06/01/2010

Mercedes “Gullwings” shine with BASF Coatings paints

• New Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG meets "godfather" Mercedes-Benz 300 SL from the 50's
• BASF products ensure sustainable mobility

Münster. No other car shows so plainly how closely related driving and flying can be. The doors of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG do not simply open, they swing upwards like the wings of a seagull. The elegant sports car has now met its legendary predecessor, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, on the BASF Coatings site in Münster. Just like its predecessor, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has good prospects of becoming a design icon. BASF Coatings paints, which lend the models their brilliant aesthetic qualities, play a major part in the creation of these prospects.

Thomas Fritzsche, Global Account Manager for Daimler at BASF, explained that "BASF supplies e-coats, primer and clearcoats and the majority of basecoats for the exterior of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. In addition, we offer comprehensive service. BASF employees professionally support the refinishing of the Mercedes on site." In addition to the optical effects, the products guarantee corrosion protection, scratch resistance, and resistance to environmental impacts. A new type of color aesthetics can be seen in models coated with Alubeam, a Liquid Metal basecoat. This coating ensures a radiant deep gloss, almost as if the car were made of chrome rather than painted.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, with its gullwing doors, resembles the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SL that was built in the 50's and attained cult status. Today, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is one of the most desired vintage Mercedes-Benz. Only 1,400 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs were produced between 1954 and 1957, one of which is owned by BASF. Just like the "newcomer”, the "godfather" is completely coated with BASF Coatings paints. Jürgen Book, head of Automotive Refinish Customer Service, said that "for the complex restoration, Glasurit® 90 Line waterborne basecoats by BASF Coatings were used. After all, in addition to high-quality refinish products, which are also used in the production of luxury cars, Glasurit offers the largest color database worldwide and a high-precision color matching system.” The BASF team used the color matching system to successfully determine the original color of the classic Mercedes-Benz. “Our database includes information on more than 200,000 colors. We can exactly reproduce every color that was applied by manufacturers during the past decades," Book added.

BASF products for more sustainable mobility

Already in 1928 spray coatings for the automobile industry were produced in Münster. When the classic Mercedes-Benz was manufactured in the 1950s, BASF had become an established partner of carmakers. Since then, the share of chemical products in cars has continually risen. Compared to the 50's, plastics replace numerous metal parts today, so that cars become lighter and use less fuel. In addition, plastics muffle motor noise, absorb bumps in the road and thus guarantee a level of comfort that was unthinkable 50 years ago. In the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, for example, BASF polyurethane armrests ensure relaxed and healthy seating. Furthermore, catalytic converters reduce emissions and fuel additives make motors more durable. Glysantin® engine coolants from BASF protect the Mercedes’ radiators from corrosion, frost and overheating. While the 1957 model Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was still coated using solventborne paints, today more environmentally friendly waterborne basecoats are standard for automotive refinishing and OEM coating – with even greater aesthetic effects, as the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG impressively demonstrates. "These two cars from two centuries are not only a testimony to unique design and state-of-the-art automobile engineering," said Fritzsche, "they also show how chemistry makes mobility more sustainable, more comfortable and more attractive. With our products and service, we help our customers to achieve just that and to become more successful on the market."