REPORT: Blue Devil prototype faked by Winding Road
Last month we posted on a recent sighting of the infamous "Blue Devil" supercharged uber-vette that had been shot numerous times while undergoing testing. We wrote at the time, "This latest shot comes courtesy of The Car Connection via a student near Milford, Mich. by the name of Yonni G. Mr. G. happened to have his Dad's camera in tow when this newest prototype blew by him at speed and judging by the quality of the shots, we hope he got a sizeable check from the folks at TCC."
Well, last night we got word that those stellar shots were part of an elaborate prank of sorts, put on by the folks over at Winding Road to see if the images would make their way onto the pages of their competition and other automotive resources. They succeeded, getting the faux-pics ran in Autoweek, Motor Trend and a variety of internet sites and blogs, including this one.
Follow the jump for more on the story of Winding Road's imitation super Vette...
All of the media outlets who published the photos feel a bit foolish right now, though some will likely take it more serious than others. We don't know if any publication paid for the photos, in which case there might be some question surrounding the liability of someone selling fake photos. We know for a fact, however, that Winding Road only took pictures of the vehicle for its own article and never distributed photos of the vehicle to other outlets. The photos published in various magazines and on the internet were taken by people out in public and submitted to those outlets without any involvement from Winding Road. On account of this, we doubt WR will find itself in any legal trouble over this, since it's not against the law to tape up a Corvette and drive it around.
The entire buildup is chronicled in the January issue of Winding Road, which is available at their website. In order to view the latest issue you have to subscribe, which is free, however, some have voiced their disgust and don't want to give WR any more publicity than it's already garnered. Keith from Corvetteblogger.com, for instance, writes on his blog, "You've just proved that you are not worthy of the link on my blog and I hope others will take anything that comes from Winding Road in the future with a grain of salt."
We're in the process of rounding up comments from some of the other players now, including those of spy photographers in the business and the staff of Winding Road itself. Watch this space for more information as it develops.
More feedback from CamaroZ28.com here.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
akshay 6:27AM (7/08/2008)
No matter how developed we people are, no matter how we are establishing new industries like, IT, currency trading , finance, or no matter how we are progressing globally. But if our womens, our children are not safe even in their own house it would be the matter of shame for us.If you think you are in an abusive relationship, you can go to a number of people for help. Be careful, however, to keep your search a secret from your abuser. Many NGO's and social organizations are doing excellent work against domestic violence. But the voice of common man/women must be raised against it only then we'll be able to create a peaceful society.
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swifty 10:51PM (12/01/2006)
That is the funniest thing to happen in automotive journalism in a longtime. I kept reading about the this so called Blue Devil in so many websites and magazines and all the GM was tellin us the truth...there is no such car. Comical!!!
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MadeinDetroit 10:50PM (12/01/2006)
I can understand Autoblog taking this at face value but Motor Trend and Autoweek? Don’t these people frequent MPG regularly? The car lacks the GM red box bar code, green Milford track access stickers and the obvious tip off is the lack of an M-plate.
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pd 10:53PM (12/01/2006)
Yeah i just read that,pretty funny,they got EVERYBODY!! HA HA !!! Now get back to hiding in the bushes and get some real pix.
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Richard Brown 11:06PM (12/01/2006)
I find it a bit amusing. It's an example of how one can "seed" the Internet and get your message spread for free... As long as no money changed hands I don't see anything wrong with it.
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van 11:00PM (12/01/2006)
"Prank" and "test" my arse. This was a stunt to get traffic.
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FGT 11:22PM (12/01/2006)
LOL, this is great! I'm sure this fooled even some inside GM. They sure did look convincing!
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Joshua 2:00AM (12/02/2006)
It seemed too perfect to me. I assumed it was GM leaking "spy" shots/video to maintain interest. I'm with #4, this is much more of a traffic grab prank than a media experiment. Pics that have later been revealed to be phoney have made it into mags before and they will again in the future, nothing new was discovered here.
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Talis 11:51PM (12/01/2006)
I will have to agree with corvettebloger. This is just not cool. I will not trust anything that comes out of winding road again. As a classic corvette owner I can say I speak for the most of us when I say WR can kiss my tire marks!
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Andy 11:55PM (12/01/2006)
#2
I'm not sure, but I think they just faked a Spyshot of the car. From what I can tell, its still a car being built by GM.
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big jimmy 12:23AM (12/02/2006)
WR is a bunch of assholes for have speed junkies dreaming about a 700 horsepower production Corvette, as i said assholes.
if autoblog is accurate, which it usualy is i have to commned you guy for keep us autoethuist on our toes.
this is the also the funniest prank pulled on the auto industry.
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Car videos & Motorcycle videos 1:42AM (12/02/2006)
I have a feeling this stunt will be copied by others and will get saturated.
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Dale 7:58PM (12/02/2006)
Simply brilliant. No-one would have expected WR to pull a stunt like this (isn't David E. attached to it???) which is very much in the line of humour of C&D mag (ala Ford Futura Sprint GT/A Road Test). I say, good on them for it. As has been noted, so long as no money changed hands, it's pretty much a no harm no fowl issue. Those out there who can't take a joke like this really need to get a sense of humor, and out of their parent's basements. Only thing that could have made it funnier is if GM had been in on the hoax the whole time too.
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mike 2:21AM (12/02/2006)
um... the Sting Ray still exists...
this was just a fake version of it. there will still be a production version of the sting ray...
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Keith Cornett 2:30AM (12/02/2006)
Regardless of whether or not they did the fake test mule for their own consumption, the point is they intentionally put a fake out in the public eye to fool not just the enthusiasts like me, but professionals like Motor Trend, Autoweek and blogs like AutoBlog.com. This stunt will no doubt cast dispersions on legitimate spy photos from the likes of Brenda Priddy and Co, who captured the first Blue Devil/SS pics.
If I want fake news, I'll go visit TheOnion.com. No one likes to be made a fool just so someone else can have a laugh...
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Adam 4:33AM (12/02/2006)
Buuuuuut what about the Blue Devils on the Nürburgring?
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Matthew Fortner 7:04AM (12/02/2006)
Winding Road has demonstrated blatant disregard for journalism. Most people will not understand or see the magnitude of this behavior. Its irresponsible and a disservice to its readership. There is no justification for knowingly presenting false information and its disgusting to intentionally dupe the public. I fail to see how anyone can find this humorous...unless you think photos of domestic violence are funny too. Winding Road, say it ain't so?
It may seem insignificant now, but it contributes to the erosion of credibility of sources that readers rely on. The automotive publications, websites, readers and GM have reason to have Winding Road in the crosshairs. In the end, Winding Road may be joke itself.
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starlightmica 9:11AM (12/02/2006)
Viral marketing for a few hundred bucks? priceless.
Getting readers ticked off and getting more web traffic? Mission accomplished.
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AJ Quick 9:33AM (12/02/2006)
You guys are hillarious.. and I mean everyone who is getting worked up over this.
-AJ Quick
http://www.AutoVendors.net/
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Vega 10:18AM (12/02/2006)
OK guys, settle down. It's a prank. They just drove around in the thing. For a laugh. For exploring our somtetimes stupid habit of taking every shot and Photoshop from some guide with a camera behind a bush for real.
And Matthew Fortner:
"There is no justification for knowingly presenting false information and its disgusting to intentionally dupe the public. I fail to see how anyone can find this humorous...unless you think photos of domestic violence are funny too."
Fake sportscar spyshots vs. domestic violence?
If those two topics are of the same importance to you, then you, Sir, have BIG issues. And a total lack of humor.
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