Lexus tattooed an SUV in a world first and it looks pretty cool

In a long line of unique and quite bizarre one-off events like sending an engine noise into space and bespoke models like a car styled off a Nike shoe, Lexus' latest attempt is one of the coolest. Designed and created by London tattoo artist Claudia De Sabe and inspired by traditional Japanese artistry, this one-of-a-kind tattooed Lexus UX SUV has to be seen to be believed.

Claudia De Sabe was given a white UX as her canvas and used a Dremel drill tool to bring her tattoo art to life on the SUVs hard metal exterior. The artwork design features a koi carp which is etched and painted along the entire length of the vehicle. The koi is a motif familiar from traditional Japanese art which represents qualities of good fortune and perseverance.

Traditionally, you would make a tattoo using a fine tattooing needle and ink, but as this is no traditional tattoo client, a tool which is more akin to engraving was needed. The Dremel tool was used to drill away the surface paint and expose the metal underneath to create the intricate patterns. Five litres of Lexus car paint was then painted on by hand to enhance the details. As a finishing touch, gold leaf was added to give the tattoo nice highlights and add a stronger 3D effect to the art, before the whole vehicle was given a protective lacquer coating so that it can be driven on the road.

It was the first time De Sabe had applied her skills to metal rather than human skin and she found both similarities and unique challenges in this unusual commission.

“When you tattoo a person, you have to think about the muscles and tissue beneath the skin. With the car it was about the way the bodywork changes shape over the framework,” said De Sabe, who was assisted by her Japanese-born husband Yutaro.

The project took six months to complete from the initial drawings through to the long five eight-hour days of car bodywork tattooing. Usually in tattoo art, any small slips in a human tattoo can be quite easily fixed or coloured into the pattern. The engraving type of tattoo work required for the car’s metal panels meant that the drill use required absolute precision. Any slip up and it would have been a disaster.

Although the tattooed Lexus UX is not available to buy, it is estimated to cost upwards of £120,000 (AUD $240,000). We have a feeling that if Lexus sold vehicles with body tattooing as an option, they'd sell like hotcakes!

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