July 31, 2003

Jaguar opens new test facility at Nurburgring, Germany

Nurburgring, Germany - Although Formula One deserted the Nurburgring track at the end of 1976, the Nurburgring has in recent times come to be used as a proving ground for the automobile industry and is now renowned as much as a high speed test track as it is a classic motor sporting venue.

For the last three years, Jaguar has leased a small workshop a couple of miles away from the circuit. Now, they have moved to a larger, 6,000 sq metre purpose-built facility closer to the track. The new Test Centre building houses several workshops with a total of eight lifting platforms and 20 computer terminals. The design of the entrance and the hall in the middle of the building allows a large truck to enter and unload its cargo behind closed gates. The Test Centre also incorporates a separate conference and training room, a restaurant and a presentation room.

Facility Director, Wolfgang Schuhbauer, says of the qualities of the new facility: "The unique Nordschleife is the perfect place for preparing a dynamic and sporty car like a Jaguar for 'real life'. But while the track is undoubedly a special place, driving round and round would be of little benefit without the technical infrastructure to interpret what you learn. Jaguar already has a successful relationship with the Nürburgring and the new Test Centre will enable us to gain further advantage from our activities here."

"Germany is an important export market for Jaguar, and our engineers have carried out high speed vehicle durability testing and evaluation on the Nürburgring circuit for the past four years," said Mike Cross, Jaguar Chief Engineer, Vehicle Integrity. "Every recent new Jaguar launch programme has been refined as a result of work in Germany. For example, the 400 horsepower Jaguar S-TYPE R and the new, all-aluminium Jaguar XJ had to prove their driveability and reliability in hundreds of laps through the 73 corners of the Nordschleife."

The Nürburgring test centre is one of a network of Jaguar test facilities worldwide, including the UK, USA and other European countries.

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