Encountering a convoy of lightly camouflaged Hyundai Sonatas on their way to... what?

I was headed west on CA-60 to Pasadena to shoot a 1930 Cadillac V-16 roadster the other day (photos coming this week to the new automotivetraveler.com/Fotki galleries) when I tagged along behind a convoy of what appeared to be three Hyundai Sonatas with difficult-to-photograph black front and rear fascias. Since the highly acclaimed Sonatas are just now reaching dealer showrooms--and clearly these cars were kitted-out for testing purposes and not cloaked in typical Hyundai camo--I'm trying to figure out what I was looking at. I can only surmise they were near-production 2012 Sonata Hybrids on their final calibration shakedowns. Upon close examination of the photos, these cars appear to have a bit of a difference in the front headlights, compared to the current 2011 models at your local Hyundai showroom: They have no upsweep at the rear of the headlight buckets but rather a smooth curve from front to back.

Encountering these test mules reminded me it's now just six weeks to my first sojourn up to Death Valley to hunt prototypes and test mules. My first planned day trip up to Death Valley is set for the week of 28 June--maybe a bit early in the season, but you never know what you'll encounter. Many manufacturers that conduct less real-world testing prefer the privacy of their own proving grounds or environmental test chambers that can duplicate the conditions found in Death Valley. Yet in few places on earth can you be assured of 120-degree temperatures combined with a 5,000-foot change in elevation in 16 miles. An easy availability {of fuel and close proximity to major population centers (Las Vegas two hours away, Los Angeles, four) makes Death Valley an ideal real-world test course.

Death Valley is automobiledom's worst kept secret. The only thing keeping more snoops away is that in the summertime it's hot, damn hot. And, as we did last summer, we're inviting Automotive Traveler readers to join us on two of our planned July and August day trips to Death Valley. If you live in Southern California, or are planning to visit the Southland this summer and would like to join us, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your name, mobile number, and days you're available. We'll see if we can get schedules in sync and have you join us. If last year was any indication, it will be a fun day, with the worst part about it the 8:00 a.m. rendezvous in San Bernardino to make sure we're in our favorite snooping positions by lunch time.