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December 2006: The Web of Deception

The stunt, trick or whatever one wishes to call it, is perhaps not in the best of taste. And to call us irresponsible fanatics is a bit extreme (in most cases). But to each his or her own. If Winding Road wishes to play games at this level, so be it. I'm simply unlikely to subscribe. I also recall GM themselves pulled a similar trick back when the C4 was in development, with a cobbled-together egg-crate-grilled monstrosity. It, too was published by many a respectible magazine and touted by the media as something it wasn't. GM let it run its course for a while, then owed up. There was a bit of uproar from the media. Kinda sounds familiar, doesn't it? At least it wasn't Winding Road saying it's the Blue Devil/Stingray. No one really blamed GM for doing something unethical back then. Why would it be different today? It's the nature of spy photography - the vast majority of what's captured is so heavily camoflaged that it doesn't much represent the final product anyway.
I'm actually wondering if you aren't talking about the infamous photo of the C4 prototype that was caught testing at the Desert Proving Grounds. The front end looked like it came off a Cadillac Coupe DeVille. :L I talked to Jim Ingle who was a Corvette Powertrain Engineer for GM about this particular prototype. I haven't talked to him in a quite a while, so I'm not sure if he's still with GM or not, but he worked for Corvette Development for over 20 years.

However, I digress...Jim told me how they had gone to great lengths to camo that test mule.

However, if it's the one you're talking about, that test mule did have a specific purpose and they were using it to conduct validation testing with it. I don't consider that to be the same as the Winding Road model.

In most cases, GM's test mules serve a legitimate purpose and the amount of camo is done to obviously keep things hidden until they're ready to let the full monty out of the bag. The Winding Road model served no other purpose but to deceive.
 
1 point i havent heard commented on is one that i picked up on in the initial read of the winding road arcticle on how they did it.
the paparrazi,and their following.
if it wasnt for people buying into the "i gotta have a subscription to this rag because they have all cool stuff first" instead of "I am a subscriber to this rag beause they are the most intelligent and non-biased reviewers of the products or hobbies i am enthused about" then we wouldnt have magazines paying thousands of dollars for "spy shots" or chasing princesses down till they die in a car crash.
maybe you would actually see a celebrity in a restaraunt or for that matter,maybe you would actually see more mules out and about being tested.
and I coulda really really said all this in earnest beleif if i hadn't seen Britney's lips in an email the other day.
3 cheers for the paparazzi!!! :)
 
Someone stole 8 minutes of my life...

Can I please have them back?
 
Five minutes after it happened it did not matter, in point of fact it did not matter while it was in process. People need to take a deep breath. I like the new C6 sure but all this Holy Grail, searchng for the Fountain Of Youth and other such fanaticism is a little over the top. When all is said and done it is a car for crying out loud we are not talking about proof of or a hoax about finding documented extra-terrestial life. Take a deep break it is a joke lighten up.

Thanks for clearing that up. Now could you please help us understand the meaning of life.:L

Remo:cool
 
My only fear now is that the Britney pictures were a fake, or were they? Is there any way we can check it out as a group?
 
That was messed up! Why would someone do a thing like this!?!??!?
Obviously to sell magazines. I have been a Car and Driver subscriber for almost 40 years and I am still waiting for the mid engine Corvette that they have been prophesying over the years. One of the biggest frauds ever perpertrated by a car magazine has to be Car and Driver's road test comparison of the Pontiac and Ferrari GTO's. I guess Davis E. Davis learned a few tricks while working at C&D.
Charles
 
It would seem obvious that it was in fact a stunt or a joke. Because it wasn't for real. It was fiction (like War Of The Worlds mentioned above). And saying "ha ha" or "gotcha!" does more or less make it a joke. I don't know many pratical jokes, surprises, or tricks that start out with, "OK, I'm about to pull a practical joke on you. Are you ready? You are? Good. Ok, here I go..." :eyerole :L
But then again, me not being part of the 5th estate, we might just agree to see it differently. :D

Then we're in agreement. Point of fact, the Orson Welles production of War of the Worlds was prefaced by a disclaimer stating it was a radio dramatization of H.G. Wells book, NOT a news breaking broadcast warning of an alien invasion.
Listeners not only missed 3 other disclaimers that the show wasn't real, they also missed the listing of the program in the local papers: "The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air in 'The War of the Worlds' by H. G. Wells."
And again, Windin Road did not put forth that they were perpetrating a hoax. They put their article and images out there as the real deal, blamed the Corvette community for being fanatics and then had a laugh at their own perceived cleverness. It was a stupid thing to do.
 
