Some cars come through the shop and you just take your time with them. This 2018 Ford Shelby GT350 was one of those. Performance Blue with the white racing stripes, and an owner here in Panama City who actually drives it, which means the paint sees real sun, real salt air, and real miles.
Why Coat a Car Like This
A GT350 is not a garage queen you look at twice a year. It gets driven, and along the Gulf Coast that comes with a cost. Our UV index stays high most of the year and the salt in the air works on unprotected paint constantly. A ceramic coating bonds to the clear coat and puts a hard, slick layer between the paint and all of that. On a dark blue car it also deepens the color and gives that wet-looking gloss you can see in these photos.
The Work
Every coating job starts with getting the paint truly clean and prepped. That means a careful hand wash, pulling contamination out of the paint, and making sure the surface is perfect before anything gets applied, because a coating locks in whatever is underneath it. Once the prep was done, the coating went on panel by panel. No shortcuts, no rushing. Every job here is done by me personally, start to finish.
The Result
The beading shot above says more than I can. Water balls up and rolls off instead of sitting on the paint, which is exactly what you want living this close to the water. Washes get easier, bugs and bird droppings release instead of etching in, and the gloss holds up season after season instead of fading out by summer.
We shot the finished photos down at the marina at golden hour, and honestly the car did most of the work. If you have a performance car, a daily driver, or anything in between here in Panama City and you want the paint protected like this, take a look at our ceramic coating options or just reach out and tell me about your car.