Have you ever seen a prototype on the roads?

Have you ever seen a prototype on the roads?

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Discussion

NAS

2,543 posts

230 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
M5 and M6 with the V10s. AMV8, DB9 and early stages of the Jag XK. B class. New M class. Lots of other stuff.

All on the same day in sept. 2003.

Gotta love the Ring

jacko lah

3,297 posts

248 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
jonseyworld said:
Catherinej said:
Land Rover and Jaguar seam to do an awful lot of testing around Wiltshire.

The seam to a circuit involving coming off the M4 at Chippenham, down to the A303 via Warminster, up the 303 to join the M5 and then back up to the Midlands.


And round the North West, I saw a few x type's before they were released and a new freelander recently with loads of black plastic wrapped around it, can't remember where I actually saw it though!


Saw a new land rover free loader in a multiple car pile up on the knowsley expressway (about 2 miles from Halewood - where Ford Make it). It was on tradeplates - I see one or 2 everyday on their extended test drive. I'm led to believe that shift will have lost that days quality bonus. It made me a hour late for work but I don't think anyone was badly hurt.

LuS1fer

41,086 posts

244 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
If you ever want to have a scoop, you should try the Sierra Nevada mountain road out of Granada in Spain (one road up, one road down) which is very popular for testing cars. I "scooped" the Peugeot 407 Estate whilst on holiday there and even got paid by Autocar for that one after following it round for a while and them trying to evade my hire car. On the way down, I saw a convoy of 5 Golf GTi Mk Vs a few months prior to their launch being hammered down the mountain road. They took me by surprise so I didn't get a photo. I know someone also scooped the Continental GT in that area too.

chilled

588 posts

223 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
Bentley Continental Flying Spur about a year before release at some services on the M6 just south of Kendall. Was on an S2000 meet. Wasn't very disguised either.

twincam16

27,646 posts

257 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
I've seen two, both of which were weird.

One was a year or so ago - the new Honda CRV. It was all bagged up and the interior was full of electronic monitoring equipment but it was recognisable. Thinking I could grab a tenner from Autocar, I borrowed a mate's digital camera.

Now - there must have been some kind of jamming device on that car because the camera just wouldn't work when pointed in its direction. It worked fine taking test shots of anything else, but this - no.

A couple of years earlier I saw something even stranger and I'm amazed it hasn't surfaced at all. Behind a Porsche garage in Liverpool - a 2-door Cayenne. It was all bagged up, but it had a shorter wheelbase and no rear doors. A dummy rear doorhandle had been stuck on, but it was most definitely a 2-door Cayenne.

The Paris-Dakar prototype perhaps? But what was it doing behind a warehouse on the Albert Dock?

Beefmeister

16,482 posts

229 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
I've seen quite a lot of prototypes around Turin, and a lot of styling bucks in Fiat Centro Stile, none of which i can talk about on here....

As for on the roads, living in the area of Essex i do i have seen many Fords. Chased a Focus ST in my RX-7 months before it came out, saw a new Mondeo the other day, saw the C-Max a long time before it was released, in silver with black tape all over it.

All terribly exciting.

twincam16

27,646 posts

257 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
Speaking of just plain rare cars - there's a bloke who lives near me who owns a Toyota Century Limousine.

Think Toyota taking on Rolls-Royce, twenty years before Lexus existed. They have a unique-to-model V8 and hand-made interior too.

Aquadrome

130 posts

249 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
twincam16 said:
I've seen two, both of which were weird.

One was a year or so ago - the new Honda CRV. It was all bagged up and the interior was full of electronic monitoring equipment but it was recognisable. Thinking I could grab a tenner from Autocar, I borrowed a mate's digital camera.

Now - there must have been some kind of jamming device on that car because the camera just wouldn't work when pointed in its direction. It worked fine taking test shots of anything else, but this - no.

A couple of years earlier I saw something even stranger and I'm amazed it hasn't surfaced at all. Behind a Porsche garage in Liverpool - a 2-door Cayenne. It was all bagged up, but it had a shorter wheelbase and no rear doors. A dummy rear doorhandle had been stuck on, but it was most definitely a 2-door Cayenne.

The Paris-Dakar prototype perhaps? But what was it doing behind a warehouse on the Albert Dock?


Speaking of subterfuge to prevent unwanted scoop photography, when Audi were testing the original 'aero' 100 they worked largely at night and fitted the prototypes with flashes on the outside of the cars. If some sort of sensor thing detected a camera flash it instantly triggered return fire, over-exposing the spy's attempts to get a scoop.

