INSPIRED by the American Morpho butterfly which is renowned for the deep, shimmering blue of its wings, Lexus has created a dazzling new paint shade, known as Structural Blue, that uses ground-breaking technology developed during a 15-year research project.
Structural Blue is the result of painstaking research into how advanced technology can produce a finish that is deeper, more lustrous and essentially more “blue” than anything seen before.
First presented on the Lexus LC grand tourer at the 2016 Geneva motor show, it has now been developed for production, adding extra elements of exclusivity and hand-finished quality to the brand’s sensuously designed LC coupe.
The exclusive, shimmering new shade will make the new LC luxury coupe stand out from every other car on the road and will be offered in extremely limited numbers here in Australia, exclusively on the LC flagship, from the first quarter of next year.
These cars will be the choice of connoisseurs who recognise and value both the application of advanced technologies and the highest standards of Lexus Takumi craftsmanship.
Due to the intricate technologies and fine quality of the process, only two Structural Blue cars can be produced each day at the Lexus Motomachi factory, with the 15 year colour quest a collaboration between the company’s US and Japanese technical centres and California-based VIAVI Solutions.
The creation of Structural Blue is an achievement that presented exceptional technical challenges. In their intensive search to create the new colour, the team studied the structure of the Morpho butterfly’s wings to determine how a similar iridescent effect could be achieved with vehicle paint.
Despite their appearance, the wings are colour less. The blue seen by the human eye is created by light interference on the microscopic lattice surface structure of the butterfly’s wings. Replicating such high luminescence and colour saturation required unprecedented efforts to develop a new kind of multi-layered pigment.
At first it seemed the challenge was simply too great: the desired quality could be secured only by using a pigment with 40 separate layers. But the team persevered, constantly improving the process until the effect could be achieved with just seven layers, making it practical for use on highly exclusive vehicles.
The pigment is used to produce a new paint in a production process taking eight months, including 12 production steps and 20 quality inspections. The paint is applied to the LC’s bodywork in a 15-micrometre layer between the primer and clear coats.
Nano-structures – super-small flakes – in the paint generate iridescence, giving the impression of the colour constantly changing with the light.
LC models in Structural Blue will feature a cabin presented in the LC’s Breezy Blue colour combination, with a mid-blue semi-aniline leather for the upper door trims, steering wheel, instrument panel and centre armrest. This contrasts with white fine leather-accented seat upholstery and vivid orange for the shift lever surround and the draped Alcantara door panels.
