Buongiorno! Dear Readers, 18 40 years of the Nardò proving ground: 40 years of test- 17 13 ing, innovation, and top performances. We’re delighted to be able to celebrate this anniversary together with you. 6 Ever since the Nardò Technical Center was founded in 5 9 1975, the test center has been continuously upgraded and 16 15 enhanced. Much has changed over the years—and yet in 10 spite of all the innovations, the Nardò Technical Center 8 14 12 has maintained its tradition: the tradition of comprehen- sive vehicle testing, openness to all customers, and the tradition of always being a reliable partner. 3 But we’ve kept one tradition above all: advancement. 7 We’ve always striven to identify and prepare ourselves for 4 the challenges of tomorrow and beyond. So 40 years ago 2 we opened the groundbreaking circular track and today 1 we’re preparing for the development tasks of the future. The anniversary year is marked by this exciting com- bination of tradition, many years of experience, and a forward-looking orientation—and that’s exactly what we want to present in the articles and images in the follow- 11 ing pages. We would like to thank all of our customers, friends, and business partners for their loyalty through the years. We look forward to many more years of successful collabora- tion and hope you enjoy this issue. 1 Car Circular Track 2 Lorry Circular Track 3 Handling Track 4 Car Dynamic Platform 5 Lorry Dynamic Platform 6 Curbstone Area 7 Low Friction Area 8 Noise Track 9 Special Pavements Track 10 Strada Bianca Off-Road 11 Dust & Gravel Oval 12 Africa Road 13 Tire Laceration Road Francesco Nobile Edmund Sander 14 Cross Country Road 15 Off-Road Slopes 16 Mud Road 17 Concrete Slopes 18 Rolling Track Management, Nardò Technical Center 2 Nardò Technical Center – 40 Years Nardò Technical Center – 40 Years 3 GROUNDBREAKING. BREATHTAKING. POWERFUL. THEN AS NOW. ONE OF A KIND. THE NARDÒ TECHNICAL CENTER. PORSCHE 918 SpYDER CO2 emissions (combined): 72 (70*) g/km Fuel consumption (combined): 3.1 (3.0*) l/100 km; Power consumption (combined): 12.7 kWh/100 km Efficiency class: A+ * 918 Spyder with Weissach package The Nardò Technical Center (NTC) in Porsche Engineering, the NTC is a re- the Italian region of Apulia has enjoyed a liable partner for many vehicle manu- Destination: Future. legendary reputation for some 40 years. facturers worldwide: as a development Remotely located in one of Italy’s quieter partner throughout the entire process New roads being opened up through innovation areas, many carmakers take advantage of vehicle testing on the way to series- of the unique testing conditions here. production maturity. The most famous of these is undoubt- edly the 12.6-kilometer circular track for high-speed drives. Many speed records More than just asphalt: ____ Nardò: for the first time, the vehicle prototype demonstrates have been set on this track by various what it can do on the road—a big moment for the developers. Not on vehicle manufacturers. intelligent testing services public roads where everyone can see, but in the closed test center; a painstaking process of alternating driving tests and development steps Yet Nardò has much more to offer. With From driving dynamics testing and begins to take shape. Porsche Engineering’s Nardò Technical Center more than 20 test tracks and facilities endurance tests to measurements for offers service packages for every conceivable stage of testing. spread over more than 700 hectares, sound development, vehicle diagnos- customers have access to a wide range tics and homologation according to By Thomas Knoll and Katharina Hug of testing options—not least thanks to country-specific regulations—the NTC Photos by Stefan Bogner the mild climate almost every day of is equipped with all the tracks and fa- the year. So Nardò is more than just cilities necessary to get the job done. It asphalt, cobblestones, and the rough fulfills the widest range of requirements road course. Like its parent company faced by vehicle manufacturers. › 12 Nardò Technical Center – 40 Years Nardò Technical Center – 40 Years 13 It’s also accompanied by the engineering strive to gain all required insights and driving dynamics tests on reproducibly services of Porsche Engineering and the knowledge with fewer test repetitions rain-wet road surfaces on the sunniest expertise gained through the develop- and developments steps—and thus of days. The great diversity of the test- ment work of a series manufacturer. fewer resources and lower costs. For ing courses enables developers to con- its part, Nardò’s varied range of test- duct a wide variety of tests in a single The objective of the Nardò Technical ing and development facilities provide location in the immediate proximity of Center and Porsche Engineering is to the ideal testing conditions. It is pos- development facilities. offer customers optimal working con- sible, for example, to conduct tests that ditions and even take on complete de- deliver robust data regarding the cor- velopments tasks. The spectrum of ser- rosion