Ever wondered abt the spy shot camo?

[Golden_Auto.GR]

(Most ppl probably know this already )
Its used to hide the design of the car if spied during testing by using swirls to and stripes to camouflage smaller details and body lines.
.
Sometimes manufactures use cloth or fake body panels to further hide the design.

[ranwhenparked]

@Golden_Auto-GR MG Rover just used garbage bags

[i86hotdogs]

I always love when makers use test mule bodies to test chassis and powertrain.

This is a test mule for the Transit Connect. You should see how many people thought they were turning the best selling compact van in America in to a wagon/crossover

[mhr555]

Test mules is one reason it's cool to live around the metro Detroit area.

Yesterday I saw a GT350 w/a big angular hood bulge on it. No camo on it at all. Not sure what's under that thing.

[FourMalibus]

@i86hotdogs said in Ever wondered abt the spy shot camo?:

I always love when makers use test mule bodies to test chassis and powertrain.

This is a test mule for the Transit Connect. You should see how many people thought they were turning the best selling compact van in America in to a wagon/crossover

Are you sure that's not an Odyssey?

[FourMalibus]

@Golden_Auto-GR
It's cool to see camo'ed cars in the wild, but it's not as much fun to drive them.
If you have a full leather camo, sometimes it can hinder your view, or if it's really hot the glue can melt and pieces start flying off. Also, depending on exactly what's covered, it can be a little harder to get in and out. Plus, if the interior needs protection too, then you have a dash mat that covers the interior and while you can move it out of the way while you're driving, it's still a pain to have sitting on top of the dash. Not to mention, as you can see, the camo can cover the grill area, so when you're testing cooling capacity that doesn't really work well.
Plus, there are all kinds of regulations about covering the cars when you're not there. If we were on a trip and wanted to go in to eat, depending on the level of security, either we'd have to jump out of the cars and cover them with a full car cover, and sometimes leave a colleague behind to monitor the cars to make sure no one messed with them. Over night we'd have to hire security to stay up all night and keep watch.

[MybirdIStheword]

@Golden_Auto-GR my real question is why. Like, presumably you couldn't get away with stealing another company's styling without getting sued. Is it just hype machine bullshit?

[tae]

@MybirdIStheword First impressions are pretty important. I understand why, from a marketing standpoint, car makers don't want consumers to know what's going on until they can actually deposit money for the car.

[BeaterGT]

@i86hotdogs My favorite will always be "Blackjack", the mid-engined Ute, used to develop the C8 Corvette.

[Brickman]

@Golden_Auto-GR I find the Bronco test mule to be interesting. But might of not of been a Bronco test mule?

[mhr555]

@Brickman Nice wheelie bars...

[FourMalibus]

@MybirdIStheword
Yeah, you may not be able to completely copy a design, but there are other design elements that you may not want to get leaked early. Also, in some ways camo might protect new technologies like cameras for automated driving or a new type of lighting or a step for a truck bed, and interior camo can also protect new technologies. If a button says "warp drive" you'll want to cover that up until absolutely necessary.

@tae I agree with you. If something is seen and talked about too early the hype wears off. If something is shown and then you have to wait a year to even go see one in a dealership you might get bored by it by the time you can buy it. The new NSX is an extreme example of it.

[FourMalibus]

@Brickman They bought a Colorado to test the Bronco? Why not just use a Ranger?

[Brickman]

@FourMalibus Looked more into it, Ford says it wasnt for the Bronco, but a test mule for Ssaangyong motors. Very strange

https://fordauthority.com/2019/07/weird-chevy-colorado-test-mule-isnt-a-bronco-after-all/

[Bandit]

@BeaterGT My favorite tidbit is the wing on that car was designed to produce lift rather than downforce because the balance was so screwed up.

[Future Next Gen S2000 Owner]

@mhr555 Denver is decent as well. They run up I-70 a bunch for high altitude testing. I've seen Range Rovers, MB's, and even spotted the 991 during final calibration testing(I assume).

[Skyfire77]

@BeaterGT I'm probably weird, I would buy a Blackjack (with a bit more refining).

[BeaterGT]

@Skyfire77 I absolutely would. The US needs more Utes/El Caminos/Rancheros. There's a guy in my state that converts Jettas to pickups but it just isn't the same.

[Shiarlis]

@BeaterGT Smyth? Go grab a Charger kit

[Demon Xanth]

@mhr555 I'm pretty sure those go horizontal for testing that involves potential rollovers.

[BeaterGT]

@Shiarlis Forgot about the Smyth stuff. Hellcat Ute inc

[mhr555]

@Demon-Xanth that's what I figured.

[Miss Mercedes]

@i86hotdogs Reminds me of the test mules for the third-generation Smart Fortwo. MB/Renault basically just cut a car in half lol