I'm interested in knowing which RC colors are metallic or pear? Ultra White seems to be a two paint process, but nothing on the forum or google says definitively whether it is just white or not? I guess the red and orange and blue are metallic, and the grey and silver, black is flat? Can anyone help me be more specific?

 

Ultra White is pearl. The white that the 200t comes in is not. I am not sure about the orange but I think it is pearle as well. The matador red and ultra sonic blue are metalic. If I had to choose color again I would hands down go with the ultrasonic blue. I will be painting my project car that color I like it so much.

 

The ultrasonic blue and infrared are not metallic, as I think that term is usually used. I have had an RC350 in infrared since 2015, and looked at much of the Lexus promotional material on that, as they made a relatively big deal about the new paint process used. As I recall, the car is first painted with a metallic silver, then a few layers of clearcoat for separation, and then a top layer of translucent red paint (with more clearcoat on top, of course). The silver paint acts like a mirror, giving the red an unusual depth and reflectivity. It pops like crazy in the sun, and makes the other red cars in the parking lot look like they have been painted in primer. I often get comments and questions about the color.
They use the same for the ultrasonic blue. As far as I know, these are the only two colors using this technique, which is an option costing about $500.00. (Probably more today.) The only Lexus cars getting the infrared are the RC and the LC500, as of last year.
If you drop by a dealership and pick up a brochure, a full color chart will be in the back of the book, with color chips. They change the available colors every year, usually, so be sure to check.
Also, I have seen several of the Lexus white paint jobs, and they are spectacular: rich and deep and usually with visible metallic fragments.

 

I appreciate the responses, I think this clears up most of my confusion. I guess for a special car might as well hunt for a red or blue since it seems so cool.

 

Good hunting. I've seen a few of the blue ones around (very few) and almost no red ones, which seem very rare. Since those colors are an extra cost option, there were fewer of them made.

 

Obsidian = 2 stage paint process (this is solid black)

Caviar = 3 stage paint process (this is a *very* metallic black)
Ultra White = 3 stage paint process
Flare Yellow = 3 stage paint process
Nebula Gray = 3 stage paint process

Infrared = 4 stage paint process
Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0 = 4 stage paint process

Atomic Silver = 5 stage paint process

 

Awesome, thanks for the detailed info.

 

Thanks, Sign. I need to look into the paint procedures that Lexus uses.
I think I had Obsidian on my SC430. Down home, we just called it black.