Tuesday 7 July 2015

Porsche Testing Cars on this Gigantous Italian Track

Porsche Testing Cars on this Gigantous Italian Track

The high-speed circular track at Porsche's Nardò Technical Center is 7.8 miles around, great for testing cars at 200 mph.
The high-speed circular track at Porsche's Nardò Technical Center is 7.8 miles around, great for testing cars at 200 mph 
There's not much for tourists in the heel of the boot that is Italy. No big cities, no centers of culture or museums stuffed with Renaissance masterpieces. But if you’re an automaker working on something new, this is where you want to be.
Since 1975, car makers have been heading to Apulia, near the coast of the Ionian Sea, to test their wares at Porsche’s Nardò Technical Center, which celebrates its 40th birthday this month.
Built by Fiat and bought by Porsche in 2012, the center’s open to all vehicle manufacturers (for a price, naturally). The region’s mild climate allows for year-round testing and offers 20 tracks that provide everything you need to see just how well a car works.
There’s a 3.9-mile handling track with 16 curves, great for testing performance, reliability, and tire quality. The special pavements track has rails, cobblestone, pot holes, long waves, and washboarded sections for testing noise, vibrations, harshness, and durability. The tire laceration road simulates “extreme conditions.” The rolling track simulates driving on a low friction surface—like ice—with parallel rows of steel rolls. There’s a workshop and office areas, and systems to test car’s corrosion resistance.

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