DuPont Performance Coatings, Inc., was created in March 1999 by the merger of DuPont Automotive Finishes, a business unit of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, and Herberts GmbH, the coatings subsidiary of the German chemical firm Hoechst AG. Automotive Finishes had once been part of DuPont's Automotive Products Dept., and DuPont had a long history in automotive finishes.

Lucite paint replaced the Duco and Dulux paints which DuPont had created in 1920 and 1926, respectively. Duco was a durable quick-drying lacquer used for appliances and as the standard finish for General Motors (GM) vehicles. Dulux was glossier, which made it more popular than Duco. Lucite paint was introduced in the 1950s and was less expensive and more durable than its predecessors.

The DuPont Company had been involved in the automobile industry since 1914, when Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954) purchased stock in GM and went on to become director and board chairman. The DuPont Company sold all of its GM stock in 1961. In addition to paints, automobile products included Gas Booster, Rally car wax, Nomex filter bags, and Zerex antifreeze.

Every year, DuPont invited users of the company's automotive paint products to submit photos of their work. Winners were chosen and their projects were featured in an annual calendar.