We got duped, folks. Not just me, either. Every Corvette fan that has been following the development of the Blue Devil/SS Corvette was suckered along with all the automotive blogs and "legitimate" magazines that have followed the story. Winding Road calls the print article "Gamesmanship: The Corvette WR". The ruse? To build a Blue Devil/SS Corvette mule in the hopes that it would be photographed and published on competitors magazines and websites.

Here are the November 16th photos of the Blue Devil/SS and the accompanying story that a student named "Yonni G" just happened to be cruising near Milford and just happened to have his dad's camera and just happen to be quick enough to squeeze off a couple frames..

Yonni's Comments:

"As I was driving I saw the prototype way ahead of me on the road, and it looked like a really aggressive Corvette. Luckily I had borrowed my dad's camera for a project at school and had it with me in the car and snapped some shots as it passed by. The car was amazing! It sounded very powerful and definitely did not seem like your everyday Corvette.

So, before I get to my comments about how Winding Road just threw its credibility out the window, here are the images from their Jan 07 print edition:

Let's take a look at the quote from the second paragraph of their story: "Irresponsible speculation has been put forth by Corvette fanatics, magazine editors and competing manufacturers." So, is Winding Road not engaging in irresponsible speculation for faking a Blue Devil/SS mule in the hopes of duping competitors and enthusiasts alike? What did you think you would gain, other than a quick laugh at the expense of Motor Trend, AutoWeek, The Car Connection, plus every blog and forum that posted your fake photos?

I had a guy that posted a comment on my blog, and you know what? He called me a fool because I posted your fake photos. So now my credibility is lowered because you wanted to have a contest.

What does this do to the credibility of Chris Doane, Brenda Priddy and other spy photographers that you rely on to break news? You think they are happy with this story?

You've just proved that you are not worthy of the link on my blog and I hope others will take anything that comes from Winding Road in the future with a grain of salt. Because in the back of my mind will always be the question "is this real"...

Technorati Tags: Corvette | Blue Devil | SS

Oh stop your whining. Your fault for posting images without any proof of what it was.

Thant's cool, mr Viper007Bond. The real Bond would have left an email address.

I'll take some of responsibility. After all, we are excited about the future of Corvette and what the Blue Devil/SS will bring to the table.

My problem though is that we were duped by a magazine that wants us believe that the stories they write are true. Not by a couple of high schoolers out for a laugh. If I want fake news, I'll go read the Onion.

lol, viper from finalgear?

you have to admit, did very well. its satirizing the fact that websites like autoblog, autoweek and many other independent blogs just compile news from around the industry and will post anything to stay "on top" of everything.

the sad part is that true enthusiasts have to be fooled too; getting our hopes up.

Alex:

Couldn't have said it better.

Well, if folks will backtrack to when this came out here, I questioned the whole thing and was told that GM does this sort of stuff. No offense to the person (I dont remember who told me that is was legit) but I still had my doubts that GM would make a killer vette and then haul it to Detroit to show it off or provide "secret" opportunities to take a picture of it. Maybe I am a fool too for sorta believing it and then dismissing it as BS but I really do find it amusing...actually funny a Hell...that everyone including the media made such a fuss over it. I understand that some vette mags even wrote some articles about it, but who did they interview for the story...Alfred E. Newman?? By the way guys...I still have a few 1/2 acre beach front lots available in Kansas if anyone is interested...act fast as they are selling quick.

$hooter
aka...Paul Slonaker
pslonaker@charter.net

I don't get it...Winding Road NEVER posted any photos, fake or otherwise. Someone else took photos and without verifying what they were taking pictures of, submitted those photos to other publications, which in turn accepted those photos at face value.

It is a nice prank that exposes the failure of publications to perform even a minimal level of confirmation regarding what they are publishing.

Credibility? Yeah, the media that published the so-called "spy shots" have to answer for THEIR credibility, not Winding Road.

And it's all pretty damn funny.