A two door Cayenne sounds a bit implausible but at least there might be an explanation for seeing a secret Porsche in Liverpool 'cos they do some testing in Ireland and maybe they get the ferry from there. Also, Porsche engineers are well known for their love of The Beatles. In fact, the continued existence of a rear engined car in their range can be explained because they took 'Get Back' to be an instruction.

J500ANT

Original Poster:

3,101 posts

238 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
twincam16 said:
I've seen two, both of which were weird.

One was a year or so ago - the new Honda CRV. It was all bagged up and the interior was full of electronic monitoring equipment but it was recognisable. Thinking I could grab a tenner from Autocar, I borrowed a mate's digital camera.

Now - there must have been some kind of jamming device on that car because the camera just wouldn't work when pointed in its direction. It worked fine taking test shots of anything else, but this - no.
I know the wiggly lines are used to confuse the autofocus but i've never heard of an electronics jammer.

Bodo

12,368 posts

265 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
I've spotted this when the coupe has already been introduced, but the convertible wasn't.



Note, all badges are hidden with black stickers.

drof

389 posts

232 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
To all the people who are reading this thread and are jealous that some of us get to drive prototypes before they are released (cos we work for car manufacturers, suppliers...) then please follow my step-by-step approach to getting the same thrills we do when driving our prototype vehicles, from your own personal cars.

1) Take your car (any car will do from the most mundane to the most exotic).

2) Unscrew as much interior trim as possible, not so it falls off, but so it rattles and squeakes annoyingly.

3) Disable all the airbags and ESP system (if fitted).

4) Re-calibrate your fuel gauge so that it reads half a tank, when it is really almost empty.

5) Take a few rolls of black tape and try and make your window appertures really small, to the point where you can almost see f**k all through the back and side windows. You can also do this to the lights if you wish.

6) Add around 100kg of dead weight to the vehicle (sandbags or bricks will do), this will simulate the effect of the weight of the disguise and additional measurement equipment.

7) On your way home from work, stop exactly half way. Place a large block under the accelerator of your car, so that you get only about 10% of the total range of travel. This will simulate the prototype going into limp home mode because you passed a fox by the roadside or a badger farted or whatever cr*p reason the car thinks it needs to go into reduced power mode for.

8) When you finally do get home, please burn your jump leads and leave your lights on so that the battery is flat the next morning. This will simulate whatever cock-spanner module the prototype has that refuses to power down after ignition-off so that it drains the battery while you are sound asleep.

9) Hide the codes to your car radio so that when you finally get it started the next morning, you have no stereo to listen to.

10) On your way to work, please repeat item (7).

If there are any other engineers, technicians, drivers...etc out there who regularly drive prototypes on the road then, please, feel free to add to the list.

It is only fair that we share the joy and excitement of our work with everyone else.

_Dave_

9,086 posts

249 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
Saw a heavily disguised Alfa 164 many moons ago in Morocco, about a year before it was released and the new fx4 taxi at Devils bridge, thats about it for me

thinfourth

1,189 posts

220 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
drof said:
To all the people who are reading this thread and are jealous that some of us get to drive prototypes before they are released (cos we work for car manufacturers, suppliers...) then please follow my step-by-step approach to getting the same thrills we do when driving our prototype vehicles, from your own personal cars.

1) Take your car (any car will do from the most mundane to the most exotic).

2) Unscrew as much interior trim as possible, not so it falls off, but so it rattles and squeakes annoyingly.

3) Disable all the airbags and ESP system (if fitted).

4) Re-calibrate your fuel gauge so that it reads half a tank, when it is really almost empty.

5) Take a few rolls of black tape and try and make your window appertures really small, to the point where you can almost see f**k all through the back and side windows. You can also do this to the lights if you wish.

6) Add around 100kg of dead weight to the vehicle (sandbags or bricks will do), this will simulate the effect of the weight of the disguise and additional measurement equipment.

7) On your way home from work, stop exactly half way. Place a large block under the accelerator of your car, so that you get only about 10% of the total range of travel. This will simulate the prototype going into limp home mode because you passed a fox by the roadside or a badger farted or whatever cr*p reason the car thinks it needs to go into reduced power mode for.

8) When you finally do get home, please burn your jump leads and leave your lights on so that the battery is flat the next morning. This will simulate whatever cock-spanner module the prototype has that refuses to power down after ignition-off so that it drains the battery while you are sound asleep.

9) Hide the codes to your car radio so that when you finally get it started the next morning, you have no stereo to listen to.

10) On your way to work, please repeat item (7).

If there are any other engineers, technicians, drivers...etc out there who regularly drive prototypes on the road then, please, feel free to add to the list.

