#13 is lucky if you are a Camaro Engineering Pilot

[70 copo]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Verne_Frantz</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Phil,
I'm confused why you'd call this car both a Pilot AND a Prototype. Those two kinds of cars were vastly different, with a prototype having mostly hand made parts, while the pilot cars were intended to have production parts on them for test fitting and to write assembly instructions from them. To save costs, some pilot cars were first built one way, then taken apart and rebuilt with other options.
Prototypes were never assigned VINs as far as I know.

Verne </div></div>


Verne,

That's a good question so lets get to it... at the risk of splitting hairs lets see what the Merriam-Webster Dictionary says about &quot;prototype&quot;first...

Full Definition of prototype:

1. An original model on which something is patterned
2. An individual that exhibits the essential features of a later type
3. A standard or typical example
4. A first full-scale and usually functional form of a new type or design of a construction

In each of the 4 applications above the term &quot;Prototype&quot; is exactly correct when referring to the Norwood Camaro pilots.

There will always be debate on some issues and the pilot function at Norwood is no different, however when the you understand and accept the fact that in the context of assembly line element proofing, RPO time validation, and AIM finalization the pilot Program as it functioned at Norwood in the spring of 1966 was at the plant level also assembly line prototype work right down to the term &quot;Hand Made&quot; found on many of the early sheet metal parts.

There is an excellent article that appeared in MCR recently where Pilot Car Registry clarified this matter in detail.

Please have a look here: http://pilotcarregistry.com/assets/m...dition0002.jpg