The next big thing?

Matt-finish paint.



Last week I wrote about a special edition of Mercedes’ CLS, which was offered in matt platinum paint. At the time I wondered if it would be the start of a new trend. Now Lamborghini is also offering four matt-effect paint finishes it looks like it could well be the start of a new trend.

It is hard to say how these colours will look in the metal but the Lamborghinis on the Detroit Motor Show stand look pretty stunning. The paint appears to have a sheen, an effect more like a satin paint than a true matt. The Italians don’t say anything about the paint’s practical qualities but the ever logical Germans claim that Mercedes’ matt paint is “highly scratch and dirt resistant”.

What neither firm mentions in its press release is how you’re meant to polish matt paint!

Hopes for 2009

Looking forward to the New Year one wish is for sense from the government on speed and speed limits. Given that excessive speed is not the biggest threat to life and limb on the roads the emphasis on speed seems misguided to say the least. There must be a more enlightened approach. Some sort of understanding that on the open road bad driving and inattention are the problems while in urban areas it might make sense to include speed along with not concentrating as the risks. On the open road let’s have Police watching for dangerous behaviour in both marked and unmarked cars but no more camera vans and visible cameras only at known danger spots if speed over the posted limit is the root cause of the problem.

It would certainly make a change from being offered ever more inventive ways to enforce limits.