Japan Black is the name of a lacquer used extensively in the production of automobiles in the early 20th century in the United States. In a general sense, lacquer is a paint or varnish that produces a hard, durable finish that can be polished to a very high gloss, and gives the illusion of depth. ...

Japan Black's popularity was due in part to its durability as an automotive finish. However it was the ability of Japan Black to dry quickly that made it a favorite of early mass produced automobiles such as Henry Ford’s Model T. Ford’s reliance on Japan Black lead to quip that the Model T was “available in any color, so long as it was black.” This article is about the founder of the Ford Motor Company; for articles on other people named Henry Ford, see Henry Ford (disambiguation). ... 1908 Ford Model T advertisement The Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and the Flivver) was an automobile produced by Henry Fords Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1928. ...

While other colors were available for automotive finishes, early colored variants of automotive lacquers could take up to 14 days to cure, where as Japan Black would cure in 48 hours or less. Thus variously colored pre-1925 car bodies were usually consigned to special orders, or custom bodied luxury automobiles.

The development of quick drying Nitrocellulose lacquers which could be colored to suit the needs of the buying public in the 1920s lead to the disuse of Japan Black by the end of the 1920s. In 1924, General Motors introduced "True Blue" Duco (a product of DuPont) nitrocellulose lacquer on its 1925 model Oakland automobile marque products. Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s - 1920s - 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 Referred to as the Roaring 20s. ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the DuPont company. ... Events January-May January 3 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy. ...