A matter of stealth

Detroit, September 29, 2014

You fall on, although this is not planned: prototypes of future production vehicles, commonly known as " prototypes ". The engineers are faced with a dilemma: on one hand, you want the cars try to be realistic, on the other hand the form to remain as secret as possible. Just like now with the new Chevrolet Volt, the start of 2015 debuts.

How would you like it?

Contrary to what one is generally expected, not the designer, but special engineers are involved in the creation of Tarnkleids. One of them is Lionel Perkins, in his " Camouflage Engineer " at GM. If it were up to him, the Volt prototype would drive around as a rolling shoeboxes. Brings us to the dispute between the two camps again. The designers want as little as possible on the final shape is visible, while the engineers check the car pretty close to production through its paces. The shoebox would not only distort the weight completely, but make no findings in terms of aerodynamics.

Full on curls

So Lionel have to think of something else with his team. About the black and white squiggle - pasting: This psychedelic film also comes with other manufacturers to use. You should blur design elements, the kringle camouflage changes due to the loss of parts. What else is on offer? Everything is Lionel certainly not cheap, but quite like parts are built to the car that do not belong to the finished vehicle and to make people believe another line. However, they must not distort the airflow around the car too much. And what kind of GM Tarnfolie staring them in the new Chevrolet Volt? It is the good old bubble wrap. A lightweight, three-dimensional material, what the eyes confused . ( rh )

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