Lexus LC Inspiration Series's Blue Color Has No Blue Pigment

At the LA Auto Show Lexus announced a new exclusive edition of its LC grand tourer called the Inspiration Series, featuring a blue color that has no actual blue pigment in it.

The Inspiration Series is meant to be an ultra-exclusive version of its already exclusive cars. With its flagship LC, Lexus decided to set it apart by using a new paint process to create the color called Structural Blue.

"Our designers were inspired by the wings of the Morpho butterfly which appear bright blue but are in fact gray. The structural blue paint actually has no blue-colored material in it," Lexus vice president Jeff Bracken told reporters at the recent LA Auto Show. "What you're seeing is a blue reflection of the paint absorbing light."

Under a microscope, the paint forms a geometric pattern that absorbs all light except blue wavelengths. It has taken Lexus 15 years to develop this paint, and the process is so complex that only two "Structural Blue" LCs can be painted in a day. The effect is hard to capture in photos or artificial lighting, but in natural light the effect is said to be "holographic."

Inspiration Series LCs will also include a Bespoke White interior, carbon fiber scuff plate, and 21-inch alloys. It also comes with an exclusive sommelier wine set that matches the interior, as well as a "very special wine" by Lexus race car driver Scott Pruett, who also runs a vineyard in California.

Only 100 Inspiration Series LCs will be produced. Each will cost $106,640. Bracken says to expect more Inspiration Series cars with unique touches in the future, including as extensions of LS and LX model lines.