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106-634: Flugplatz may refer to: Flugplatz (corner) of the Nürburgring raceway Aerodrome Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Flugplatz . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flugplatz&oldid=1000739989 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

212-577: A factory at Genk , Belgium , in 1963. In 1976, it also opened a factory in Valencia , Spain , where production of the new Fiesta supermini (the first Ford of this size to be built in any country) was concentrated. The Escort , launched in 1967, was the first new Ford to be produced at both the German and British factories. At the beginning of 1969, Ford launched a new sporting coupe, the Capri , which like

318-406: A few years. Volkswagen was faced with major financial difficulties in the early 1970s; with its aging Beetle still selling strongly all over the world but its newer models had been less successful. However, the company then enjoyed a revival with the arrival of the popular Passat in 1973, Golf in 1974 and Polo in 1975 - all of these cars featured the new front-wheel drive hatchback layout which

424-588: A joint venture known as the Auto Union in 1932, which would play a leading role in Germany's comeback from the depression. The turnabout for the German motor industry came about in the mid-1930s following the election of the Nazi Party to power in 1933. The Nazis instituted a policy known as Motorisierung  [ de ] ("motorization"), a transport policy which Adolf Hitler himself considered

530-634: A key element of attempts to legitimise the Nazi government by raising the people's standard of living . In addition to development and extensions of major highway schemes (which saw the completion of the first Autobahn in 1935), the Volkswagen project aimed to design and construct a robust but inexpensive "people's car", the product of which was the Volkswagen Beetle , presented in 1937. A new city (known as Wolfsburg from 1945) grew up around

636-423: A mere shadow of its older sibling. Some fans, who had to sit much farther away from the track, called it Eifelring , Ersatzring , Grünering or similar nicknames, believing it did not deserve to be called Nürburgring. Like many circuits of the time, it offered few overtaking opportunities. Prior to the 2013 German Grand Prix both Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton said they liked the track. Webber described

742-423: A one-way toll road. The entire track consisted of 174 bends (prior to 1971 changes), and averaged 8 to 9 metres (8.7 to 9.8 yd) in width. The fastest time ever around the full Gesamtstrecke was by Louis Chiron , at an average speed of 112.31 km/h (69.79 mph) in his Bugatti . In 1929 the full Nürburgring was used for the last time in major racing events, as future Grands Prix would be held only on

848-773: A part of the original modern F1 track (without the Mercedes Arena section, which is often used for support pits) plus its huge pit facilities. Entry-level competition requires a regularity test ( GLP ) for street-legal cars. Two racing series ( RCN/CHC and VLN ) compete on 15 Saturdays each year, for several hours. The annual highlight is the 24 Hours Nürburgring weekend, held usually in mid-May, featuring 220 cars – from small 100 hp (75 kW) cars to 700 hp (520 kW) Turbo Porsche cars or 500 hp (370 kW) factory race cars built by BMW , Opel , Audi , and Mercedes-Benz , over 700 drivers (amateurs and professionals), and up to 290,000 spectators. As of 2015

954-728: A production facility for SUVs in Spartanburg County, South Carolina . BMW also acquired the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars name, effective as of 2003, and in the same year established a joint venture in China named BMW Brilliance . Daimler-Benz entered into what was initially called a "merger of equals" with Chrysler Corporation in 1998. However, cultural differences and operating losses led to its dissolution in 2007, although Daimler-Benz kept Chrysler's Chinese joint venture, renamed Beijing Benz . The company also launched

1060-667: A similar-sized hatchback by the early 1980s. Production of the Beetle finished in Germany in 1978, although it continued to be produced in Mexico and Brazil until 2003, with a small number of models being imported to Germany and the rest of Europe during its final 25 years. The Passat was marketed as a more advanced alternative to traditional larger saloon cars like the Ford Taunus / Cortina , Opel Ascona (sold in Britain from 1975 as

1166-468: A third generation model was available as an estate from 1991. The West of Germany was far more technically advanced in comparison with the East (more than 4.5 million against 200,000 annual production of auto vehicles in the 1980s), with the divide ending with German reunification in 1990. During the 1980s and 1990s, the German auto industry engaged in major acquisitions and international expansion all over

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1272-420: Is an emphasis on quickly clearing and repairing any compromised safety measures so the track can be immediately re-opened for use. Additionally, those found responsible for damage to the track or safety barriers are required to pay for repairs, along with the time and cost associated with personnel and equipment to address those damages, making any accident or breakdown a potentially expensive incident. Because it

1378-462: Is commonly used as a benchmark for its overall performance, and cars from disparate marques or time periods may be directly compared via their lap times. Since 2019, two times have been recorded: one for the whole length of the track, and another for a traditional, slightly truncated layout. Nordschleife test cars are piloted by experienced test drivers with intricate knowledge of the circuit, and are often variants specially prepared for circuit racing, as

1484-476: Is deleterious to a car's normal driving experience, producing cars that have sacrificed comfort and driveability in favor of better lap times. Former Top Gear host James May , who is known for his open dislike of testing run on the track, has claimed that the Nürburgring prompts designers to focus on a car's grip at the expense of pleasant-feeling handling, and creates cars that are ill-suited for real-world driving conditions. Others have expressed concern over

