Talk Back Tuesday: Test Mules and Spy Photography
I spent last week vacationing in the Denver area, but on two separate occasions my vacation was interrupted when work came a callin' in the form of disguised test mules (or prototype vehicles) undergoing high altitude testing.
On Tuesday of last week I spotted a taped-up 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLK driving on the C-470 loop from south Denver to I70 (where it promptly headed up into the mountains while I head down into Wheat Ridge). It was being tailed by a C320 and both cars wore numerous antennas to record sensor data.
Then last Sunday I caught this Cadillac sedan cruising near Eagle, Colorado on westbound I70. It looked like a giant DTS with an extended wheelbase and extra side windows. Some sort of one-off limousine model? A new "high-security" trim for the United Arab Emirates? The first stages of a Cadillac Sixteen production ramp-up? Don't know, but our crack team of automotive fortune tellers is studying the photos and following up with our GM contacts.
It's ironic that I saw two prototypes in less than a week in Colorado, as I rarely see them in Los Angeles (though my PCH commute doesn't exactly have me seeing much of the city most of the time...). I've heard from friends who apparently live on various manufacturers' test loops in West L.A., as they claim to see taped and cladded future vehicles all the time.
Now for the question of the day: How often do you see future vehicles/prototypes?
If you do see them regularly, please mention makes and models, as well as general location.
- Posted by
- Karl Brauer July 22, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Cadillac, Future Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz, Talk Back Tuesday
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I have never seen one in Southern Ontario. They build plenty of cars here, but must do the prototype testing elsewhere. Shame too...our winters would be a good thing to test in.
There must be a VW/Audi facility in Tampa - I rarely see camo-clad mules but I see preproduction cars in production trim regularly. Of those I can recall I've seen a VW Eos, Audi R8, and 2009 Audi A4 well before they were due to be released. We got a 2010 Camaro visit a few months ago (after GM stopped bothering to disguise them), but that was just passing through on the interstate.
0 - milwaukee/wisconsin. Were too 'normal' for testing.
Back in the mid 90s I spotted a thinly disguised Mustang parked outside a restaurant in Folsom, CA. I say thinly because the pony was showing through the grille. This was the "big" redesign that brought the pony back again. Then just a couple weeks ago I spotted a white Chevy Traverse cruising through a gated community in Franklin, TN. They're building the Traverse at the former Saturn plant down the road in Spring Hill.
A big fat "zero" for me too.
I have seen a few BMW's on Mulholland Highway on the weekends. Particularly, the X6 and M3 cabrio. Both were very lightly disguised/taped. The X6 even stopped on the turnout where I was taking pictures. Guess they didn't care if people got to see it early. The M3 came through my section of Mulholland twice in a row. The first time he was riding solo, but the second time he had a female passenger.
I don't see very many anymore, but I used to live in Phoenix Arizona and it wasn't uncommon to see a GM or a Toyota that was all taped up. Both GM and Toyota have desert proving grounds there and I would often drive by both of them.
I saw a small sedan which I think might be the Chevrolet Cruze back in April, as I ate breakfast outside a diner in the mountains above Palm Springs, it was covered in tape and light camoflage. Also saw the Phantom Convertable lightly camoflaged with antennas a few months before it was launched cruising round La Jolla north of San Diego...I guess that's it's natural habitat.
I see tons of BMWs testing as they roll up and down PCH through Malibu. Karl, this is on your commute correct? I'm surprised you don't catch them as well. Some examples: A long time ago (2-3 years maybe) I saw a Mini Cooper S (the current model) in the Ralph's parking lot being followed by the yet-to-be-released (now current) 3 series drop top and a 3 series sedan that was carrying the M3 v8. Most recently, maybe only a few months ago, I saw the recently released M3 convertible (actually talked to the thickly German fellah driving it as well).
Here in southeastern Michigan, I see the domestics quite often especially Chrysler, since I live in the northern suburbs.
