Honda just made the world’s silveriest Civic, with a 64 percent smooth finish

Silveriest Silver Civic e:HEV celebrates 25 years of Honda hybrids, starting with the Insight in 1999

We’ve all heard of Vantablack, the blackest paint ever created, a color so black it makes other black people feel a little insecure. But what about the “silverest” silver? Does such a thing exist? It turns out that’s the case, with Honda going all out and launching a one-off Civic e:HEV with a coat of silver paint that almost gleams. This is no ordinary metallic finish as it is infused with real silver flakes.

The mastermind behind the special paint is Stuart Semple, a British artist and activist who calls himself a “champion of color.” Semple’s resume is not short of glowing words. He gave the world the pinkest, goldenst gold, and, of course, the darkest black (although if you ask Vantablack creator Anish Kapoor, that last one might come with some legal caveats) ).

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Semple had no qualms about the Civic’s silver makeover, as the paint is 64 percent pure silver flakes and pigments, all suspended in a specialized acrylic mix. Once the mixing process was complete, UK manufacturing specialists The Syrup Room took up the challenge of spray painting it onto the bodywork.

The process doesn’t stop there. The final Silveriest Silver layer is carefully applied over multiple layers of protective removable paint, ensuring the surface is not only shiny but also resilient. As you can imagine, Honda claims this is the first time this paint has been applied to a vehicle.

This silver one-off celebrates Honda’s 25th anniversary of hybrids, starting with the 1999 Insight. The current 11th-generation Honda Civic e:HEV has been around since 2022, with the Japanese-spec model receiving a slight refresh earlier this year. The self-charging hybrid unit includes a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter gasoline engine, an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack.

In addition to the Civic, Honda’s hybrid model lineup in Europe also includes the Jazz, HR-V, ZR-V and CR-V. These models will be joined by the new Honda Prelude coupe, which will be launched in the next few years with a hybrid powertrain.