1590-446: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Flugplatz (corner) The Nürburgring ( German pronunciation: [ˈnyːɐ̯bʊʁkˌʁɪŋ] ) is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg , Rhineland-Palatinate , Germany . It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long Nordschleife "North loop" track, built in

1696-417: Is forbidden. The driver's insurance coverage may consequently be voided, leaving the driver fully liable for damage. Normal, non-racing, non-timed driving accidents might be covered by driver's insurance, but it is increasingly common for insurers to insert exclusion clauses that mean drivers and riders on the Nürburgring only have third-party coverage or are not covered at all. Drivers who have crashed into

1802-436: Is now used for all major and international racing events. However, the shortened Nordschleife is still in use for racing, testing and public access. In 1907, the first Eifelrennen race was held on the one-off Taunus circuit, a 117 km (73 mi) circuit made up of public roads starting between the towns of Wehrheim and Saalburg , just north of Frankfurt . In the early 1920s, ADAC Eifelrennen races were held on

1908-714: Is regarded as one of the most competitive and innovative in the world, and has the third-highest car production in the world, and fourth-highest total motor vehicle production . With an annual output close to six million and a 31.5% share of the European Union (2017), German-designed cars won in the European Car of the Year , the International Car of the Year , and the World Car of the Year annual awards

2014-436: Is technically operated as a public toll road, failing to report an accident or instance where track surfaces are affected is considered to be an instance of unlawfully leaving the scene of an accident. This is all part of the rules and regulations which aim to ensure a safe experience for all visitors to the track. The entire Nürburgring Gesamtstrecke was open to the public from its initial opening. At several points around

2120-538: Is the case with the Lexus LFA 's "Nürburgring package". For sixteen weeks per year, the "industry pool" ( Industrie-Pool ) rents exclusive daytime use of the track for automotive development and endurance testing. As of 2017 the industry pool consisted of approximately 30 car manufacturers, associations, and component suppliers. By 2019, the track was being rented by the industry pool for 18 weeks per year. Some journalists have opined that Nordschleife testing

2226-629: The 1000km Nürburgring , DTM , motorcycles, and newer types of events, like truck racing , vintage car racing at the AvD "Oldtimer Grand Prix", and even the " Rock am Ring " concerts. Following the success and first world championship of Michael Schumacher , a second German F1 race was held at the Nürburgring between 1995 and 2006, called the European Grand Prix , or in 1997 and 1998, the Luxembourg Grand Prix . For 2002,

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2332-675: The 1968 German Grand Prix amid a driving rainstorm and thick fog. In 1970, after the fatal crash of Piers Courage at Zandvoort , the F1 drivers decided at the French Grand Prix to boycott the Nürburgring unless major changes were made, as they had done at Spa the year before. The changes were not possible on short notice, and the German GP was moved to the Hockenheimring , which had already been modified. In accordance with

2438-475: The ADAC Eifelrennen races were continued there. The first races to take place on 18 June 1927 showed motorcycles and sidecars, and were won by Toni Ulmen on an English 350cc Velocette . The cars followed a day later, and Rudolf Caracciola was the winner of the over–5000cc class in a supercharged Mercedes-Benz "K". In addition, the track was opened to the public in the evenings and on weekends, as

2544-621: The FIA announced that Hockenheimring and Nürburgring would alternate with the German Grand Prix with Nürburgring hosting in 2007 . Due to name-licensing problems, it was held as the European Grand Prix that year. In 2014, the new owners of the Nürburgring were unable to secure a deal to continue hosting the German Grand Prix in the odd-numbered years, so the 2015 and 2017 German Grands Prix were cancelled. In July 2020, it

2650-597: The German Grand Prix as part of the Formula One World Championship (with the exception of 1959, when it was held on the AVUS in Berlin ). A new group of Ringmeister arose to dominate the race – Alberto Ascari , Juan Manuel Fangio , Stirling Moss , Jim Clark , John Surtees , Jackie Stewart and Jacky Ickx . On 5 August 1961, during practice for the 1961 German Grand Prix, Phil Hill became

2756-597: The Nordschleife for its challenges, often involving Sabine Schmitz . The first corner of the Nordschleife loop was renamed as the "Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve" in Schmitz's honor after she died of cancer in 2021. In addition, during series 17 (summer 2011) of Top Gear , James May was very critical of the ride quality of cars whose development processes included testing on the Nordschleife , saying that cars which were tested at Nordschleife got ruined. Multiple layouts of

2862-443: The Nordschleife to 20.832 km (12.944 mi), and with an additional small pit lane, this version was used for races in 1983, e.g. the 1000km Nürburgring endurance race, while construction work was going on nearby. During qualifying for that race, the late Stefan Bellof set a lap of 6:11.13 for the 20.832 km (12.944 mi) Nordschleife in his Porsche 956 , or 199.8 km/h (124.1 mph) on average. This lap held

