BMW X6 Vantablack In Motion Looks Like A Rolling Black Hole
You can "see" it in person starting next week at the Frankfurt Motor Show
We often hear from motoring enthusiasts that best exterior shade on a car is black. It’s also the hardest to keep looking good, because the slightest imperfection shows up like a pimple on prom night. This Vantablack-coated BMW X6 doesn’t have that problem, as its special coating absorbs light better than thick mud absorbing your shoes. We first saw this darker-than-dark Bimmer at the end of August, and if you thought those images were photoshopped, here’s a video of the Vantablack X6 in motion to prove otherwise.
BMWBlog on Facebook has the clip, and it’s downright eerie to behold. Black already absorbs color, but Vantablack is designed to absorb nearly all visible light – 99.96 percent according to Surrey Nanosystems, the company that created the special coating. Whereas a typical black finish on a vehicle will still reflect light, there’s no such reflection from Vantablack and that’s why it takes on such a strange appearance. What you’re actually seeing is an absence of light, not unlike what you might encounter with a black hole. That is, if you should ever find yourself exploring deep space in the vicinity of a singularity.
Gallery: BMW X6 in Vantablack (2019)
As such, Vantablack well-and-truly conceals imperfections but it could have a greater purpose for automakers. Because of its light-absorbing properties, the coating does a fantastic job of obscuring a vehicle’s various body lines and exterior details. In that sense, it functions much like camouflage swirl wrap often used on preproduction prototypes undergoing real-world testing. It might actually be more effective, especially when it comes to photos because body lines can often be spotted under the wrap with close examination. Vantablack, however, makes it all a single dark blob.
If you still don’t believe what the video and photos are showing, BMW will take its one-off Vantablack X6 to the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show where you can see it in person. The show begins on September 12.
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