What the f%@£k are you talking about.. Lacquer / clear coat.. Exactly the same thing, and has been since about 1985..
If you wanna talk about paint to me then crack on.. I've painted hundreds of vehicles and owned a bodyshop for more years than I care to remember.. I've painted from an Aston Martin DB5 worth £350k to articulated truck trailers and just about everything in between including classic collectable tractors to brand new cars.. I've painted in synthetic, cellulose, 2k, water based, you name it, I've painted in it..
The only changes in clear/laquer over the years has been the amount of solvent in it.. The manufacturer takes it out to get their solvent output down to look good to governments.. Then the painter puts it back in to make it flow.. Just like 2k paints were phased out in favour of water based.. To help government say they were reducing solvents.. But then you have to clear coat it..