2968-401: The Nordschleife . Motorcycles and minor races primarily used the shorter and safer Südschleife . Memorable pre-war races at the circuit featured the talents of early Ringmeister (Ringmasters) such as Rudolf Caracciola , Tazio Nuvolari , and Bernd Rosemeyer . After World War II , racing resumed in 1947, and in 1951, the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring again became the main venue for

3074-631: The Smart in 1998 and relaunched the Maybach brand in 2002. In addition, during the 1990s they opened a production facility for SUVs in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama . On 5 July 2012, Volkswagen AG announced a deal with Porsche resulting in VW's full ownership of Porsche on 1 August 2012. The deal was classified as a restructuring rather than a takeover due to the transfer of a single share as part of

3180-529: The United States , China and Japan , Germany is one of the top 4 automobile manufacturers in the world. The Volkswagen Group is one of the three biggest automotive companies in the world (along with Toyota and General Motors ). The Chevrolet Volt and its GM Voltec powertrain Technology were invented and developed first and foremost by the former German Opel engineer Frank Weber and some of

3286-680: The Vauxhall Cavalier ) and the Renault 12 . The Scirocco coupe of 1974 was also a success in the smaller sports car market, competing against the likes of the Ford Capri and Opel Manta . Its partner company Audi also enjoyed an upturn thanks to the success of its 100 range (launched in 1968) and the smaller 80 (launched in 1972 and voted European Car of the Year). Both of the new Audi models featured front-wheel drive. The Volkswagen Polo

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3392-547: The Volkswagen Beetle (Type 1) in 1945, a car which it had intended to make prior to the war (under the name of KdF-Wagen), except that the factory was converted to military truck production during the war. By 1955 VW had made one million Volkswagen Beetles , and by 1965 had built 10 million, as it gained popularity on export markets as well as on the home market. Other auto manufacturers rebuilt their plants and slowly resumed production, with initial models mostly based on pre-war designs. Mercedes-Benz resumed production in 1946 with

3498-607: The Wankel engine ) and merged it with Auto Union, but the NSU nameplate disappeared by 1977 when production of the Ro80 rotary-engine saloon ( European Car of the Year on its launch 10 years earlier) was stopped largely due to disappointing sales and a poor reputation for reliability. Ford merged its German and British operations in 1967, with the intention of producing identical cars at its German and British factories. Ford had also opened

3604-748: The World Touring Car Championship holds the FIA WTCC Race of Germany at the Nordschleife as a support category to the 24 Hours. BMW Sauber 's Nick Heidfeld made history on 28 April 2007 as the first driver in over thirty years to tackle the Nürburgring Nordschleife track in a contemporary Formula One car. Heidfeld's three laps in an F1.06 were part of festivities celebrating BMW's contribution to motorsport. About 45,000 spectators showed up for

3710-537: The 1920s, around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. The north loop is 20.830 km (12.943 mi) long and contains more than 300 metres (1,000 feet) of elevation change from its lowest to highest points. Scottish racing driver Jackie Stewart nicknamed the track "The Green Hell". Originally, the track featured four configurations, namely the 28.265 km (17.563 mi)-long Gesamtstrecke ("Whole Course"), which in turn consisted of

3816-659: The 1980s, Ford responded by substantially altering its model line-up. After launching the Fiesta supermini in 1976, it switched to front-wheel drive and a hatchback on the MK3 Escort on its launch in 1980, and opted to replace the Taunus/Cortina with the Sierra in 1982 - abandoning the hugely popular saloon format for an aerodynamic hatchback, although a saloon version was added in 1987. In 1983, Ford had also responded to

3922-408: The 22.835 km (14.189 mi) Nordschleife ("North Loop") and the 7.747 km (4.814 mi) Südschleife ("South Loop"). There was also a 2.281 km (1.417 mi) warm-up loop called Zielschleife ("Finish Loop") or Betonschleife ("Concrete Loop"), around the pit area. Between 1982 and 1983, the start/finish area was demolished to create a new GP-Strecke , which

4028-603: The 7.747 km (4.814 mi) Südschleife , but the Hockenheimring and the Solitudering were the main sites for Grand Prix motorcycle racing . In 1953, the ADAC 1000 km Nürburgring race was introduced, an Endurance race and Sports car racing event that counted towards the World Sportscar Championship for decades. The 24 Hours Nürburgring for touring car racing was added in 1970. By

4134-649: The Capri, which was discontinued after 1986. After its rejuvenation during the 1970s, VW modernised its model ranges during the first half of the 1980s and continued to enjoy strong sales in Germany and most other European markets. The Polo, Passat and Scirocco all entered their second generation during 1981, and the MK2 Golf was launched in 1983. A saloon version of the MK1 Golf, the Jetta , had been available since 1979, and

4240-595: The Escort was produced throughout Europe. The Taunus of 1970 made use of the same basic design as the British Cortina MK3 , but had slightly different exterior styling, although those styling differences were ironed out with the launch of the 1976 Taunus. Ford's new flagship model, the Granada , was built in Britain, Germany and Spain from the beginning of 1972, although British production was withdrawn after

