The Opel “proving ground” in Dudenhofen, as it was known at the time, opened 50 years ago. Ever since, countless Opel cars had to face the toughest tests on their way to production. Right from the start, the proving ground was continuously extended and modernised. In the meantime, it has become the largest and most important Opel test centre in Europe.
At the beginning, in 1966 April, the 2.6 sq km proving ground has a combination of various streets and roads with a total length of 33 kilometers. Then as now, engineers show no mercy when it comes to testing new developments.
For example, on the 5km, 33-degree banked, high-speed circuit that encloses the proving ground. Alternatively, they take to the “skid pad”, a concreted area with a diameter of 100 metres. It is used to determine the steering behavior or to precisely measure the swerving of the vehicle in corners.
In the 1980s, a 4.4km “sound and comfort track” is added. In 1992, the entire high-speed circuit is renewed in 24 weeks due to the heavy use. Ever since, the circuit, sound and comfort track, skid pad, hill, handling and torture tracks enable extensive vehicle test and development work on engines, brakes, steering or chassis.
The area has been extended successively. In 2004, an oval track with watering and drainage system for slingshot tests and slalom drives is added. An all-wheel-drive test bench follows in 2006, along with a modern industrial gasoline station with 32 pumps for 16 different types of fuel.
Since the second circuit renewal in 2012, test drivers can take the steep curve at 250km/h without the influence of any lateral force – they can theoretically take their hands of the steering wheel. This is how the previously calculated target values, such as top speed, look in reality.
The internal weather station delivers data on humidity, wind speed and direction. This is complemented by the highly sensitive sensors embedded in the road surface – they permanently deliver data on the temperature and dampness of the surface, so that these can be considered in the test result. And obviously, the tracks need to be prepared for the test according to the weather conditions.
When new vehicles such as the current Opel Astra are put through their paces in Dudenhofen, it means them facing around 40,000 kilometres of extreme stress on the proving ground. The distance is equivalent to over 200,000 kilometres or 15 years on “real roads”. Added to that are countless kilometres on other proving grounds and public roads all over the world. The latest Astra underwent strains that are equivalent to those of an entire life cycle in only 24 weeks.
One of the many decisive tests that the Astra was subjected to is the “endurance test”. The endurance track offers various different road surfaces such as asphalt and cobblestone, bumps and numerous corners. Here the engineers check whether the performance and quality of the prototypes that they determined and validated made it into regular production. 
Opel is also serious about testing its car seats.
