Blue Devil Prototype just a joke.

[McLaren]

In one of the greatest hoaxes in automotive(press) history, the e-magazine, 'Winding Road', has fooled the internet, the magazines, and even GM employees in a prank that involved turning a silver C6 Z06 into the coveted "Blue Devil"! Well, in appearance atleast. While 'Winding Road' editor, Reilly Brennan, claims it was all just a joke, many claim it was a tactic to get more attention and publicity to their publication. Major spy photographers arent laughing either. The well known photographer, Brenda Priddy, said that she...

was a bit disappointed when I heard about the "prank".

...in an interview by autoblog.com. She continued on saying

Frankly, my major concern was that our actual "spy photos" would lose their value - their creditability. I've already had dozens of e-mails from readers questioning our Blue Devil / Stingray photos, which are in fact actual General Motors' prototypes.

This whole fiasco has created quite the uproar on many blogs and forums. Was it just a joke? Were they trying to get more publicity? Personally, I think it was just a joke and was hype for the "Blue Devil". If they were trying to get publicity, well, they sure got a new reader in me!

For the full scoop, visit http://www.WindingRoad.com, sign up(for free), and download there latest issue. It is completely free, and the story is on page 75.

REPORT: Blue Devil prototype faked by Winding Road
VetteGate: Spy photographers respond to fake Blue Devil pics
[url="http://www.windingroad.com]Winding Road[/url]

Credit to Ry & Savage@ Forzacentral.com for catching this one.

 

[a6m5]

"Irresponsible speculation" they complain. Another classic quote, "People want to believe in it. People want to buy it. Listen to them, Chevrolet". I'm sure Chevrolet had no idea of this without the help from these guys. I don't even like Chevys and I want one, jackasses.

 

[harrytuttle]

Nice move, GM. Now when you don't release it you'll be thought of as being the lesser of the three US manufacturers when both Ford & Dodge call your bluff and bring out genuine 600HP models. 👎

 

[Vonie]

So whats this?

 

[a6m5]

So whats this?

That's a beauty. I believe that is the actual, genuine Blue Devil. They weren't all fake. This "e-magazine" created a fake one pretending to be the Blue Devil.

 

[super cirrus]

So whats this?

looks like a blue z06 with black wheels to me.

 

[CDailey]

And fender flares, and a lower ride height, and a front lip.

 

[TopHat]

Oh GM, you drive us wild and crazy over your not so secret secret Vette.

 

[Vonie]

And fender flares, and a lower ride height, and a front lip.

looks like a blue z06 with black wheels to me.

No magazine would bother to bring a Vette to the 'Ring, just to fool people.

 

[Dave A]

GM took that one to the ring before the Z06 was on sale if I recall, it may have just been a modified Z06 for testing purposes to see what the effects of different alterations would have on the cars performance over there, it may have been a venture into the possiblities of a more powerful model. We'll have to see if anything official comes up. As has been said, this story doesn't disprove the existence of a "Blue devil" Corvette, it was just an excersise to fool people into believing there definitely was one and what it would be like and to see the reactions they got from it.

 

[Keef]

Pictures of the silver, fake Blue Devil ran in Motor Trend? Eh? I've never seen that car before. I remember seeing a Vette with a big box on its hood, but I don't remember the silver paint and black vinyl all over it.

 

[McLaren]

One of our members took some pictures of this car I believe as well.

 

[Leonidae]

could that blue one be a test mule for Camaro? I mean, look at the size difference between front and rear wheels..

 

[exigeracer]

No magazine would bother to bring a Vette to the 'Ring, just to fool people.

Yes they would. Look at all the publicity and advertising they generated. I bet that they planned well ahead of time when to reveal the hoax as well, which is even more advertising for the sit/mag.

This is identical to that episode of the Simpsons where Lisa finds the "angel" and The End (of high prices).

 

[Jim Prower]

Well, THAT one was a hoax, and Winding Road's gonna get toasted nicely by the automotive press for this. But there could be a grain of truth...and G.M. has done nothing to deny that there is some sort of "Super Vette" out there.

 

[TopHat]

Yeah, I want to see some Idiot in a Diablo pull up to one of the disguised test mules and race it.....

 

[YSSMAN]

Heres the thing however: While the silver model may have been a "hoax," that does not dispute the existence of the car previously acknowledged by Team Corvette and GM itself. Added to that, these fake models do not dispute the existence of the other test mules either, ones seen testing in the deserts of the American Southwest. Those models were all-black, not silver like these.

...It is disappointing that someone would do something like that, but it does one thing important: It proved to GM that people WANT this car!

 

[3-Wheel Drive]

So what exactly is the real Blue Devil? Just a Corvette with a few more horses under the hood?

 

[McLaren]

Heres the thing however: While the silver model may have been a "hoax," that does not dispute the existence of the car previously acknowledged by Team Corvette and GM itself. Added to that, these fake models do not dispute the existence of the other test mules either, ones seen testing in the deserts of the American Southwest. Those models were all-black, not silver like these.

...It is disappointing that someone would do something like that, but it does one thing important: It proved to GM that people WANT this car!

I'm a little doubtful about it now that even a few GM Employees were fooled by it, and that doesn't make a lot of sense.

So what exactly is the real Blue Devil? Just a Corvette with a few more horses under the hood?

IMHO, that's probably all it is.

 

[L8 Apex]

The journalist in me wants to scold WR for this not-so-little stunt, but the cynic/armchair social commentator in me wants to nominate them for a Nobel Prize! Go figure, eh?