4346-477: The Formula 1 World Championship subsequent to the race]. Senna won ahead of Lauda, Reutemann, Rosberg, Watson, Hulme and Jody Scheckter, being the only one to resist Lauda's performance who – having missed the qualifying – had to start from the last row and overtook all the others except Senna. There were nine former and two future Formula 1 World Champions competing, in a field of 20 cars with 16 Formula 1 drivers;

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4452-423: The German Grand Prix was moved to the Hockenheimring for 1977. The German motorcycle Grand Prix was held for the last time on the old Nürburgring in 1980, also permanently moving to Hockenheim. By its very nature, the Nordschleife was impossible to make safe in its old configuration. It soon became apparent that it would have to be completely overhauled if there was any prospect of Formula One returning there -

4558-413: The German organizers were unwilling to provide. Additionally, even with the 1971 modifications it was still possible for cars to become airborne off the track. The Nürburgring was also unsuitable for the burgeoning television market; its vast expanse made it almost impossible to effectively cover a race there. As a result, early in the season it was decided that the 1976 race would be the last to be held on

4664-733: The MK2 Jetta was launched in 1984. 1988 saw the launch of the MK3 Passat and a new coupe, the Corrado , which was produced alongside the Scirocco until the older car's demise in 1992. The VW Polo was updated in 1990, an all-new model finally arriving in 1994, and the MK3 Golf was voted European Car of the Year shortly after its launch in 1991. The saloon version of the MK3 Golf, the Vento ,

4770-596: The Nürburgring have been featured in video games, such as the Gran Turismo series , the Forza Motorsport series , the Need for Speed: Shift series , iRacing and Assetto Corsa . Grand Prix Legends , a historic racing simulator also included the Nürburgring on its roster of default Grand Prix tracks. German automotive engineering Being home to the modern car , the German automobile industry

4876-401: The Nürburgring's administration and race organizers were not willing to provide the enormous expense of providing the number of marshals needed for a Grand Prix - up to six times the amount that most other circuits needed. With this in mind, in 1981 work began on a 4.556 km (2.831 mi)-long new circuit, which was built on and around the old pit area. At the same time, a bypass shortened

4982-875: The Opel Kadett was voted European Car of the Year on its launch in 1984, as was the Opel Rekord's successor – the Omega – two years afterwards. The Ascona's successor, the Vectra (still the Vauxhall Cavalier in Britain), was launched in 1988, but missed out of the European Car of the Year accolade to the Fiat Tipo . With the radical changes in car design that took place throughout the 1970s and into

5088-632: The Volkswagen Golf for instance had spawned the Audi A3 , Audi TT , SEAT Toledo , Seat Leon , Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Bora . By the end of the 1990s, VW moved into the luxury and supercar end of the market and acquired Bentley of Britain and the Bugatti and Lamborghini marques from Italy . Ford had concentrated Sierra production in Belgium rather than Germany and Britain from

5194-776: The Volkswagen factory to house its huge workforce, but Volkswagen production switched to military output in 1940. By the end of World War II , most of the auto factories had been destroyed or badly damaged. In addition, the eastern part of Germany was under control of the Soviet Union , which dismantled much of the machinery that was left and sent it back to the Soviet Union as war reparations. Some manufacturers, such as Maybach and Adler (automobile) , started up again, but did not continue making passenger cars. The Volkswagen production facility in Wolfsburg continued making

5300-412: The absence of a blanket speed limit is a further attraction. Normal ticket buyers on tourist days cannot quite complete a full lap of the 20.832 km (12.944 mi) Nordschleife , which bypasses the modern GP-Strecke , as they are required to slow down and pass through a 200-metre (220 yd) "pit lane" section where toll gates are installed. On busier days, a mobile ticket barrier is installed on

5406-530: The all-time record for 35 years (partially because no major racing has taken place there since 1984) until it was surpassed by Timo Bernhard in the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, which ran the slightly longer version of the circuit in 5:19.546- averaging 233.8 km/h (145.3 mph) on 29 June 2018. Meanwhile, more run-off areas were added at corners like Aremberg and Brünnchen, where originally there were just embankments protected by Armco barriers. The track surface

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5512-408: The barriers, suffered mechanical failure or been otherwise required to be towed off track during Touristenfahrten sessions are referred to as having joined the "Bongard Club". This nickname is derived from the name of the company which operates the large yellow recovery flatbed trucks which ferry those unfortunate drivers and their vehicles to the nearest exit. Due to the high volume of traffic, there

5618-403: The circuit there were access roads and toll points from which drivers and riders could begin or end a drive. The Südschleife had one of these at the bottom of the uphill stretch near Müllenbach . For decades, automotive media outlets and manufacturers have used lap times on the Nordschleife as a standard to measure the performance of production vehicles. A car's time on the circuit

5724-639: The company was acquired by the Quandt family . BMW acquired Glas in 1966. In 1961, the Borgward auto group, including Goliath and Lloyd went out of business. In 1958 Auto Union was acquired by Daimler AG , but then, in turn, it was sold in stages from 1964 to 1966 to Volkswagen AG (at which time the DKW marque was ended and the Audi name was resurrected). In 1969, Volkswagen AG acquired NSU Motorenwerke (developer of

