Watch this S197 Mustang Get a Fresh Coat of Ford Mystichrome Paint

It isn’t exactly easy to mix up, but this S197 looks amazing covered in the legendary Ford Mystichrome paint.

There have been many truly iconic, memorable, and special paint colors that have adorned various vehicles over the years, but in the Blue Oval realm, few can match up to Ford Mystichrome paint. This special, color-shifting hue was offered on the SVT Mustang Cobra for some time as an $815 option after BASF spent three years developing it, but the results are quite dramatic when you see it in action, with multiple colors showing themselves depending on how you look at it. As one might imagine, matching Ford Mystichrome paint isn’t easy as a result of how complicated it is, but we get a good look at how that process works in this video from Dip Your Color.

Those that are or even aren’t familiar with the science of paint mixing are sure to be intrigued by this process, which is pretty fascinating to watch. Our host explains that the paint is going to be a dry pigment, with some xylene added to help blend it, and it’s being sprayed on a black gloss base coat, because this will apparently produce the best results, albeit with a slightly different look. From there, our host starts mixing all of this good stuff together.

After combining two gallons of base coat and two bottles of Mystichrome, the end result is a bit darker than our host expected, but the multiple colors one might expect to see are certainly there. He also clarifies that he went after the look presented by the 1990s version of this special paint, which is a bit different than the one used on the later, New Edge Mustang Cobra. Regardless, it comes out quite stunning, which is a testament to the presenter’s skills.

Laid down on an S197 Mustang – which wasn’t offered with this particular color – the results are simply stunning, and pretty darn close to the OEM look. However, considering Mystichrome costs over $3,000 for 16 ounces, we doubt that too many people are going to follow suit, which is a shame. After all, it’s one of the coolest, most unique automotive colors in history, and we certainly never get tired of looking at it.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.