In the mid-1950s during the Vietnam War, the US military looked for a way to protect and extend the life of helicopter rotor blades. The helicopters blades were being damaged by flying debris during landing and take-off. The US military received a solution for their problem in the form of helicopter tape, a thermoplastic urethane that could be applied to rotor blades for protection without hindering performance.

The Original ‘Car Bra’ was invented in 1961 when three engineers visited Bill’s Upholstery Shop and asked Bill Colgan if he would design a protective cover for their own Porsche cars. Thus, the very first PPF pattern was for the Porsche 356. For many years the stretchable black vinyl ‘car bras’ were the only option for protecting your vehicle’s paint work from road chips and scratches. Not everyone was pleased with the original ‘car bra’. A common concern was that the ‘car bra’ ruined the looks and appeal of vehicles and many argued that the ‘car bra’ caused damage to the vehicles paint work.

The 1980’s saw helicopter tape was being sold as a ‘Ski Saver’ product that provided protection to the tops of downhill racing skis. The protective film also made its way into the automotive industry. Automotive racing teams applied the clear protective film to the front of their race cars for protection against track rubber, road debris, and close contact driving. Finally, the ‘car bra’ became known as ‘clear bra’ and was designed to stretch over the contours of the front end of a vehicle to provide protection again road debris, parking area scratches and scuffs, harmful UV rays that fade car paint, and many other elements that can damage your vehicle’s paint.