5830-411: The construction of the new circuit) or converted to a normal public road, but since 2005 a vintage car event has been hosted on the old track layout, including part of the parking area. The new track was completed in 1984 and named GP-Strecke ( German : Großer Preis-Strecke : literally, " Grand Prix Course "). It was built to meet the highest safety standards. However, it was considered in character

5936-515: The continuing demand for family saloons by launching the Orion , the saloon version of the Escort. The Scorpio replaced the Granada as Ford's European flagship in 1985, and was solely produced at the Cologne plant in Germany. The Scorpio was originally available only as a hatchback, and despite its popularity, Ford eventually expanded the Scorpio range by launching a saloon model in 1990 and an estate model in 1992. The declining demand for sporting coupes led to Ford's decision not to directly replace

6042-509: The deal. Volkswagen AG paid Porsche shareholders $ 5.61 billion for the remaining 50.1% it did not own. Currently, five German companies and seven marques dominate the automotive industry in the country: Volkswagen AG (and subsidiaries Audi and Porsche ), BMW AG , Daimler AG , Adam Opel AG and Ford-Werke GmbH . Nearly six million vehicles were produced in Germany in 2014 though that fell to 3.7 million by 2020, and approximately 5.5 million are produced overseas by German brands. Alongside

6148-404: The demands of the F1 drivers, the Nordschleife was reconstructed by taking out some bumps, smoothing out some sudden jumps (particularly at Brünnchen), and installing Armco safety barriers. The track was made straighter, following the race line, which reduced the number of corners. The German GP could be hosted at the Nürburgring again, and was for another six years from 1971 to 1976. In 1973

6254-462: The end of the 1980s, and its successor - the Mondeo - was solely produced in Belgium when it went into production around the end of 1992. The Escort remained in production throughout Europe until 2000, although its successor, the Focus , launched in 1998, was only produced in Germany for European buyers. The Scorpio was discontinued in 1998 and not directly replaced, with Ford instead directing potential Scorpio buyers to high-specification versions of

6360-437: The entrance into the dangerous and bumpy Kallenhard corner was made slower by adding another left-hand corner after the fast Metzgesfeld sweeping corner. Safety was improved again later on by removing the jumps on the long main straight and widening it. They also took away the bushes right next to the track at the main straight, which had made that section of the Nürburgring dangerously narrow. A second series of three more F1 races

6466-410: The event of bad weather. Passing on the right is prohibited, and some sections have speed limits; the normal traffic rules (StVO in German) apply also here. The Nürburgring is a popular attraction for many driving enthusiasts and riders from all over the world, partly because of its history and the challenge it provides. The lack of oncoming traffic and intersections sets it apart from regular roads, and

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6572-428: The festivities before the 2013 24 Hours Nürburgring race, Michael Schumacher and other Mercedes-Benz drivers took part in a promotional event which saw Schumacher complete a demonstration lap of the Nordschleife at the wheel of a 2011 Mercedes W02 . As with Heidfeld's lap, and also partly due to Formula One's strict in-season testing bans, the lap left many motorsport fans underwhelmed. Since its opening in 1927,

6678-446: The first person to complete a lap of the Nordschleife in under 9 minutes, with a lap of 8 minutes 55.2 seconds (153.4 km/h or 95.3 mph) in the Ferrari 156 "Sharknose" Formula One car. Over half a century later, even the highest performing road cars still have difficulty breaking 8 minutes without a professional race driver or one very familiar with the track. Also, several rounds of the German motorcycle Grand Prix were held, mostly on

6784-416: The global economy during the Great Depression in the early 1930s plunged Germany's auto industry into a severe crisis. While eighty-six auto companies had existed in Germany during the 1920s, barely twelve survived the depression, including Daimler-Benz , Opel and Ford 's factory in Cologne . Four of the country's major car manufacturers — Horch , Dampf Kraft Wagen (DKW), Wanderer and Audi — formed

6890-467: The late 1960s, the Nordschleife and many other tracks were becoming increasingly dangerous for the latest generation of F1 cars. In 1967, a chicane was added before the start/finish straight, called Hohenrain , in order to reduce speeds at the pit lane entry. This made the track 25 m (27 yd) longer. Even this change, however, was not enough to keep Stewart from nicknaming it "The Green Hell" ( German : Die Grüne Hölle ) following his victory in

6996-441: The later versions of the original model it was produced in Mexico rather than Germany. The MK4 Golf was launched in late 1997, and joined a year later by a saloon version, the Bora . BMW and Mercedes-Benz remained committed to rear-wheel drive on its saloons and booted coupes during these years. BMW, however, developed its model ranges more comprehensively in the 1980s and early 1990s. The original BMW 3 Series , launched in 1975,

7102-467: The layout as "an old school track" before adding, "It's a beautiful little circuit for us to still drive on so I think all the guys enjoy driving here." While Hamilton said "It's a fantastic circuit, one of the classics and it hasn't lost that feel of an old classic circuit." To celebrate its opening, an exhibition race was held on 12 May. The 1984 Nürburgring Race of Champions featured an array of notable drivers driving identical Mercedes 190E 2.3–16 's:

