From the Hyundai Veloster to the BMW 7 Series, all sorts of cars have experimented with matte finishes over the past few years. Call it a bit of hot rod chic making it into the industry, consumer appetites for flat finishes are still large enough to eat a horse, so it’s not surprising to see America’s favorite road vehicle entering the low-gloss arena. For 2024, Ford is rolling out the F-150 Lightning Platinum Black Edition and it can be absolutely none more black.
Most of this murdered-out truck’s exterior is finished in matte black, with pops of gloss black on the roof and door handles for contrast. The Lightning decals on the bedsides are particularly cool because they’re highly reflective at night, just like some athletic wear, and all trim from the mirror caps to the Ford emblems are blacked-out. Even the standard tonneau cover is satin black. On the inside, the blackout trend continues with fine black leather and dark Lightning graphics applied to the glass moonroof. It’s all part of the trend of automakers hopping onto aftermarket trends, and there’s another one on the go here that’s hard to see — the F-150 Lightning Platinum Black Edition isn’t actually painted matte black.
Yes, the F-150 Lightning Platinum Black Edition is a factory wrap over top of gloss black — yes, this is a vinyl-clad truck with all the visual impact of matte paint and none of the pain factor. While actual matte paint has become fashionable in the luxury car world, it’s also a huge pain in the ass to live with. It can’t be polished, it can’t be blended to repair damage, it can’t be run through an automatic car wash, and major contaminants like tree sap and bird dirt need to be removed ASAP or else the finish could be compromised. Needless to say, it’s not for everyone, but there is still a way to get the matte look without having to go to all the pesky matte paint care effort.
A wrap is a thin vinyl coating stretched, shrunk, and adhered over top of a car’s factory paint, enormous sticker-style. It’s way cheaper to fix than actual paint, which means its matte care instructions are typically less arduous than with matte paint. Panel gets nicked? Just re-wrap it. Need a wash? Just use a wax-free cleaner. However, wraps have their limitations, namely age. According to popular vinyl manufacturer 3M, “You should expect your car wrap to last roughly five to seven years, depending on the finish and proper maintenance.” See, if you leave wrap on a car too long, not only does the vinyl start to degrade, the glue tacking it to the paint starts to separate. Although a many-years-old wrap can look great up top, it can still be hiding paint damage underneath. On the plus side, a Ford representative states that the wrap is covered under the vehicle’s three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, so there’s peace of mind in the short term.
Ford only plans on building 2,000 F-150 Lightning Platinum Black Edition models, each with a steep starting price tag of $99,990 including freight. Deliveries are expected to start in early 2024, and this thing’s Darth Vader finish should really pop against snow-blanketed landscapes. Sure, it’s a big price to pay for this particular look, but given how most quality wraps will run you several thousand dollars, it’s not bad value if you were looking at a fully-loaded Lightning anyway.
(Photo credits: Ford)
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So edgy. Yawn.
I was doing this with 20 inch bicycles back in the 70’s . Flat black rattle can , motorcycle waffle grips , wide handlebars and a back tire on the front . I like to tell people I invented the mountain bike .
$100,000 goddamn dollars. You can buy TWO work truck/lower spec F150s and have them wrapped yourself for that much money. This is hilariously out of touch.
No matter how many times I see prices like this, I can’t adjust to it. it is insane.
Translation: Don’t buy one of these out of warranty unless you’re prepared to re-wrap it.
You know a vehicle’s sales have tapered off when they start the “limited edition” sticker special editions.
I can’t get over the price. It’s an EV and all, and a pretty nice F150, I guess, but $100k? I’d expect more than a wrap. Is the “fine black leather” from imported water buffalo? Where’s the luxury part come in?
But does it go to 11?
I guess I need a new iPhone.
When I look at the picture of the new Ford Lightning Platinum Black truck all I see is a huge black smudge.
So after 5 or so years, you have a shinny new black truck? Sounds good to me
While out walking my dog, I often see a matte black Lightning in the neighborhood. I personally think it looks horrible, but apparently he was onto something.
“Platinum Black”?
Just… no.
“I’m cosplaying as eco-conscious Batman as I drive to Whole Foods for organic vegan tacos in my $100k pickup truck”
You know what needs to be, “murdered out” next?
Murdering out.
There’s factory, “murdered out” Nissan Rogues. The epitome of NPCmobiles. We’ve hit the peak, people. Move on to something else instead of continuing to murder out a dead horse.
I don’t get it. This look was cool at SEMA like 15 years ago. Yes the OEMs keep rolling out black rims with every model. A minivan with black rims just looks terrible. Reminds me more of the kid who found out what plastidip is for their beater than anything desirable.
Let’s get creative, I want to see how a minivan on gold Subaru rally wheels looks
Personally, I’m game for gold/bronze wheels on anything.
White Rotiforms for me
came here to say this. It’s like when Grandma got on facebook.
Also, I think OEM getting into aftermarket agressivly is horrible for the entire enthusiast base and country as a whole. It’s going to push out the small shops who have a passion and creativity. Ford and Jeep just eating the lunch of small buisness’ all over the country. Sorta sad seeing journalists encourage it as a selling point.
I once bought a car that was green, white, yellow and red. One day I got fed up with it, drove in to a field and painted it satin black with rattle cans.
When it got scratched I’d just rattle can some more satin black over the top. So easy and cheap to look after.
I don’t understand why people pay real money for the same effect.
So it looked like this (the top one)?
https://drifting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-@formulad-liveries-yellow-edition.-fdliveries-driftcarliveries-drifting-ferrari-s15-corolla.jpg
It was an ex-drift car, but nothing like as nice as those.
Miata, red hardtop, then green, then a wobbly band of yellow, then white at the bottom.
The police used to follow me around a lot.
Au contraire, I see some non-black on the front and back. But I have a solution: encase the entire truck in a super-sized all-black Hefty garbage bag and seal it tight.
That is the proper solution to this. There must a leak in the paint booth, which is why the wrapped it. It may also explain the price a bit too.
So Ford got the message people don’t want to spend $60k on EVs, and came out with one that costs 60% more?!?! Wow, just Wow.
This suggest a Sniff the Glove edition, with side art of a woman on all fours, on a chain, being forced to sniff a glove.
Your weekends sound…interesting.
yeah…what do you mean it’s ‘sexist’? It’s…sexual, innit?
I mean, she wasn’t forced to smell the glove you know, repeatedly
I subsequently request the “Two Word Review” edition, because that feels like what the manufacturers want to feed the customer these days
If I’m paying a hundred grand, Ford should be painting the thing. Wraps have their home. Mainly for drifty bois and people with a lot friends who are easily conned into labor and few dollars. OEMs should not be a use case for something that will fail in 5 years. Also, I tend to like the matte trend, but this ain’t it. It just looks sort of out of place.
The “matte” trend is really a “satin” trend, but that isn’t as marketable.
Tell that to my sheets and pajamas.
99 grand…..JFC!!! For a goddamn boring paint color. And it looks like they hired Johnny Bench to paint it. I guess Krylon will make a few bucks.
“How much more black could it be?”
You could ask these people,
https://www.surreynanosystems.com/
I think he was trying to ask these people,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSkGtW-fQ3s