Honda razzle-dazzles with a 2010 NSX supercar
There's two fantastic things about this image (and I don't just mean the double watermarks): First, this is a picture of an upcoming NSX from Honda, purported to have a V10 under the bonnet. First the Nissan GT-R, now a new NSX; where's the new Supra, Toyota? It's just like the '90s all over again: tons of fantastic Japanese supercars coming out that I still can't afford to own.
But the other thing I love is this paint job on the test mule, reminiscent of the "razzle-dazzle" paint jobs done during WWI to protect convoys of ships crossing the North Atlantic. Obviously it doesn't obfuscate the overall shape, but it does help cloak details.
2010 Acura NSX Is Real After All [Jalopnik]
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They are called "Erlkoenig" in German, after the famous poem by Goethe... Who rides so late through night and wind. Something to read up on, remember and impress your friends with.
They are indeed designed to disguise details and cloak new car prototypes.
The first NSX was a thing of beauty. Sexy. Sleek. Unique. This looks like every other Asian sports car on the road = BoringBoring.
Camo of various types is common. It can range from a few pieces of colored tape obscuring details to elaborately constructed housings over all external surfaces. It's a pretty common sight on Detroit area freeways and parking lots. Yes, it's hard to believe from the obituaries for the domestic auto industry that one constantly reads but we do still design and build cars here.
we do still design and build cars here.
How do you test drive them? Hasn't wilderness reclaimed the streets? Aren't there gangs of feral children and zombies looking for meat?
Another V-10 car? Wow, that's useful.
How do you test drive them? Hasn't wilderness reclaimed the streets? Aren't there gangs of feral children and zombies looking for meat?
The Big Three (or is it 2 now?) have preserved sections or original pavement for auto testing. And the zombies? Well, you have to check the bumpers and airbags somehow.
Aren't there gangs of feral children and zombies looking for meat?
Yes! They'll also sell you a 3,000 square foot house on 2 acres of land for $10,000. But mostly meat.
My Porsche has a similar paintjob...
http://www.zentastic.com/blog/2006/10/25/more-photos/
Shannon, you should really get the Leonard Part VI gun attachment for that thing.
I think my favorite Detroit camo scheme is the leopard spots. It's also not unheard of to see a car in full camo parked in somebody's driveway out in the burbs around Detroit.
Wow...the first 2 or 3 times I looked at the pic, I actually thought it was parked in the shade of a tree...
For what it's worth, dazzle camo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage) was based on the idea that, for ships at least, it was basically impossible to conceal their presence (being a big lump of metal on a completely open and featureless ocean), and so the next best thing was to make it difficult to determine the type of ship, its exact silhouette, its direction, or its speed. As radar became common for detection and targeting, dazzle camo fell out of favor, and has not been used since. It looks damn cool though IMHO.
There was also a type of active camouflage used on antisubmarine aircraft in WWII (and in various other places since) where small lights were placed on the leading edges of the wings and the front of the fuselage. The lights were then turned on, and dimmed to match the brightness of the sky behind the airplane, buying a bit of extra time before the sub's lookouts could spot the plane coming in. I believe there was a NOVA episode that showed this, and they had a demonstration of a British APC kitted out with a grid of lights on its side. They parked it on a ridge line next to another APC without lights, and as they zoomed out, the lighted APC disappeared into the skyline, while the non-lighted one was clearly visible.
An important aspect of Razzle Dazzle camo—and one that doesn’t show in the posted image—is that the designs were in Wiredesque fluorescent colors. Most period photos conceal this, being black and white, but you can see them on paintings and plans here:
http://www.gotouring.com/razzledazzle/articles/dazzle.html
I’ve never had serious naval ambitions, but rolling into battle aboard a neon purple Dreadnought puts office life into quite a sad perspective.
I'm sure this car will be awesome. It has similar lines to what I thought the 350Z should've been and it is made by Honda, so I'm sure to love it.
However, I will not inspire like the original did. The original NA1 NSX matched the 355, the NA2 matched the 360. There is no way in hell that Ferrari is going to stand up and say, "Oh shit, F430 sales are in danger?!" without the balance and F1 awe inspiring that a mid-ship design provides.