The magic car paint that changes color with the weather

Remember as a kid when you yearned for those crazy Hot Wheels cars that changed color when you dunked them in hot and cold water? It was about as much fun as you could have, short of striking first in a game of roshambo.

It's the kind of fun you just can't have as an adult. Fortunately, a small UK body shop called Auto Kandy claims to have created a solution for those still dreaming of multi-colored Mustangs: Paint your car in thermochromic paint, and have yourself a full-size Hot Wheels color shifter.

As the video below documents, the car used to showcase the wacky paintwork is an orange Nissan Skyline R33. By pouring cold water on the car, the paint transforms from orange to deep purple. While lacking smoke, the heat-sensitive paint adjusts its coloring via pigments, changing color as the temperature swings. The whole paints costs $320 per liter, but it will only last four to six months, due to excessive damage from UV light exposure. A UV protection clear-coat can be added to prolong its life.

It begs the question: What's the point? After all, it looks as if the car's been vandalized by a giant flock of pigeons that feed only on purple Skittles. And how bored must you be to pour cold water on your car, only for it to change back minutes later as the temperature normalizes? Personally, I'd rather the ChromaFlair colorings used on cars like the TVR Tuscan. That way, I wouldn't look as if I'd bumped into Barney after an all-night bender.