I-76 northwest of Denver (between Brighton, CO and Ogallala, NE) must be a hot spot for prototype testing. In the last nine months, I've seen the '09 Dodge Challenger (with 300C, Ram and Grand Caravan support vehicles), the '09 Dodge Ram, two '09 Hyundai Genesis (with a Ram support vehicle), and the '09/'10 Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan. I just stumbled upon these examples while traveling there for business, so there are bound to be more.
Regarding that Caddy Limo on I-70, another auto industry website speculated yesterday that it might be the new U.S. Presidential Limo - riding on the GM Topkick truck frame and exhibiting 8" thick doors.
When I lived in the Phoenix area, I remember seeing a few test mules. The two I can remember were a Ford Expedition EL and I believe a Chrysler Sebring.
I see lots in Irvine, CA...I'm assuming it's because Ford, it's subsidiaries and Kia have campuses here.
"A big fat "zero" for me too."
Same here Monmouth County, NJ - nada!!
"Regarding that Caddy Limo on I-70, another auto industry website speculated yesterday that it might be the new U.S. Presidential Limo - riding on the GM Topkick truck frame and exhibiting 8" thick doors"
I had the same thought......minus all the specifics though. TopKick chassis; eh?
Nothing in Philly, ever. No temperature extremes and no challenging grades.
I've been seening lots of 2009/10 Ford F-150's and at the Costco the other day the new Dodge Ram Crew cab. The Ann Arbor MI area is pretty good to check out lots of new cars because there lots of automotive magazines in the area.
My dad, a GM engineer borrowed a Hummer H3 T pickup truck(he's in the GM Captured Test Fleet program, for early feedback on new products) for the weekend and we were swamped with people gawking and asking questions on how much it costs and when it will be out. It's fun to see buzz on a new vehicle like that. BTW the H3 T is one cool little Trucklet.
"Regarding that Caddy Limo on I-70, another auto industry website speculated yesterday that it might be the new U.S. Presidential Limo - riding on the GM Topkick truck frame and exhibiting 8" thick doors"
"I had the same thought......minus all the specifics though. TopKick chassis; eh?"
I don't know Edmunds' policy on posting links to other industry sites, but here is the link on the details for that Caddy limo (http://www.leftlanenews.com/cadillac-limo.html). Given the uniqueness of this vehicle, I hope Edmunds doesn't delete this.
I see a lot of disguised test mules here in Los Angeles. Most of my sightings have been on La Cienega Blvd north of the 10 freeway. However, I have seen some in other locations in West L.A.
I've only ever seen one here in Boston, and it was a white Nissan Teana, inside there was tape over the badges and a Nissan Maxima following closly behind, also I've seen plenty of one-offs. Some examples: a Renault Avantime diesel, a Renaultsport Clio V6, and the european Toyota Land Cruiser. Odd.
I remmber back in 1999 when I was near Toledo on the Ohio Turnpike, a friend and I saw a camouflaged car pull into the service plaza where we were - we were all excited thinking that had to be some cool new car design prototype that no one else has seen yet... it turned out to be the all-new 2000 Buick LeSabre... Wow. Yippee.
Last summer I was driving up Mt. Wilson and saw a cladded mid-cycle refresh Hyundai Sonata. Pretty boring spying, but it was still neat to see a pre-production vehicle.
here in the sub detroit area, I see all sorts of these things, mostly domestic though, a few VWs here and there. Back when Aston Martin was still owned by Ford, I saw them on a regular basis entering and exiting the proving grounds but not anymore. I also saw the euro focus yesterday on Michigan Avenue, but it wasnt taped up, I believe it was a production model, red paint, might have been the ST from the extra bodykit that it had
West/South LA - I see them all the time. And I also see a lot of cars that have been revealed but aren't yet at dealers. So I've already seen a GLK, a Q5, and I saw the M-B C-Class a few months early, too.
The Q5, BTW, is very uninspiring.
i've seen 2 in glendale, california. wasn't sure of the make or model though because i just drove by while they were parked in the back of a carl's jr.