All About Destroyer Gray!

Destroyer Gray

We here at TouchUpDirect have covered an assortment of gray colored automotive paint from Nardo to Sonic. Today, we’re going to turn our attention to a fan favorite shade of gray. Hailing from the iconic color books of Dodge, let’s take a look at the Destroyer Gray. From its meteoric rise to its puzzling disappearance and triumphant return, Destroyer Gray has had quite the journey. Let’s spend some time getting to know this intimidatingly named color.

High Impact Dodge Colors

Based in the USA, Dodge has been famous for its high impact paint colors for a long time. First introduced in the late sixties, these bright and bold shades took the public’s imagination by storm. That era’s high impact Dodge paint colors featured hues like Go Mango, Panther Pink, and the delightfully punny and bright green, Sublime. The combo of exuberant colors and macho muscle cars were a huge hit. Always aware of its iconic history, Dodge began rolling out high impact colors once more in the 2010s. But among the limes and the pinks, an odd favorite emerged from their lineup. In a crowd of blazing, exuberant colors, it was the flat gray shade that stood out.

It’s Just Gray?

What do we mean when we say that Destroyer Gray is just gray? There is a flatness to this light gray color that makes it unique and raw. The flat effect is created by the absence of metal flake in the paint.  While many companies are going for that shiny metallic finish, Destroyer Gray’s appeal can be explained by its defiance of modern trends. The almost primer-like color has become incredibly popular, with colors like Destroyer Gray and Audi’s Nardo Gray gaining legions of fans. With its popularity skyrocketing, many were confused by Dodge’s choice in 2020 to limit the color to just one model.

Where Did Destroyer Gray Go?

Teased in 2015 on a Challenger Concept Car, Dodge debuted Destroyer Gray properly in 2017. It was released on the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Durango. Soon, Destroyer Gray became an unlikely color superstar. Many drivers, drawn to the uniqueness and elegance of the shade, chose it for their vehicles. But after only 3 years Dodge mysteriously scaled back the number of models that Destroyer Gray was available on. Once 2020 rolled around, Dodge buyers could only get Destroyer Gray on the Dodge Durango. There were many theories bandied about: That it was more difficult for Dodge to produce non-metallic paint. That they were phasing it out to push their new non-metallic gray color, Smoke Show. But perhaps it was because the Charger and the Challenger were on their way out as well.

The Future of Destroyer Gray

No real answer ever emerged about Destroyer Gray’s sidelining and the color quietly adorned Durangos everywhere and nothing else…until 2023. The good news? Destroyer Gray would return on Chargers and Challengers once more. The bad? Destroyer Gray was returning as an iconic color to commemorate the final year of the current Dodge Chargers and Dodge Challengers. Under current emission standards, it was only a matter of time until the vehicles designed to bear Hellcat engines were discontinued. Drivers only had til the end of July 2023 to order their Chargers or Challengers. Dodge announced a new series of cars that include an electric muscle car and a plug-in hybrid. We will just have to wait and see if Destroyer Gray is available on these new kinds of muscle cars.

Protecting Your Paint

Enough worrying about the future of Destroyer Gray, let’s talk about what to do when this fascinating paint sustains damage on your vehicle. Before you start, we recommend that you apply your touch up paint in a location with a temperature around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Determine how big the size of the scratch is. This will allow you to determine which applicator you’ll need. For scratches the size of a pencil eraser or smaller, use the Pen applicator. For damage the size of a quarter or smaller, a Brush applicator is recommended. For large panels, you’ll want to use Aerosol spray. Start out the touch up process by testing your paint on the testing card. You’ll want to include the Clearcoat on the card so you know if you have the correct match.

 If the damage on your vehicle is showing metal or substrate, put down Primer on the target area. This will allow the paint to stick to the surface of the car. Apply 2 to 3 coats evenly over the damaged area. Allow it to dry for 15 to 20 minutes before adding the Colorcoat. The Colorcoat is the actual color you see on your vehicle. Again, apply 2 to 3 even coats before allowing it to dry. Finish up with Clearcoat. You know the drill by now. 2 to 3 even coats with 15 minutes in between. In addition to giving your coat a glossy shine, this layer provides durability. It protects your paint from the sun and everyday contaminants. Once you’ve finished, wait 48 hours for everything to dry and voila! Your Destroyer Gray is top quality once more.

Destroyer Gray’s sophisticated and distinctive shade made it beloved by Dodge drivers and motor enthusiasts everywhere. Its mysterious sidelining gave us an auto mystery for the ages. Even if its company does not continue with this particular product, Destroyer Gray has cemented its place in automotive history.

Want to save yourself some money? Make that nasty scratch a DIY project and order yourself some touch up paint from TouchUpDirect’s website. Our product comes with glowing reviews from other customers and free shipping in the USA on most orders (Alaska and Hawaii get free shipping on everything but Aerosol and Professional sizes). Your paint order is just a click away!

If you are a more visual learner and have other issues with your cars, trucks or motorcycles, we recommend that you watch the videos on our YouTube channel! Get the details on how a variety of DIY projects you can undertake! Our videos range from learning how to get a perfect finish using a polishing kit to touching up motorcycles to instructions on your DIY projects.