Vauxhall has released some official spyshots of the future Insignia under the form of an unexpected press release called ‘Camouflage and disguise: fight against prototype paparazzi’.
Vauxhall is teasing us with a rather humourous press file describing how hard its engineers work on camouflage to hide the future models from the prototype hunters. Vauxhall takes the problem very seriously and explains how designers and engineers develop a “facelift” for the upcoming model that will disguise the prototypes as much as possible.
For this part of the camouflage operation, experts use special adhesive and foil, which ensures a smooth surface and remains flexible and tear-proof at temperatures ranging from minus 40 to plus 70 degrees Celsius. In other areas, the foil is shimmed with foam to change the car’s contours. This adhesive material is also used to camouflage characteristic window lines. Small, highly contrasting covers are fitted to obscure other prototype body surfaces. For years, the practice at Vauxhall/Opel was to use a black and white chessboard pattern, but this has now been replaced by “Fishies”, rounded, fish-shaped diamonds designed to confuse camera lenses and spying eyes. This disguising job will soon be done even better by Flimmies, a new type of camouflage whose pattern creates a flickering effect.
The company also explains that one of the major weakness is always the technicians associated with the test car, which is why Vauxhall has a strict set of rules concerning prototypes. For example, the serious Rule 531 states that no camouflaged test car may stop in a public place, for instance, while the driver has a quick snack. A tarpaulin must also always be on board, as even Vauxhall prototypes sometimes break down during their test phase and must then be quickly covered over.
To protect plant secrets, prototypes are always accompanied by a second car on public roads, so help is always at hand if needed. Over long distances prototypes have to be transported in closed trucks, such as for test driving in Finland. In the past, resourceful photographers would all too often quickly lift up the truck’s tarpaulin and snap some shots while the driver was taking a well-deserved break.
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