Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
03-19-2006, 10:15 PM
#1
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Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
No BS here, this was what happened:
I was driving down US-395 today through the Carson Valley towards Minden, NV. I saw three black vehicles in a row ahead of me and thought they might be testers. There was a new bodystyle Avalanche in front, a black camoflaged car in the middle, and ANOTHER black camoflage car in the back. Three in all, all three with blue Michigan MFR plates. The Avalanche was taped off in a few places but otherwise open. We all know what it looks like anyways. Maybe a Hybrid or E85 tester?
The SECOND car is what I believe was an early test mule for 5th gen Camaro running gear. Honestly. It was short, wide and had what looked like 2003-2004 5-lug Monte Carlo wheels painted black with no centre caps. The front end had cutouts for the headlights and grille but I couldn't see it clearly through the mesh. The lights were projector and were on. Not HID but bright. I did not see any foglights (or cutouts for them). Grille was also black and there was a good-sized intake below it. The taillights were small and LED. They looked similar to the concept but were more slitlike. These had oval cutouts in the camo. The reversing lights were in the bumper on each side of the license plate. There were two exhausts and a distinctive tone, much like (for lack of a better description) my dad's 1999 C5. Definitely V8. The wheels had good-size rotors and calipers, much like the GTO. There were antennae all over the place, and the dash (from what I could see) was pretty much covered with test gear. I did notice a pod-like setup to the dash, like an old Corvette. The driver gave me quite a look when I rolled next to him in my 1995 Red Z28. I truly believe what I saw was an early Camaro mule based on CTS-V or GTO running gear.
The last car was a 4-door sedan, about the size of a Malibu or Impala. It also was heavily camoed and had dual exhaust. The tone was low and might be either a HO V6 or a V8. The headlights were on and they looked like projectors. It also had LED taillights but they were vertical! The door design was striking; the doors had an upslant to them much like a CTS or STS. The driver of this car never looked at me and was on a cell phone. This might have been a new CTS or a Bel-Air tester.
I work at a GM dealership and get to hear all kinds of rumours and chat but this one takes it. They must have been doing cold-weather testing or something. I was actually thinking of stopping and getting one of those disposable cameras, but they would have been gone by the time I got it and caught up to them. I'm getting a friggin' digital camera now for SURE. We see cold-weather testers all the time here and can't miss another. I hope to see them again!
More later (I hope)
-Dave
I was driving down US-395 today through the Carson Valley towards Minden, NV. I saw three black vehicles in a row ahead of me and thought they might be testers. There was a new bodystyle Avalanche in front, a black camoflaged car in the middle, and ANOTHER black camoflage car in the back. Three in all, all three with blue Michigan MFR plates. The Avalanche was taped off in a few places but otherwise open. We all know what it looks like anyways. Maybe a Hybrid or E85 tester?
The SECOND car is what I believe was an early test mule for 5th gen Camaro running gear. Honestly. It was short, wide and had what looked like 2003-2004 5-lug Monte Carlo wheels painted black with no centre caps. The front end had cutouts for the headlights and grille but I couldn't see it clearly through the mesh. The lights were projector and were on. Not HID but bright. I did not see any foglights (or cutouts for them). Grille was also black and there was a good-sized intake below it. The taillights were small and LED. They looked similar to the concept but were more slitlike. These had oval cutouts in the camo. The reversing lights were in the bumper on each side of the license plate. There were two exhausts and a distinctive tone, much like (for lack of a better description) my dad's 1999 C5. Definitely V8. The wheels had good-size rotors and calipers, much like the GTO. There were antennae all over the place, and the dash (from what I could see) was pretty much covered with test gear. I did notice a pod-like setup to the dash, like an old Corvette. The driver gave me quite a look when I rolled next to him in my 1995 Red Z28. I truly believe what I saw was an early Camaro mule based on CTS-V or GTO running gear.
The last car was a 4-door sedan, about the size of a Malibu or Impala. It also was heavily camoed and had dual exhaust. The tone was low and might be either a HO V6 or a V8. The headlights were on and they looked like projectors. It also had LED taillights but they were vertical! The door design was striking; the doors had an upslant to them much like a CTS or STS. The driver of this car never looked at me and was on a cell phone. This might have been a new CTS or a Bel-Air tester.
I work at a GM dealership and get to hear all kinds of rumours and chat but this one takes it. They must have been doing cold-weather testing or something. I was actually thinking of stopping and getting one of those disposable cameras, but they would have been gone by the time I got it and caught up to them. I'm getting a friggin' digital camera now for SURE. We see cold-weather testers all the time here and can't miss another. I hope to see them again!
More later (I hope)
-Dave
03-19-2006, 10:32 PM
#4
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Location: Annapolis MD
Posts: 2,802
Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
Is it normal to test mutilple cars at once? Dont they put black steel hubcapless wheels on these specifically so you see little as possible? I call dream 
03-19-2006, 10:36 PM
#5
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Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
I wouldn't call what was unveiled at the show complete, either, but I saw what I saw. I remember the Jeep liberty tester I saw in Yerington, NV looked like a Cherokee that somone took a sawzall to. Yet here they are running around every day now.
I doubt it was "complete" by any means, maybe just existing running gear (like the Zeta-cars) with some modifications. How many testers have you seen? Have they ever looked "complete"?
There's always one...
Dave
I doubt it was "complete" by any means, maybe just existing running gear (like the Zeta-cars) with some modifications. How many testers have you seen? Have they ever looked "complete"?
There's always one...
Dave
03-19-2006, 10:38 PM
#6
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Houston
Posts: 3,123
Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
Originally Posted by V8 Slayer
Are you saying there is a prototype, complete and already on the road..? I have to call BS 
Especially since he saw a sedan right after it....(different sizes will be on this platform)
The Global RWD (used to be known as Zeta) is farther along than most people think.....
