The Nardo Ring is 50 Today

One of the world’s fastest test tracks, Nardo in Italy, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The track has been owned by Porsche since 2012, but was originally opened by FIAT on July 1, 1975 and remains unique in its design, which features a 12.6-kilometer (7.83-mile) banked circular circuit, where top speeds in excess of 200 mph are easily achievable.

Within its boundaries are a total of 20 different facilities, including a 3.85-mile handling course, along with buildings for simulation and various emerging automotive technologies. Its location in southern Italy makes it ideal for year-round testing as there’s very little rain.

It’s the high-speed ring for which Nardo is most famous, however. Unlike many banked circuits, the rake is only 12 degrees at its steepest, so driving actually feels like a never-ending straight. Each lane is 13 feet wide and in the outer lane the “hands-off” speed is 240 km/h or 149 mph. That means that, should you dare, you can let go of the steering wheel and the car wouldn’t deviate from its path.

In 2005, a Koenigsegg CCR recorded a top speed of 387.87 km/h (241.01 mph), but the fastest lap of the ring actually took place just a few years after it opened. In 1979, a Mercedes-Benz C111 achieved a mighty 403.98 km/h or 251.02 mph.

Nardo is also the home of my own personal land speed record, as I clocked an indicated 360 km/h (223.69 mph) behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Diablo. It’s an experience I’ll never forget, and as the circuit celebrates five decades of speed, Porsche is looking forward to its continuing positive impact on the future.

“We are honored to celebrate this special anniversary and feel a deep sense of responsibility for what NTC represents,” says Antonio Gratis, Managing Director of NTC. “We are proud of its history, of its contribution to the industry and of the many people who shaped it over time. This is not just a test center—it’s a place where technology and purpose come together to move the mobility forward and where the next chapters of innovation are already being written.”

I’d love to do the Nardo ring at any speed. That will never happen unfortunately.