[look](https://www.automobilesreview.com/gallery/2021-mercedes-amg-project-one/2021-mercedes-amg-project-one20200907_03.jpg)
Edit: this pic i posted isn’t actually “testing phase paint”, [this one is](https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/images/story/201706/honda-accord_story_647_061417022650.jpg). Still badass, tho
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[Incidentally, dazzle paint was also used in the World Wars because they thought it would obscure a warship’s speed and heading.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage)
The type of camuflage used is called dazzle camuflage. The concept is that the contrasts and stripes make it very hard for people to see the lines in the design. So it is very hard to copy the design from just a few pictures. There is no way of knowing if a darker area is due to the paint scheme or if it a shaddow cast by the body design. In your image you might notice that it is very hard to see how the lines around the fenders joins up with the side panels of the cars. There is also a feature on the engine cover in front of the gills which might be an air inlet to the engine bay but you can not really see how it is shaped.
They use camouflage paint/wrap to hide the styling and body lines until they’re ready to officially release the vehicle.
Its [Dazzle Camouflage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage) and dates back to around WW1 as a way of hiding identifying features of a ship.
The geometric patterns and sharp color transitions make it difficult to pick out curves and contours on the car which is good for keeping updated body styling hidden. Generally manufacturers will need to build a couple units of a new model to test out on the road or tracks to confirm handling of performance, but they don’t want people seeing the new body curves or the “freshness” of it all will be spoiled before they can show it off at a big autoshow.
While the answers in regards to the Dazzle camo are on point, I think your example is just a custom wrap job.
[This](https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/images/story/201706/honda-accord_story_647_061417022650.jpg) is *actual* Dazzle camo.
While dazzle paint has its history in “hiding the lines” of a car (which it’s not so great at if you’ve ever seen one in person), these days it’s also intended to stop photogrammetry tools from being able to produce an accurate 3D model of the car before it’s released, and the designs have been tweaked for that very purpose.
So you can’t tell the curvatures. Curvatures make a new car “new”, so carmakers don’t want to spoil it before the official debut.
With modern high res photos and computer programs, I think people can render it very accurately even with this paint scheme though.
can i ask how you navigated to the picture of project one ?
more and more oems are opting for padding and such to completely obscure the design.
but at some point, those covers are more cumbersome than they are worth. so once they reveal the car, they go to a simpler wrap.
I used to work for the prototype plant for Ford in Dearborn (Detroit). They use this “dazzle camouflage” to confuse people who might want to copy designs. It is confusing to the eyes and cameras. They will also put styrofoam or other things under the wrap to fake different shapes to really confuse people.
They are super protective over their new designs. I know someone who was fired and sued for taking a picture of a new truck model and only showing his son.
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