resistance of a vehicle over its Ready for testing for the future vices ranges from the simple provision entire lifecycle within just a few weeks. of optimal testing tracks and courses, including the associated infrastructure, Climatic conditions from different The testing of driver assistance systems to complete packages of specific testing countries and regions can be replicated is currently a major priority in vehicle programs. The testing services encom- here. It is also possible to test and development. Such systems are designed pass test drives on individual tracks, on make appropriate adjustments for the to assist the driver safely in difficult test benches or in the lab, precise record- demands of the different target markets driving situations or ease the burden of ing, preparation and analysis of data, as in terms of robustness, driving dynam- tiresome routine tasks. “Adaptive cruise well as expert consulting services for the ics or product lifetime. Road conditions, control,” for example, automatically optimization of test sequences. Precisely fuels and even the traffic signs can vary maintains a safe gap to the car in front what the customer needs. widely from country to country. With regardless of the driving situation and its variable testing capabilities, the NTC speed. Other driver assistance systems In the vehicle testing phase, the engi- allows customers to avoid time-consum- such as the blind-spot assistant or emer- neers test the entire vehicle—from the ing location changes and high transport gency braking assistant with pedestrian The Nardò Technical minor details to the major components, costs. In Nardò, vehicle manufacturers recognition can prevent dangerous eva- Center provides ev- from the power windows, to the engine, can drive on courses that approximate sive maneuvers or carry out automatic ery option—even for to the complete vehicle system. The African offroad conditions, or conduct emergency braking. › testing super sports aim is to confirm the functionality of cars. Pictured here is the exhaust system all elements step-by-step and to identify with top pipes of the and eliminate all problems that could Porsche 918 Spyder. occur under every conceivable set of conditions. The engineers distinguish Ready to go: the Porsche 918 Spyder shortly before between the principles of verification a test drive on the proving ground. and validation. If the prototype tends to understeer under extreme corner- ing situations, the engineer verifies the causes of the misbehavior in the valida- tion process in order to eliminate the issue—for example through optimized wheel carrier geometry. Efficient testing and wide-ranging options The primary focus in vehicle testing is on efficiently designing, optimizing and streamlining test programs. The NTC engineers, or “test experts,” always 14 Nardò Technical Center – 40 Years Nardò Technical Center – 40 Years 15 These innovations are developments of ties are also the result of a continuous trum of testing services. After decades the automotive industry towards auton- Further development improvement process in the operation of of experience with customer projects, omous driving. Such systems are highly the testing grounds. For example, two Porsche Engineering is also intensifying safety-relevant and must be tested in all of the proving ground unusual rescue vehicles have been added its activities on the multifaceted Chi- situations over vast distances and dem- to the fleet. Two Porsche Cayennes nese market with location in Shanghai, onstrate driver-friendly functionality. New track surfaces and a guardrail ensure speedy and safe deployment: one which opened at the beginning of 2015. Nardò is optimally suited to such tests. system specially designed for the circu- vehicle as a fire extinguishing vehicle, This gives the Nardò Technical Center The developers conduct the verification lar track in Nardò are the result of the the other for technical assistance and direct access to specific regional require- and validation of these systems under exceptional expertise of the partners. A emergency rescue services. The always- ments and thereby improves intercul- reproducible external conditions such new guardrail system was developed in present rescue personnel are intensively tural understanding in the process. This as climate, road surfaces, light condi- close collaboration between the engi- trained and optimally prepared for duty knowledge and the ability to simulate tions and traffic conditions—over many neers at the NTC and other branches during high-speed driving tests. Chinese testing conditions guarantee kilometers of test driving and with as of Porsche Engineering. The result is European carmakers additional optimal many test repetitions as needed or de- a completely new type of design com- The overall vehicle expertise of Porsche and efficient development options. sired. Nardò is ideal for the simulation prised of steel beams, supporting steel Engineering, the development services of a wide variety of traffic situations to posts and bolts.