Extensive refurbishment of BMW Test Centre at Nürburgring.

Munich / Nürburg. Conducting tests on the most demanding track in
the world, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, has always been a matter
of course for BMW. After all, this track - respectfully referred to by
many as the "Grüne Hölle ("Green Hell") -
provides a highly concentrated dose of all levels of difficulty
confronting an automobile in everyday road traffic. BMW test drivers
have been permanent guests here since the sixties, using a former BMW
dealership as their base. In 1991, the building once owned by BMW
dealer Willi Martini was taken over by BMW, and the rooms were also used
as a base for the BMW Motorsport Team. Activities for the German
Touring Car Championship (DTM), Super Touring Car Championship (STW),
ADAC GT Cup and various 24-hour race entries were all part of the
program here, as well as the technical and organisational co-ordination
for the popular BMW Ring Taxi. However, as time went on the premises
and facilities became overstretched and extensive reconstruction was
finally necessary. During a three-year period of reconstruction, the
BMW Test Centre at the Nürburgring was turned into a building site
and now the facility has officially gone into operation as the third
site of BMW M GmbH. In three construction phases since October 2003,
modern high-tech workshop facilities have been created which enable BMW
AG and BMW M GmbH to test cars for serial production readiness and
develop new vehicle projects directly on the Nürburgring
Nordschleife. The workshop area in particular has been significantly
enlarged as compared to the previous facilities. Formerly comprising
only four car lifts, the premises now comprise a now a total of eleven
workplaces with car lifts including a new wash hall, a new wheel
alignment facility and a so-called one-way street system. Thanks to
induction loops and a sophisticated barrier system, it is now possible
to go through the workshop facility without crossing an intersection,
which also creates more space in the interior of the BMW Test Centre.
To ensure that all staff feel at home, a new leisure wing has been added
with a common room, and the team base has also been refurbished. Since
test results and protocols have to be transmitted quickly to the
research centres in Munich and Garching, technicians and engineers now
work in a generously sized office with some 30 computer workplaces.
Finally, two exhibition and conference rooms have been created, the
reception area has been separated and renewed and the exterior
redecorated. All in all, a total of 870 square metres of building space
has now been increased to 1,178 square metres and 5,131 cubic metres of
refurbished space has been expanded to 9,000 cubic metres. Thanks to
this reconstruction project, which has been carried out without
imposing significant limitations on ongoing test operations, BMW AG and
BMW M GmbH now have a test centre which fulfils all modern requirements
and which will demonstrate BMW's pioneering test expertise at the
Nürburgring for years to come.