7208-411: The line-up was Elio de Angelis , Jack Brabham (Formula 1 World Champion 1959, 1960, 1966), Phil Hill (1961), Denis Hulme (1967), James Hunt (1976), Alan Jones (1980), Jacques Laffite , Niki Lauda (1975, 1977)*, Stirling Moss , Alain Prost *, Carlos Reutemann , Keke Rosberg (1982), Jody Scheckter (1979), Ayrton Senna *, John Surtees (1964) and John Watson . [Drivers marked with * won

7314-449: The main event, the third four-hour VLN race of the season. Conceived largely as a photo opportunity, the lap times were not as fast as the car was capable of, BMW instead needing to run the chassis at a particularly high ride height to allow for the Nordschleife 's abrupt gradient changes and to limit maximum speeds accordingly. Former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck was injured during the race when he crashed his BMW Z4 . As part of

7420-493: The main straight in order to reduce the length of queues at the fixed barriers. This is open to all ticket holders. On rare occasions, it is possible to drive both the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix circuit combined. Drivers interested in lap times often time themselves from the first bridge after the barriers to the last gantry (aka Bridge-to-Gantry or BTG time) before the exit. However, the track's general conditions state that any form of racing, including speed record attempts,

7526-453: The mid-to-late 1950s, the Bubble car became popular. BMW was the largest maker, with the BMW Isetta and BMW 600 . Other makes included the Messerschmitt KR175 and KR200 , the Heinkel Kabine , and the Zündapp Janus . Microcars such as the Glas Goggomobile , BMW 700 , and Lloyd 600 also were popular. However, the "Bubble car" concept had been abandoned by 1970. In the late-1950s, BMW developed financial difficulties and control of

7632-458: The model ranges of these manufacturers and helping increase their market share significantly across Europe. Volkswagen had even shifted Polo production to a SEAT factory in Spain after its acquisition of SEAT, and the 1993 SEAT Ibiza formed the basis for the following year's new Polo. VW also made use of its components across the different marques; for instance, by the year 2000, the floorplan of

7738-527: The most important parts of the development of GM's electric vehicles is done in Germany. In November 2019 Tesla Inc. announced the construction of its first European " Gigafactory " (a car battery production facility, as referred to by Tesla CEO Elon Musk ) in Grünheide near Berlin . It will initially have over 4,000 employees. All new automobiles sold in Germany must be zero-emission vehicles from 2035. In 2024, Volkswagen announced they would make

7844-505: The most times among all countries. The Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911 took 4th and 5th places in the Car of the Century award. Motor-car pioneers Karl Benz (who later went on to start Mercedes-Benz) and Nicolaus Otto developed four-stroke internal combustion engines in the late 1870s; Benz fitted his design to a coach in 1887, which led to the modern-day motor car. By 1901, Germany

7950-593: The mountains was similar to the Targa Florio event, one of the most important motor races at that time. The original Nürburgring was to be a showcase for German automotive engineering and racing talent. Construction of the track, designed by the Eichler Architekturbüro from Ravensburg (led by architect Gustav Eichler), began in September 1925. The track was completed in spring 1927, and

8056-528: The movement applied to the automotive industry, the sector was in poor health in the later years of the 1918-1933 Weimar Republic . The slow development of the German automotive industry left the German market open for major American auto-manufacturers such as General Motors (which took over German company Opel in 1929) and the Ford Motor Company (which maintained the successful German subsidiary Ford-Werke , beginning in 1925). The collapse of

8162-401: The old circuit. Niki Lauda , the reigning world champion and only person ever to lap the full 22.835 km (14.189 mi) Nordschleife in under seven minutes (6:58.6, 1975), proposed to the other drivers that they boycott the circuit in 1976. Lauda was not only concerned about the safety arrangements and the lack of marshals around the circuit, he also did not like the prospect of running

8268-470: The only difference being the names. Faced with fierce competition from up-to-date designs from Volkswagen, General Motors moved to a front-wheel drive hatchback in 1979 with the latest version of the Opel Kadett, followed in 1981 by new Ascona (which retained the Vauxhall Cavalier name for the British market). In 1982 it opened a new plant Zaragoza , Spain , to produce the new Opel Corsa supermini; this car

8374-403: The other four were local drivers: Klaus Ludwig , Manfred Schurti , Udo Schütz and Hans Herrmann . Besides other major international events, the Nürburgring has seen the brief return of Formula One racing, as the 1984 European Grand Prix was held at the track, followed by the 1985 German Grand Prix . As F1 did not stay, other events are now the highlights at the new Nürburgring, including

