Operation Mirage

Operation Mirage is the 64th album in the Michel Vaillant series, originally printed in 2001. The album shows off a plethora of new models at the end, while the story itself focuses on the struggles a company like Vaillante faces when launching a new design. The story has some dark undertones and showcases some serious (near) accidents, though with no fatalities.

Dutch: Operatie Mirage

French: Opération Mirage

German: Operation Mirage

Synopsis
In preparation of the Geneva Motor Show later that year, Michel test-drives a new Vaillante prototype in different settings: ranging from the race-track to the frigid cold of the arctic circle. But even though the company is going to great lengths to hide the details from everyone -even their most trusted employees- until the very last moment, a persistent photographer keeps popping up at testing sites. Getting more and more embarrassed by the leaks, the Vaillante board comes to single conclusion: there's a mole in the company...

Cars
Note: A tour through the design studios of Vaillante showcases a lot of models and concepts, including an early sneak peak of the car that is later introduced as the Vaillante Goodwood. Not all cars shown have a (discernable) name, or even make it out of the design phase (as far as we know).
 * Vaillante Alizee
 * Vaillante Daytona
 * Vaillante Europa
 * Vaillante Horizon
 * Vaillante Junior
 * Vaillante Marathon 2000
 * Vaillante Mirage
 * Vaillante Taglia

Locations

 * CERAM testing range, France
 * Vaillante Headquarters, France
 * La Jonquiere, France
 * Winter Test Track, Norway
 * Death Valley, USA
 * Castle Spangenberg, Germany
 * Geneva Motor Show, Switzerland