You have seen a car with a black painted hood on more than one occasion, and you may have thought that this detail gives it a more sporty look. Or maybe you just thought they tuned it. In fact, on many occasions the color change of this piece is done at the whim of the owner who paints this element as well as sowing the exterior of the car with fiber elements spoilers skirts paint that appears to have glitter or oversized chrome rims.
But the black painted hood is different because its origin was not whimsical or due to an aesthetic issue. it was a solution that began to be applied in the sixties in some competitive cars and its function was to avoid reflections from the sheet metal to the driver. Keep in mind that several decades ago cars had longer and generally more horizontal front hoods. The normal thing was that in the middle of the race the pilots would not receive the impact of the sun’s rays in their eyes except in endurance tests.
But if the pilot in question was tall he would see almost the entire hood, and there they did glitter that could bother you. That is why many drivers decided to paint their hoods black, of course not glossy black, but matte, so that these reflections were no longer a problem. Thus, also, the front view of the car matched the color of the asphalt and as there was less difference in light, the circuit seemed to be seen better.
This solution became so popular in the following years that some manufacturers began to offer some sporty versions of their models with the hood in matte black. Thus, we saw it in the Renault 5 Copa (1976), Ford Capri RS 2600 (1970), Opel Manta GT / E (1975), Fiat 124 Abarth Rally (1972). Did they do it to save their buyers the price of paint and the hassle of painting it? Although many would be used in competition, the truth is that no; simply put, a car with the hood in this black tone was already a synonym of sportiness and some manufacturers wanted to take advantage of that image in some of their models.
In recent years, manufacturers had forgotten about this custom. Abarth rescued it in 2016 with its 124 Spider, which offered the possibility of mounting the hood in black like its predecessor, the Fiat 124 Abarth Rally. It could be thought that this detail was a nod from the new model to its predecessor from which it also took an infinity of aesthetic features. But it is that now Opel returns to rescue this tone not in a model of sports tints, but in cars so unlikely to be seen on the circuits like the new Mokka or the Grandland X.
The possible excuse in this case, is that The front end called Opel Vizor which is already used in the Mokka and very soon in the GrandLand X is very reminiscent of the original Opel Manta and we have already commented that the Manta sported the hood in this tone. We do not know if you would like your car to have the hood painted black but get ready because fashion returns. At least that’s how Opel will try to make it happen.