8480-1004: The pre-war–designed 170 series . In 1951 they introduced the 220 series , which came with a more modern engine, and the 300 series . Opel revived the pre-war cars Opel Olympia in 1947 and the Opel Kapitän in 1948. (Toolings for the Opel Kadett were taken by the Soviets and used to make the Moskvitch 400-420 ., which had resumed production of trucks in 1945, began building the pre-war Ford Taunus in 1948. Porsche began production of their Porsche 356 sports car in 1948, and replaced it with their long-lived Porsche 911 in 1964 (which remains in production more than 50 years and several incarnations later). Borgward began production in 1949, and Goliath , Lloyd , Gutbrod , and Auto Union ( DKW ) began in 1950. BMW 's first cars after

8586-460: The race in another rainstorm. Usually when that happened, some parts of the circuit were wet and other parts were dry, which is what the conditions of the circuit were for that race. The other drivers voted against the idea and the race went ahead. Lauda crashed in his Ferrari coming out of the left-hand kink before Bergwerk after a new magnesium component (lighter but more fragile than aluminum used until then) on his Ferrari's rear suspension failed. He

8692-618: The relevance of these test laps, which lack independent verification and may be conducted using cars significantly different from stock. Porsche is reported as having tried (and failed) to replicate the Nissan GT-R Nismo 's record-breaking lap, preparing its own GT-R test car for the task, and the Lamborghini Huracán Performante 's time was met with incredulity even after Lamborghini provided video documentation. The TV series Top Gear sometimes used

8798-564: The smaller Audi 80 , winner of the European Car of the Year award for 1973. In 1980, Audi moved into the sports car market with its front-wheel drive Coupe and the four-wheel drive, high-performance version, the Quattro . The Quattro four-wheel drive system was later adopted on Audi's saloon models. During the 1970s and early 1980s, General Motors integrated Opel with the British Vauxhall brand so that designs were shared with

8904-509: The smaller Mondeo. The Scorpio's demise occurred around the same time that Ford took over Volvo , which already had a strong presence in the executive car market, while Ford had taken over British luxury carmaker Jaguar in 1989 and was about to launch the Jaguar S-Type . At the beginning of 1990s, Ford and Volkswagen agreed to a venture to produce an MPV together at the same factory with the same basic design. The result of this venture

9010-415: The start of the 1997 race which was won by Jacques Villeneuve . In 1999 , in changing conditions, Johnny Herbert managed to score the only win for the team of former Ringmeister Jackie Stewart . One of the highlights of the 2005 season was Kimi Räikkönen 's spectacular exit while in the last lap of the race , when his suspension gave way after being rattled lap after lap by a flat-spotted tyre that

9116-402: The track has been used by the public for the so-called Touristenfahrten : anyone with a road-legal car or motorcycle, as well as tour buses, motor homes, or cars with trailers, are able to access the Nordschleife. It is opened every day from mid-March through mid-November, except when racing takes place. The track is not open to the public during the winter, when construction work is ongoing or in

9222-509: The track have used police reports to estimate the number of fatalities as between 3 and 12 in a full year. Jeremy Clarkson noted in Top Gear in 2004 that "over the years this track has claimed over 200 lives". Several touring car series still compete on the Nordschleife , using either only the simple 20.830 km (12.943 mi) version with its separate small pit lane, or a combined 25.378 km (15.769 mi)-long track that uses

9328-529: The track was changed, by replacing the former " Castrol -chicane" at the end of the start/finish straight with a sharp right-hander (nicknamed " Haug-Hook "), in order to create an overtaking opportunity. Also, a slow Omega -shaped section was inserted, on the site of the former kart track. This extended the GP track from 4.556 to 5.148 km (2.831 to 3.199 mi), while at the same time, the Hockenheimring

9434-460: The twisty 33.2 km (20.6 mi) Nideggen public road circuit near Cologne and Bonn . Around 1925, the construction of a dedicated race track was proposed just south of the Nideggen circuit around the ancient castle of the town of Nürburg , following the examples of Italy's Monza and Targa Florio courses, and Berlin 's AVUS , yet with a different character. The layout of the circuit in

9540-682: The war were the luxurious BMW 501 and BMW 502 in 1952. In 1957 NSU Motorenwerke re-entered the car market. Automobile manufacturers in East Germany after the war included Eisenacher Motorenwerk (EMW), which also made the Wartburg , and VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau , which made the IFA F8 (derived from the DKW F8 ) and the Trabant . East Germany's status as a communist country

9646-729: The world. Besides of direct export, German manufacturers found or bought plants in European, Asian, Latin American countries and in the United States even. Auto industry of Mexico , Brazil , China , Turkey , some post-socialist East European countries gained by German investments in a significant share. Volkswagen set up a joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in 1984 (named Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive ), and in 1990 established FAW-Volkswagen to produce VWs and Audis in China. VW also acquired SEAT of Spain in 1986 and Škoda of Czechoslovakia in 1991, improving

9752-531: Was announced that after seven years, the race track would be an official Formula One Grand Prix with the event taking place from 9 to 11 October 2020. This race was called the Eifel Grand Prix in honour of the nearby mountain range, meaning the venue held a Grand Prix under a fourth different name having hosted races under the German , European and Luxembourg Grands Prix titles previously. That race