Alpha cars maybe????
03-19-2006, 10:42 PM
#8
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 794
Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
The CONCEPT just hit the world 2 months ago! And they already have a running model? Give me a break... The thing is probably not even complete on paper yet.. (I'm not talking about Zeta, but Camaro) How does he know they were even GM cars??
03-19-2006, 11:00 PM
#9
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Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
Yes, they do test more than one at a time. I also saw a couple testers of Asian origin (the drivers were Asian, okay?) about three months ago. One was a 4-door and the vehicle in front of it was an SUV, both camoed. Probably new Kia Sorento or similar. The sedan had a weird grille like the Amanti poking through the mesh in the front. We also used to have Porsche NA based close to here in Reno and we saw the (then new) Boxster testing with about six other Porsches, some uncamoed. So yes, they do test more than one at a time.
Or they have uncamoed existing models "escorting" them. Here's an example:
Hmmm... looks like this tester has FOUR escort cars... Would it be a good idea to have an untested model driving around without aid if something fails? Ask Brenda Priddy of Hidden Image if she's seen more than one tester at a time.
I call unbelievers 
-Dave
Or they have uncamoed existing models "escorting" them. Here's an example:
Hmmm... looks like this tester has FOUR escort cars... Would it be a good idea to have an untested model driving around without aid if something fails? Ask Brenda Priddy of Hidden Image if she's seen more than one tester at a time.
I call unbelievers -Dave
03-19-2006, 11:00 PM
#10
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 755
Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
Originally Posted by V8 Slayer
The CONCEPT just hit the world 2 months ago! And they already have a running model? Give me a break... The thing is probably not even complete on paper yet.. (I'm not talking about Zeta, but Camaro) How does he know they were even GM cars??
03-19-2006, 11:14 PM
#11
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Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
Well... I'm guessing they were GM cars since there was an UNDISGUISED AVALANCHE escorting them
Perhaps a new GM model escorted by Toyotas? Or Fords? I don't think so. What else could it be?
The exhaust was located in cutouts in the rear bumper cover. They were round tips. The mules were pretty dirty and there was a TON of tape and test implements sticking out of everywhere.
I honestly couldn't say what it was exactly, and that's the reason for the huge amounts of crude camo covering them. If I did announce "New Camaro for SURE", you know there'd be all KINDS of naysayers and BS callers. I'm just telling you what I saw, what they were escorted by, and where they were headed. US 395 South, towards California (or Southern Nevada). I hope somone else sees them and gets a good pic.
-Dave
Perhaps a new GM model escorted by Toyotas? Or Fords? I don't think so. What else could it be?
The exhaust was located in cutouts in the rear bumper cover. They were round tips. The mules were pretty dirty and there was a TON of tape and test implements sticking out of everywhere.
I honestly couldn't say what it was exactly, and that's the reason for the huge amounts of crude camo covering them. If I did announce "New Camaro for SURE", you know there'd be all KINDS of naysayers and BS callers. I'm just telling you what I saw, what they were escorted by, and where they were headed. US 395 South, towards California (or Southern Nevada). I hope somone else sees them and gets a good pic.
-Dave
Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
03-20-2006, 01:15 AM
#14
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Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
Okay, after spending several hours on the net, I found this picture which I'm pretty sure is the last car I saw in the trio. Maybe the new CTS-V? The lower front end was EXACTLY like this.
The Avalanche looked like this one, but with a different grille, current-style steel wheels and antennae all over it - but NO camo.
Might have been a hacked 2007 Silverado with an Avalanche rear? Who knows. If it was a 2007 Silverado they should have covered the front end! It was Silver Birch, like a darker silver colour.
As for the other car I saw, the middle one in the pack? Camaro? Guess we'll find out soon enough. The rear taillights were more flat and slitlike than the concept and there was back-up lights on each side of the license plate. The front end of the mule I saw was much different from the concept, at least what I could see "through" the camo. The mule didn't look like it had the chevron-like downslope of the concept. Hurry up, GM.
-Dave
The Avalanche looked like this one, but with a different grille, current-style steel wheels and antennae all over it - but NO camo.
Might have been a hacked 2007 Silverado with an Avalanche rear? Who knows. If it was a 2007 Silverado they should have covered the front end! It was Silver Birch, like a darker silver colour.
As for the other car I saw, the middle one in the pack? Camaro? Guess we'll find out soon enough. The rear taillights were more flat and slitlike than the concept and there was back-up lights on each side of the license plate. The front end of the mule I saw was much different from the concept, at least what I could see "through" the camo. The mule didn't look like it had the chevron-like downslope of the concept. Hurry up, GM.
-Dave
03-20-2006, 06:31 AM
#15
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Location: The Golden State
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Re: Test mule spotted in Nevada!!!! Camaro???
Although Neveda, Arizona, and southern California are hotbeds of prototype and mule testing from July to September, I don't see any purpose in testing there now. GM can rack up tons of mileage on their own proving grounds around the world, and if I can easily spot these cars on the road when I was in the area, anyone who makes a living taking spy pics can certainly bag enough of these cars to preclude anyone from driving on public roads if they don't have to.
I'm not dismissing the sightings out of hand, though. Although Holden already did the component work, putting them in a lighter Camaro or Impala-Belair is going to require some testing (though no where as extreme or as long as normal).
If this sighting is real, it certainly isn't for cooling ability (normally why cars are tested out this way).
I'm not dismissing the sightings out of hand, though. Although Holden already did the component work, putting them in a lighter Camaro or Impala-Belair is going to require some testing (though no where as extreme or as long as normal).
If this sighting is real, it certainly isn't for cooling ability (normally why cars are tested out this way).