Then we're in agreement. Point of fact, the Orson Welles production of War of the Worlds was prefaced by a disclaimer stating it was a radio dramatization of H.G. Wells book, NOT a news breaking broadcast warning of an alien invasion.
Listeners not only missed 3 other disclaimers that the show wasn't real, they also missed the listing of the program in the local papers: "The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air in 'The War of the Worlds' by H. G. Wells."
And again, Windin Road did not put forth that they were perpetrating a hoax. They put their article and images out there as the real deal, blamed the Corvette community for being fanatics and then had a laugh at their own perceived cleverness. It was a stupid thing to do.

Bingo! vee93 gets the Beacon of Light award.
 
This, among other reasons, is why I don't put too much stock into spy photos. I'll wait till they release the offical, high res versions from the manufacturer, and then I'll start looking at them.
Amen.

The cars are always changed before production. I just wait to see the real thing.
 
Then we're in agreement. Point of fact, the Orson Welles production of War of the Worlds was prefaced by a disclaimer stating it was a radio dramatization of H.G. Wells book, NOT a news breaking broadcast warning of an alien invasion.
Listeners not only missed 3 other disclaimers that the show wasn't real, they also missed the listing of the program in the local papers: "The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air in 'The War of the Worlds' by H. G. Wells."
And again, Windin Road did not put forth that they were perpetrating a hoax. They put their article and images out there as the real deal, blamed the Corvette community for being fanatics and then had a laugh at their own perceived cleverness. It was a stupid thing to do.

I can't find anywhere that says they took the pictures and posted them online. All it seems they did was make something that people assumed was something else... People took pictures of it and posted them online. Speculation ran wild. Anyone that is upset about this must also believe things like UFO's.

Everyone should take it as a lesson (or reminder) to not believe everything you see, especially when speculation is the key element. :)

Now, on the other hand... if you read the article about the 1991 Corvette Convertible on their web site: That Vette pictured as a 1991 doesn't actually look like a 1991 (wrong steering wheel, wrong seats in one pic, wrong wheels). I DO have a problem with blatent mis-representation of things found in any magazine/publication :ugh
 
For What It's Worth....

I guess that I view this as a quick and dirty way to call our attention to the Winding Road Website. Nothing more. So I choose not to take offense at how they pulled this trick off. I simply did not patronize them by visiting their web site.

I remember adds for a popular electronics store near my home town where the owner would be shouting loudly on both TV and Radio adds. When his stores became more popular and successful, I felt he effectively called attention to himself with these adds. After all, If you can't appeal to the public's intelect, just be loud and obnoxious; and the public will remember the adds.
 
I can't find anywhere that says they took the pictures and posted them online. All it seems they did was make something that people assumed was something else... People took pictures of it and posted them online. Speculation ran wild.

Everyone should take it as a lesson (or reminder) to not believe everything you see, especially when speculation is the key element. :)
Vette LT1 93...You get my Beacon Of Light award! :L :L
 
Okay, I guess I can say I'm a dumbass for actually falling for this, but then again I'm not a hardcore Vette follower. I just like the car. But this took me hook, line, and sinker.
 
Idonmezwidcheats

I'd never heard of WR until I read this thread.

At first, I nearly went to their site so I could see for myself ... BUT ...

I remembered something ... I don't mess with cheats ... I certainly don't once I know/I'm advised they're cheats.

The way I see it, WR cheated. I don't mess w/ cheats, I won't visit their site.

JACK:gap
 
Hi Folks -

I always consider the source of information - particularly when it comes on the web.

Since winding road never had any credibility with me, is there such a thing as negative credibility?

I remember the speculation regarding the C6 Z06, it was fun, but never became malicious.


This so-called prank was unprofessional, but it was funny.

I think the real victims here will be the honest and conscientious photographers, sadly.

best regards -

mqqn
 
This, among other reasons, is why I don't put too much stock into spy photos. I'll wait till they release the offical, high res versions from the manufacturer, and then I'll start looking at them.

I agree with that--the test mules don't look like much of a car, so who cares about those pics (any test mule photos, genuine or fake). I want to see the real thing, in full color, preferably DSOM.
Gersh
 

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