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Automotive Industry
AUTOS: Porsche Buys Nardo Test Track
Famed Italian testing facility built by Fiat includes a 7.7-mile high-speed circular track and 3.8-mile handling circuit.
The Nardò test facility in Apulia, Italy, includes a 7.7-mile high-speed track that is visible from space. (Photo: AutoWeek.com)
The Porsche Engineering Group will take over the Nardò test track in Apulia, Italy, from current owner Prototipo SpA, the automaker has announced.
The property covers almost three square miles of the Italian peninsula and includes a 3.8-mile handling course and a 7.7-mile, high-speed test track, which can be seen from space.
The facility also houses a 4X4 emissions laboratory, a noise track and a few extra spaces for more tracks if necessary. It has a workshop on the premises for engineering duties. In the past, it was rented out to manufacturers, but Porsche will likely use the facilities free of charge. The track currently operates 363 days per year on three shifts, seven days a week.
Porsche has been a regular at the circuit, along with other manufacturers.
“The Nardò proving ground, with its high-speed and vehicle-handling circuit, ideally complements our facilities in Weissach,” Matthias Müller, president and CEO of Porsche AG, said in a statement. “With the systematic development of the company in Nardò as part of Strategy 2018, Porsche is proving to be a reliable employer and business partner in Apulia as well.”
The Nardò Ring was built and paid for by Fiat in 1975. The high-speed portion has four lanes for traffic. The lowest handles a baseline speed of 62 mph, while vehicles in the top lane can travel at 149 mph or faster. When testing higher speeds, the entire track needs to be rented out by a manufacturer. There has only been one fatality at Nardò in its 37-year history.
This story originally appeared at AutoWeek.com.
The property covers almost three square miles of the Italian peninsula and includes a 3.8-mile handling course and a 7.7-mile, high-speed test track, which can be seen from space.
The facility also houses a 4X4 emissions laboratory, a noise track and a few extra spaces for more tracks if necessary. It has a workshop on the premises for engineering duties. In the past, it was rented out to manufacturers, but Porsche will likely use the facilities free of charge. The track currently operates 363 days per year on three shifts, seven days a week.
Porsche has been a regular at the circuit, along with other manufacturers.
“The Nardò proving ground, with its high-speed and vehicle-handling circuit, ideally complements our facilities in Weissach,” Matthias Müller, president and CEO of Porsche AG, said in a statement. “With the systematic development of the company in Nardò as part of Strategy 2018, Porsche is proving to be a reliable employer and business partner in Apulia as well.”
The Nardò Ring was built and paid for by Fiat in 1975. The high-speed portion has four lanes for traffic. The lowest handles a baseline speed of 62 mph, while vehicles in the top lane can travel at 149 mph or faster. When testing higher speeds, the entire track needs to be rented out by a manufacturer. There has only been one fatality at Nardò in its 37-year history.
This story originally appeared at AutoWeek.com.
2014 Chevrolet Corvette
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