- Start
- Apr 1, 196690% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
- End
- Apr 30, 196690% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
Opel Opens the Dudenhofen Test Center as Europe's Most Modern Proving Ground
- Opel's Dudenhofen Test Center, near Rodgau in Hesse, Germany, opened in April 1966 as a 2.6 square-kilometer proving ground with 33 kilometers of track - the most modern car test facility in Europe at the time.
- It has since grown into Opel's largest and most important European test center, with over 70 kilometers of track including a high-speed circuit, skid pads, an airbag laboratory and a climate chamber.
- Opel models have logged more than 200 million test kilometers there on their way to production.
- The facility remains secured and secluded, since the prototypes and unreleased technologies - including automated driving and new propulsion systems - tested there must stay secret.
References 385% CONFIDENCE
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- [1]90%youtube.com/watch?v=1EqKV4sbqIYyoutube.com· Posted Sep 15, 2026· Starts Apr 1, 1966 ✓· Ends Apr 30, 1966 ✓· 33% of score
Multiple independent 50th-anniversary retrospectives (Torque[2], epilog.de, autohaus.de[3]) agree the Dudenhofen proving ground opened in April 1966, though none give an exact day.
- [2]85%50 years of Opel Test Centre in Dudenhofentorque.com.sg· Added Sep 15, 2026· 33% of score
A 50th-anniversary retrospective states the Dudenhofen proving ground opened in April 1966 as Europe's most modern auto test center.[1]
- [3]80%50 Jahre Dudenhofen: Opel gewährt Einblick in geheimes Prüfzentrumautohaus.de· Added Sep 15, 2026· 33% of score
German trade press independently corroborates the April 1966 opening as part of Dudenhofen’s 50th anniversary coverage.[1]
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