red Crystal, which consists of a transparent red layer over a separate layer containing both reflective and light-absorbing metal flakes, creating a strong difference in the brightness of the color depending on the viewing angle.

Luxury car manufacturers (particularly German marques such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz) almost always charge a premium for the "option" of metallic paint on a new vehicle.

Japanese luxury marques and many mass market brands usually do not charge extra for metallic paint.