Fake dual exhaust--does anyone know where that came from?

There's also a lot of cars that have fake chrome exhaust tips molded into the rear bumper cover, which hide the actual metal tips.... And disguise whether the car is a single or dual exhaust model. Probably makes it a much simpler job to replace the exhaust system when it inevitable rusts away; no fancy chrome tip to remove and re-weld onto the new pipe. The chrome is in the plastic bumper!
Ex out the bumper been around for over a 1/2 century. Popular in Jet age cars.

1957 Cadillac Seville
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Lincoln Mark II
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If I recall, a certain year of BMW 7, also the Pontiac GTO in the 2000's, these two cars had true duals. But here's the kicker, they had them converge at the same place so they looked like twin tips! As if the true dual was disguised. Seems like a lot is about looks...
Yep, I had one of those. The '04 GTO did that. However, the '05 and '06 GTO's split them to look like duals. Funny thing is most owners thought the '04 sounded better as Pontiac engineers were said to have spent a lot of time trying to mimic the sound of a '64 GTO.
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Yes and from the rear of the car the 05 and up GTO's looked much nicer than the 04 with the pipes coming out one side. Also, the 05's got the higher HP engine than the 04's had.
 
The Camaro has fake duals. Old SLP tri-y headers and cross over, stock 3" replacement MagnaFlow converter, stock 3" exhaust pipe and x-verse muffler, stock 2.5" dual tail pipes. Fakery at its best worst.
 
Noone has yet noted that fake duals (one manifold/ cat into two mufflers) may have the target of meeting flow and low-noise requirements, as well as packaging ones. IOW it may be simpler to have two smaller mufflers than one giant honking one underneath.
 
Yep, I had one of those. The '04 GTO did that. However, the '05 and '06 GTO's split them to look like duals. Funny thing is most owners thought the '04 sounded better as Pontiac engineers were said to have spent a lot of time trying to mimic the sound of a '64 GTO.
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That's really interesting, so the one that may not have looked like true duals, may have sounded better, and maybe that's why they did what they did....
 
That's really interesting, so the one that may not have looked like true duals, may have sounded better, and maybe that's why they did what they did....
The ‘05 and ‘06 looked better and added 50hp (LS1 vs LS2), but most of the owners of the newer ones said the ‘04s sounded better on the GTO forums.
 
Ex out the bumper been around for over a 1/2 century. Popular in Jet age cars.

1957 Cadillac Seville
View attachment 112326


Lincoln Mark II
View attachment 112327
The knock against dual exhaust tips incorporated into bumpers (which do look good) is that if you brushed up against the back of your car walking around it you got an instant black stain on your trousers.
 
I think it's a German thing, from not too long ago, in particular from VW & Audi.

While the Lexus IS-F was noted for having fake tips (but had exhaust pipes behind it)....VW/Audi created the true fake dual exhaust tips, which I first recalled on the 2018 Atlas, Tiguan and Q5/SQ5 (even though the 2nd gen Q5 debuted in 2017 in Europe)

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The Ford Explorer ST... has real exhaust tips, but with cut outs on the bottom for the exhaust gas flow

I've seen that on a 70s Peugeot. LIke the Audi, it does keep the tips clean, and direct the flow to the ground.

From an aesthetic point of view, it also avoids the situations where the noise flaps result in one tip being carbon crusted, and the other one clean.
 
The Ford Explorer ST... has real exhaust tips, but with cut outs on the bottom for the exhaust gas flow

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Down flow exhaust was the cure for police versions and cops getting sick from CO in patrol versions. No chrome tips on cop ones, downturn tips plainly visible.
 
'21 Audi SQ5 Sportback - dual exhaust when the exhaust valve is open, but the dual tailpipes are turn-downs behind the rear fascia.

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On the SQ5 (non-Sportback), you can order Audi Accessory "Hot-Tips" which will make real tailpipes exit-out the rear fascia. You have to basically a box cutter to remove the fake exhaust tip panel, and also cut-off the turn-down tips that welded to the muffler.
 
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