It is only fair that we share the joy and excitement of our work with everyone else.


Sounds like every time i drive the defender

J500ANT

Original Poster:

3,101 posts

238 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
drof said:
5) Take a few rolls of black tape and try and make your window appertures really small, to the point where you can almost see f**k all through the back and side windows. You can also do this to the lights if you wish.
www.smartpics.fotopic.net/p34490384.html

My mate works at Land Rover in Gaydon and did this to her car in readiness for the smartclub London to Brighton run. She was desperate to get it into one of the mags, as lots of people took pics as she was driving down from the Midlands, but alas nothing got published.

It didnt win any of the prizes either, i'd have had it in a Best Dressed category certainly

mc_blue

2,548 posts

217 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
The first one I saw was a facelifted MK4 Fiesta going past my house. Also a Ford Mondeo in Lakeside car park with chequer effect tape a month before it was unveiled. Finally, a Ford Galaxy (current shape) at Gallows Corner over a year ago. Also saw something going in the opposite direction on the M1 - a small 4x4 of some shape or description. The Fords are from Dunton, which is quite near where I live. Sad but I got quite a thrill seeing them on the roads!

rsvmilly

11,288 posts

240 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
Not a prototype, but I once had to double-take when I saw one of these driving through Hockliffe

grahambell

2,718 posts

274 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
Undertay King said:

Anyone seen the Jag XF puppies running around yet?


Possibly. Getting my Quantum MOTed last week when some saloon went past with the usual stuck-on disguise bits, and with Gaydon being just a few hundred yards down the road...

But we get all the prototype Jags, Astons and Land Rovers driving round here. And Rovers too at one time. Even had the 'new Mini' (first one) regularly driving round with no disguise whatsover months before it was launched.

skid solo

324 posts

228 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
drof said:
To all the people who are reading this thread and are jealous that some of us get to drive prototypes before they are released (cos we work for car manufacturers, suppliers...) then please follow my step-by-step approach to getting the same thrills we do when driving our prototype vehicles, from your own personal cars.

1) Take your car (any car will do from the most mundane to the most exotic).

2) Unscrew as much interior trim as possible, not so it falls off, but so it rattles and squeakes annoyingly.

3) Disable all the airbags and ESP system (if fitted).

4) Re-calibrate your fuel gauge so that it reads half a tank, when it is really almost empty.

5) Take a few rolls of black tape and try and make your window appertures really small, to the point where you can almost see f**k all through the back and side windows. You can also do this to the lights if you wish.

6) Add around 100kg of dead weight to the vehicle (sandbags or bricks will do), this will simulate the effect of the weight of the disguise and additional measurement equipment.

7) On your way home from work, stop exactly half way. Place a large block under the accelerator of your car, so that you get only about 10% of the total range of travel. This will simulate the prototype going into limp home mode because you passed a fox by the roadside or a badger farted or whatever cr*p reason the car thinks it needs to go into reduced power mode for.

8) When you finally do get home, please burn your jump leads and leave your lights on so that the battery is flat the next morning. This will simulate whatever cock-spanner module the prototype has that refuses to power down after ignition-off so that it drains the battery while you are sound asleep.

9) Hide the codes to your car radio so that when you finally get it started the next morning, you have no stereo to listen to.

10) On your way to work, please repeat item (7).

If there are any other engineers, technicians, drivers...etc out there who regularly drive prototypes on the road then, please, feel free to add to the list.

It is only fair that we share the joy and excitement of our work with everyone else.


11) Black tape is your best friend - many uses (as previously stated) +
- no matter how much you put on the camo, it will come off whilst on the road or at the proving ground, causing mahem and track closures while the said camo is retrieved
- used for holding bumpers, lights on as they have been removed 46 times by other test sections and now the fixings are shot
- an excellent way to rip the skin off your hands whilst removing, reapplying the bloody camo/bumprs/lights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

carlymart

607 posts

213 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
in 2000 driving through silverstone village i spotted a mate black vanquish with tape also in 2005 on a trip to maranello i spotted a prototype 599

drof

389 posts

232 months

Monday 26th February 2007
quotequote all
skid solo said:
11) Black tape is your best friend - many uses (as previously stated) +
- no matter how much you put on the camo, it will come off whilst on the road or at the proving ground, causing mahem and track closures while the said camo is retrieved
- used for holding bumpers, lights on as they have been removed 46 times by other test sections and now the fixings are shot
- an excellent way to rip the skin off your hands whilst removing, reapplying the bloody camo/bumprs/lights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


PMSL. Sooo true.