Paparazzi Snaps Photos of Newest Car Models

It's no secret that the most valuable photographs for mainstream paparazzi are the ones snapped when celebrities least expect it, documenting the furtive kiss or the bad hair day. But there's another breed of paparazzi on the prowl -- half-photographer, half-spy -- whose target is not celebrities, but new cars.

Brenda Priddy is the world's leading car spy. The 49-year-old chases automotive companies' newest models, and snaps pictures of these top-secret prototypes years before their creators want anyone to see them. In the process, she drives carmakers nuts.

"I think they're trying to hide it from everybody -- primarily their competitors," Priddy said. "They don't want their competitors to see what they have planned for the future. They just like to keep it secret until they introduce it at an auto show somewhere."

The cars are often incognito -- disguised during test drives with fake body parts and black coverings over key features.

Photo Courtesy Brenda Priddy.

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Priddy sells photos of the cars to trade magazines, newspapers and Web sites in dozens of countries. Her biggest seller of the year: photos of President Obama's new limo, which Priddy's team of automotive paparazzi caught long before the official unveiling.

"Obama's limo was the hottest selling photo, well, one of the hottest selling photos we've ever had," she said.

But Priddy says that she gets just as excited shooting brand new cheap cars as she does shooting a cutting-edge BMW.

"I make the most out of everything that I shoot, so if I shoot a $12,000 Kia or a $70,000 luxury car, I get just as excited," she said.

"Nightline" hit the road with Priddy to see what it takes to snap photos of hot rides.

Car Companies' Ground Zero: Testing New Rides

We followed Priddy to a strip of land in the Mojave Desert, which has become the ground zero for every car company on the planet to test their newest rides under intense triple-digit heat.

Photo Courtesy Brenda Priddy.

Priddy is chasing what she believes to be a 2012 Volkswagen SUV hybrid -- a model that's never been seen before.

"This is interesting ... this is a car carrier and it's different from the one that was here last night, which gives us an indication [that] possibly more Volkswagens are in town today," she said, sorting the clues.