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Wrapping: It’s Time To Wrap Your Car
Words by Alessandro Marrone / Photo by S. Lomax
If you open a magazine, or browse the immense world of the web, collecting information about wrapping is quite simple. However, it often happens that we do not find answers to those questions that separate us from the big step. “To wrap or not to wrap?”. Of course, there is a lot of difference between small interventions such as adding a couple of stripes, some decals, or perhaps film the bonnet or the roof, compared to wrap an entire car. That’s why I decided to talk about my experience, about two years after I transformed my Cayman S from a normal Porsche in Carrera White into something that certainly does not go unnoticed – exactly what I was looking for.
In this article you will find nothing but the testimony of someone who has used an entirely filmed car for over 700 days and who did so relying on the expert hands of the guys at WrappingItaly.it, Italian excellence recognized in the world and also chosen by celebrities like fashion designer Philip Plein. Let’s start by specifying that this is not a paid promotion, because despite WrappingItaly.it is also an ACM’s well-known partner and has reserved me a special treatment, the work has been regularly paid, so I would not be required to distort the truth.
Let’s start with the fact that the world of wrapping is almost infinite, ‘cause it gives the possibility to realize everything you are able to imagine and even more. What do I mean by this? It means that we always start from a basic idea, where mine was, for example, to vary on the arctic camouflage theme, resulting in one of a kind car and not yet another sports car wrapped in black and white camo. Presenting my ideas to the graphic designers team, we worked through renderings that gradually shaped and defined the pattern to be applied at the back, while the front would remain cleaner, with a brighter white than the original Porsche paint. An important point is precisely that after having disassembled every single piece of the car, the film was entirely printed and then applied after the special polishing of the paint. This means that the white parts are not those of the bodywork, but they are film as well, so as not to create steps where you see the design on the rear and at the same time to preserve the paint on the front, in case of stone chips raised on the move. Some touches then finished by the guys at WrappingItaly.it were the partial darkening of the glasses, the sun visor band with Porsche lettering and the white profile on the rims, a small detail nevertheless able to make the wheels stand out even more.
The construction and installation times were short, in about a week the car was disassembled, prepared, wrapped and finished. At the collection time it did not seem to be in front of my usual Porsche, because thanks to this wrapping it has not only rejuvenated, but has gained in terms of character and, needless to say, is a real magnet everytime you go out for a drive. Is it difficult to keep the film in good condition? Absolutely not, apart from the fact that if over time some small bubbles appear, just go to the workshop and it will be a matter of minutes. I used it in the sun, rain and the film remained in excellent condition even in the most battered area, that of the bumpers. It is also even easier to wash, first because there are no streaks and second because it dries much faster than a painted surface. Then always keep in mind that it is not a definitive solution, if you get bored you can change it, or go back to the original color, perfectly preserved under the protective/aesthetic layer of your wrapping.
However, some precautions should be mentioned, namely the fact that it is not recommended to put the car under brushes, which in any case should not be done anyway unless you look for specific and recently installed brushes. Having ascertained that the longevity of the film is not a problem, all that remains is to do the math, because although wrapping is more convenient (and practical) than coating, as well as being able to offer much more creative possibilities, relying on experts has a cost and this varies depending on the type of project (single color or special graphics), the surface on which the intervention will be carried out and many other details, which is why I do not find useful to unbalance myself with figures that would vary so much according to the various factors that are called into question depending on the work you need. The last suggestion is to be careful in replicating racing liveries, especially with brands and logos, because in some cases, such as for example with tobacco brands, you can face pretty expensive fines. Having said this and tickled your curiosity, for any other information or a simple quote, trust the experts and you will not be disappointed.
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