“You gotta fool the eye, the camera and the software”, says Dave Pericak, an engineer assigned to develop bespoke camouflage for different car models. Way before a car hits the showroom, it takes its debut in an “incognito” way so that the car’s true design, structure and performance is kept preserved before the main car for sale! Here’s what we fleshed out about the why’s and how’s of car camouflage!
Car manufacturers go to extreme lengths to keep their upcoming models hidden. You must have seen all those pictures of eagerly anticipated future models in crazy checkerboard patterns and black and white swirls and thought what’s the deal with that?
Why car makers camouflage
In order to carefully gauge the performance of a car, car makers need to test their “mules” on the public roads leading up to the car’s reveal. So, when the model finally hits the showroom, the design looks fresh and its true looks are preserved until the final car for sale happens.
The cars are designed in a way so that you can’t tell the shape of a car. According to Ken Saward, Senior Design manager at Mazda, “You need something to keep people anxious and waiting for the new car to come out. It’s like how you don’t see the bride until she walks down the aisle”.
In this age of super sonic global dissemination, car camouflaging is important for the makers in order to keep the nosy bystanders and organised spies from intercepting their future products.
The unwanted publicity could hurt their anticipated success when the car for sale happens and even alert the competitors on the upgraded design and features. What’s more spy photography also cheapens the car’s debut and that is something no car maker wants.
How is “carmouflage” done?
The engineers work with the makers on deciding which key components they want to hide. Early in the camouflage department, deception is easy as the makers develop a car’s powertrain using an existing model. Those early prototypes are known as “mules”.
But then comes the bodywork. When the “newer prototype” is being tested, makers hide it with hard plastic, malleable padding or soft foam to completely hide the structure from sight.
Now comes the third phase of car camouflage. Makers then have to test durability, fuel economy and performance and the all that padding disrupts aerodynamics and wind noise, so the padding has to go. It’s all a process of getting everything perfect for the final car for sale.
At this stage the engineers start to play games with your eyes. Cars are then psychedelic patterns, checkerboard swirls and other “graffiti inspired fizz”. Most of the car patterns were derived from the world war era of “dazzle camouflage” that were designed to keep make it difficult for the opponent to determine the speed and distance of your ship.
Since the human mind is largely pattern-oriented, it becomes difficult for the brain to discern the car details with “swirly squiggly patterns”.
In this age of all-present cameras and eager fans, the need for an appropriate disguise is very necessary. Before the final car for sale happens, you can’t blame them for keeping the mystery alive by keeping the main details from trained eyes!
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