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THERE'S A REASON MAZDA'S RED PAINT IS FAMOUS – AND IT'S NOT JUST HOW IT LOOKS
SLASHGEAR ^ | 11/16/2025 | ANTHONI OISIN

Posted on 02/03/2026 3:12:31 PM PST by TexasKamaAina

It's easy to spot a Mazda long before you've gotten close enough to check out the logo or detailing. That is, it's easy if it's finished in the company's signature Soul Red Crystal: a reflective, multi-layered coating crafted with bright pigments, tiny aluminum fragments, and light-absorbing flakes. Although the color is eye-catching courtesy of its reflective shimmer and depth, that's not the main reason why it's so well known. It's actually mostly because of the specialist and exclusive way the paint is applied and designed.

(Excerpt) Read more at slashgear.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: automotive; mazda; red

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I saw a post on X of ICE pulling someone over. The comments, however, were all about the stunning red of ICE's Mazda. I've noticed this color on Mazdas for a while and found this article that tells a little bit about it.
1 posted on 02/03/2026 3:12:31 PM PST by TexasKamaAina
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To: TexasKamaAina

Looks like candy apple red to me.


2 posted on 02/03/2026 3:14:17 PM PST by right way right (“May we remain sober over mere men, for God really is our only true hope.)
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To: TexasKamaAina

Looks like 1960s era red metalflake to me.....


3 posted on 02/03/2026 3:14:37 PM PST by Iron Munro (Pamela Geller: Where Islam dominates democracy and non-muslims perish.)
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To: right way right

A deep candy apple red.


4 posted on 02/03/2026 3:24:06 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.)
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To: TexasKamaAina

Mazda, since 2012’s models, has been really decent to buy.


5 posted on 02/03/2026 3:26:40 PM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: Jeff Chandler
A deep candy apple red.

Yep!

And Mazda's candy apple red stands out because so many new cars these days come in uninspiring shades of gray. I don't get it. What happened to color?

6 posted on 02/03/2026 3:27:06 PM PST by Drew68
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To: TexasKamaAina

https://www.torquenews.com/1083/should-you-buy-mazda-soul-red-crystal-paint-yes

Should You Buy a Mazda With Soul Red Crystal Paint? Yes, But…

Mazda Soul Red Crystal - Winter Road Grime

Colors like red, black, and dark shades of brown, green, and blue show the salt and dirt from roads more than cars painted silver or white. If you live in an area with winter salting, perhaps a dark red is not for you? If you are bothered by a car looking dirty for months at a time, we suggest another lighter color than Mazda Soul Red Crystal. Buy one that is the color of dirt and stone chips.


Buy one that is the color of dirt and stone chips.


7 posted on 02/03/2026 3:31:21 PM PST by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere)
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To: ConservativeMind

They do make some nice looking cars these days.


8 posted on 02/03/2026 3:33:02 PM PST by rlmorel (Factio Communistica Sinensis Delenda Est)
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To: right way right; Iron Munro

It sounds like a blend of both candy apple and metal flake reds, given the description of reflective undercoat, multiple layers of color coat and reflective particles mixed in.
Most paint shops hate candy coat jobs, due to the difficulty in getting it right. Inconsistency can really be seen in the final product (it’s easier to get the desired look on small pieces like motorcycle fuel tanks, but tough on car hoods and such). Mazda’s robo-painter programmers seem to have cracked the code.


9 posted on 02/03/2026 3:35:10 PM PST by Charles Martel (Progressives are the crab grass in the lawn of life.)
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To: TexasKamaAina

That is really pretty. I wonder if you could apply the same finish to a guitar....? Someone I knew got his old collector guitar that was all beat up painted at an auto shop - it turned out pretty nice.


10 posted on 02/03/2026 3:36:05 PM PST by Scarlett156 (Remember to pray. )
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To: ConservativeMind

Their whole SkyActiv approach was an engineering marvel, of sorts. All sorts of tweaks happened because Mazda was looking at possible bankruptcy and chose to let its engineers dream up what they would want to do. Indeed, engineers, and creative financing to back their dreams up, is what saved Mazda.


11 posted on 02/03/2026 3:44:00 PM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: TexasKamaAina

Dead ringer for Honda’s candy glory red they put on the 79-80 CBX motorcycles.


12 posted on 02/03/2026 3:46:54 PM PST by KingLudd
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To: All

13 posted on 02/03/2026 3:54:22 PM PST by Liz (Jonathan Swift: Government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.)
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To: TexasKamaAina

Best looking paint I’ve ever seen.


14 posted on 02/03/2026 3:54:43 PM PST by for-q-clinton (RL)
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To: TexasKamaAina
Soul Red Crystal is actually made up of three layers of coating on top of the base primer, each with their own purpose. The base layer is a reflective or absorptive layer, which is made up of a mixture of two kinds of flakes. One kind is light-absorbing, while the other is high-brightness, microscopic flecks of aluminum, chosen to reflect the light. A translucent layer of high-chroma pigment sits on top, giving a vibrant red appearance, before being finished off with a clear top coat for gloss and shine. These layers allow the light to effectively bounce around before reflecting it back to you, creating that recognizable signature glow.

GM has been doing this for years.

The most famous was the 50th Anniversary Edition 2003 Corvette.

It had a red base coat.

A middle coat that contained gold-colored Xirallic flake platelets covered with titanium oxide. These synthetic crystals have several desirable characteristics. They are flatter, smoother and more uniform than mica or aluminum. The crystals lie uniformly flat and reflect light where it glows.

They chose gold-colored flakes in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Corvette marque.

Finally, a translucent red-tinted top coat.


15 posted on 02/03/2026 4:07:36 PM PST by Ol' Dan Tucker (For 'tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petard., -- Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4)
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To: TexasKamaAina

My dad says the 1953 Ford maroon color was the best.


16 posted on 02/03/2026 4:15:59 PM PST by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: Drew68

It’s not just grey, it’s that all the new cars seem to be in pastel shades. No life, no depth, no inspiration, just a drab, flat expanse of uninspiring dullness.


17 posted on 02/03/2026 4:16:45 PM PST by Don W (When blacks riot, neighborhoods and cities burn. When whites riot, nations and continents burn)
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To: Don W

Go look up an image of a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville in Iris Mist for eye bleach.


18 posted on 02/03/2026 4:27:06 PM PST by Disambiguator
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To: Don W

“It’s not just grey, it’s that all the new cars seem to be in pastel shades. No life, no depth, no inspiration, just a drab, flat expanse of uninspiring dullness.”

I was thinking about this the other day.
It’s like they’ve taken the romance out of everything.
You just don’t love your car anymore.


19 posted on 02/03/2026 4:46:14 PM PST by missthethunder (Since the 1980 Rona Barrett interview. IYKYK. )
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To: TexasKamaAina

Red is my fave color, and that’s a great red! Yes, candy apple as others are saying. Very interesting article!


20 posted on 02/03/2026 5:57:38 PM PST by jocon307 (DEMOCRATS DELENDA EST)
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