9858-467: Was badly burned as his car was still loaded with fuel in lap 2. Lauda was saved by the combined actions of fellow drivers Arturo Merzario , Guy Edwards , Brett Lunger , Emerson Fittipaldi and Harald Ertl . The crash also showed that the track's distances were too long for regular fire engines and ambulances, even though the " ONS -Staffel" was equipped with a Porsche 911 rescue car, marked (R). The old Nürburgring never hosted another F1 race again, as

9964-593: Was enjoying a rise in popularity across Europe after first being patented by Renault of France with the R16 in 1965. The Polo was Volkswagen's new entry-level model, and was aimed directly at modern small hatchbacks like the Fiat 127 and Renault 5 . The mid-range Golf was seen as the car to eventually replace the Beetle, and was easily the first popular hatchback of this size in Europe, leading to most leading carmakers having

10070-453: Was held until 1976. However, primarily due to its length of over 22 km (14 mi), and the lack of space due to its situation on the sides of the mountains, increasing demands by the F1 drivers and the FIA's CSI commission were too expensive or impossible to meet. For instance, by the 1970s the German Grand Prix required five times the marshals and medical staff as a typical F1 race, something

10176-477: Was in fact a rebadged version of the Audi 50 , but the Audi original was a slower seller than the Volkswagen that it spawned and was only available in certain markets. Volkswagen and Audi both enjoyed a growing rise in popularity in overseas markets during the 1970s and this continued throughout the 1980s. Audi launched a well-received large saloon model, the Audi 100 , in 1968, and followed this four years later with

10282-528: Was later imported to Britain as the Vauxhall Nova . Production of the Kadett/Astra and Ascona/Cavalier models was divided between factories in Germany, Belgium, Spain and Britain. The Vauxhall Carlton was briefly built in Britain from its 1978 launch, but within a few years production was fully concentrated in Germany, where it was built alongside the identical Opel Rekord . The final version of

10388-565: Was launched in 1992. The Passat was updated in 1993 before an all-new model was launched in 1996. The Corrado was discontinued in 1996 without an immediate replacement. VW moved into the MPV market with the Sharan in 1995, built in Portugal as part of a venture with Ford, which produced the identical Galaxy. A new Beetle, with front-wheel drive and a front-mounted engine, was launched in 1998, but like

10494-424: Was made safer in some spots where there had been nasty bumps and jumps. Racing line markers were added to the corners all around the track as well. Also, bushes and hedges at the edges of corners were taken out and replaced with Armco and grass. The former Südschleife had not been modified in 1970–1971 and was abandoned a few years later in favour of the improved Nordschleife . It is now mostly gone (in part due to

10600-463: Was not changed due to the short-lived 'one set of tyres' rule. Prior to the 2007 European Grand Prix, the Audi S (turns 8 and 9) was renamed Michael Schumacher S after Michael Schumacher . Schumacher had retired from Formula One the year before, but returned in 2010, and in 2011 became the second Formula One driver to drive through a turn named after them (after Ayrton Senna driving his "S for Senna" at Autódromo José Carlos Pace ). In 2007 ,

10706-437: Was producing about 900 cars a year. In 1926 Daimler-Benz formed from the predecessor companies of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler ; it produced cars under the marque of Mercedes-Benz . BMW , though founded in 1916, didn't start auto production until 1928. American economist Robert A. Brady extensively documented the rationalization movement that shaped German industry in the 1920s, and although his general model of

10812-458: Was reflecting in the relatively primitive design and refinement of these cars, although they both continued in production until the early 1990s, shortly after the fall of the communist rule and the German reunification . Initial production by EMW after the war were models that were essentially pre-war BMW 326 and BMW 327 models, as the plant in Eisenach was formerly owned by BMW. During

10918-487: Was shortened from 6.823 to 4.574 km (4.240 to 2.842 mi). Both the Nürburgring and the Hockenheimring events have been losing money due to high and rising Formula One license fees charged by Bernie Ecclestone and low attendance due to high ticket prices; starting with the 2007 Formula One season , Hockenheim and Nürburgring alternated in hosting the German GP. In Formula One, Ralf Schumacher collided with his teammate Giancarlo Fisichella and his brother at

11024-407: Was sold as a two-door saloon or cabriolet. The second generation model launched in 1982, however, was eventually available also as a four-door saloon and five-door estate, and during the 1990s the third generation model range eventually included a three-door hatchback as well. The BMW 5 Series , the mid-range model launched in 1972, was only sold as a four-door saloon for its first two generations, but

11130-662: Was the Ford Galaxy and Volkswagen Sharan , but these vehicles were produced in Portugal rather than Germany from their launch in 1995. They were joined a year later by the SEAT Alhambra . BMW acquired the British Rover Group in 1994, but large losses led to its sale in 2000. However, BMW retained the Mini (marque) name for a line of new cars, all built in Britain from 2001. During the 1990s, BMW opened

11236-422: Was won by Lewis Hamilton , who equalled Michael Schumacher 's record of wins. While it is unusual for deaths to occur during sanctioned races, there are many accidents and several deaths each year during public sessions. It is common for the track to be closed several times a day for cleanup, repair, and medical intervention. While track management does not publish any official figures, several regular visitors to

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