Seeing a lot of them about. Is this something that manufacturers offer as a 'factory' option or is this an after market thing?

Around London recently have seen BMW X5's, Porches, Bentley, Range Rover as well as a Ford Focus. All looked/were plated as 'new' rather than anything that would be in need of a respray.

Looks interesting but far too 'drug dealer' for my tastes. Seems to be popular with young middle eastern men predominantly.

It's normally a full vinyl wrap of the car body. Protects the paint and looks fancy / odd depending on your point of view.

half assed attempt at rat look is it?

Protects the paint

I have never got this – people who put seat covers on or those damn stupid bonnet protectors (see lots of American cars with them).

I mean, who benefits? All you do is drive around looking daft/having uncomfortable seat covers scrunching up etc but it doesn't help you at all, just the person who eventually buys the car from you.

Very odd.

I quite look it, sort of stealth look, but it's not to everyones tastes. Aftermarket AFAIK, never seen it done via vinyl wrap but theres no reason why not.

Quite an "in" look.

If you're blind. Saves polishing I guess.

i have a bonnet cover and a seat cover.

seat cover stops my muddy biking arse ruining me van. bonnet cover looks badass and stops stone chips (allegedly)

Looks like you had a prang and it been painted with primer and waiting for the final coat – it says more 'sh1t driver' than 'gangster' to me.

Well I hope it looks good as I have ordered a Focus in Matt Black. 😐

LHS – RS500 by any chance?!

shhhh, the STW police will not approve and I will be flamed off the forum.

Vinyl wrap of an F430:

yes please, although 345bhp through the front wheels only… hope you've got good insurance and a friendly tyre dealer, LHS!

and stops stone chips

But who benefits from your car not having stone chips on but looking like it has an oversized panty liner on?

bonnet cover looks badass

Half-assed

I was at the Dorchester the other day and parked outside was a Lamborghini in matt black – Looked good to me.

LHS – not quite my cup of tea but one hell of a car!

I've seen a Chrysler 3000 in matt black and I think it looks good, and not in a gangster way!

In the States it is a protection against bugs which can weld themselves to car paint after being squidged and baked in the sun.

But who benefits from your car not having stone chips on but looking like it has an oversized panty liner on?

brilliant.

incidently i dont drive a bmw. and it isnt a half bonnet bra. covers the WHOLE thing.

Seen a Nissan GTR with it. Looks like a batmobile which can only be a good thing (unless the Joker sees it)

I thought it was more to do with the number of unsurfaced roads in North America. Car Bras are very good at protecting a car from massive stone chip damage.

Thats my brothers, aparently its the "in" thing to do, but on the plus side i can write ****t in chalk on it.

Yes

Yes

No

No

Car Bras

I didn't know that was what they were called.

An equally daft name for a daft thing in the first place.

My point is – you drive a car with the damn stupid thing on – it doesn't look in any way cool or useful. It just looks daft. Then you sell the car and the new owner takes it off, throws it away and has a nice chip-free car. And I don't believe the residual price would be any higher for it being 100% chip free anyway.

IMO.

And I don't believe the residual price would be any higher for it being 100% chip free anyway.

On a normal POS car, probably not. If your car is worth anything or at all a classic then maybe its worth keeping protected so it still looks good at shows or on resale as a minter.

I've got a job in Marylebone and quite often there is a Dubai plated CLS Merc and 911 Turbo both in matt black, parked in the same carpark I use. Both look good and the paint finish seems excellent.I would guess they have both had some serious money spent on them as when the owner starts them up the sound of the engines is amazing and far from standard. I think the finish looks very good on the right car and I am liking the look of the Focus.

On a normal POS car, probably not. If your car is worth anything or at all a classic then maybe its worth keeping protected so it still looks good at shows or on resale as a minter

Fair point

A nice chip-free car, with a nice foot-deep strip of paint that hasn't sun-bleached at the same rate as the rest of the car…

Bras are for women not cars.

Whatever next – eyeliner for the edges of the windscreen? Tampons for the exhaust?

Tampons for the exhaust

The logic there being that 4×4 drivers tend to be stuck up ****ts?

Whatever next – eyeliner for the edges of the windscreen?

Audi are pretty much there with their fairy-lights……

The logic there being that 4×4 drivers tend to be stuck up ****ts?

(High 5s Cougar) 😆

Audi are pretty much there with their fairy-lights……

Merc and Porsche seem to be following this "trend" too – looks like they've crashed into a Halfords store.

All cars'll have 'em soon (in one style or another) when DRLs becomes compulsory on all new cars.

DRLs?

Daytime Running Lights

(Obviously they don't need to be a string of fairy lights, but some form of dipped beam that remains on day and night).

Errrrmm – most cars can be programmed to have lights on all the time anyway. We don't need gay fairy lights.

Errrrmm – most cars can be programmed to have lights on all the time anyway. We don't need gay fairy lights.

I agree they don't have to be, they are just the 'thing' at the moment so I can imagine more manufacturers will start designing them into the clusters. Anyway, LED lights consume less power too.

LED lights are fine for the rear but not so good (at the moment) for the front.

Every time I see an A5 I think – that is almost very attractive apart from those gay chav lights.

Even 911s have gone for them – not good.

so far my favourite looking car of all those posted is tracknicko's. its just got something about it.