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After spending S$53 million on renovations, Porsche has announced the reopening of the Nardo Technical Center in Italy. The renovations lasted seven months and the track has since been resurfaced plus it includes a new innovative guardrail system that was developed by Porsche Engineering specifically for high-speed testing use. “This proving ground has always been one-of-a-kind and is now more than ever a cornerstone of the Porsche development strategy and of the vehicle testing activities in the automotive industry as a whole.”Malte Radmann, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nardo Technical Center and Managing Director of Porsche Engineering remarked. Since 2012, the Nardo Technical Center has been operated by Porsche and features over 20 tracks and facilities on an area of more than 700 hectares. Its key feature is the world famous 12.6km-long high-speed circular circuit that enables manufactuers back then to bring cars to its maximum speed. Currently, up to 90 other automotive companies are using its testing facilities for future technologies, such as fast-charging behavior of EVs, new driver assistance systems, connected services and autonomous driving.

Totally insane. This is what I think the MTM Audi A1 Nardo Edition is if I sum in up in just two words. Every year European tuners flock to the Nardo high speed test track for a round of high speed showdowns and for a showcase of their latest performance products. You get big names like G-power, Ruf, 9ff, and so on showcasing their latest test cars and show cars. But MTM has decided to attend with Audi's latest supermini. Albeit one with 500ps and can hit 201mph (324km/h). Imagine a car the size of the new Suzuki Swift pumping out that much power.....through its front wheels. Insane isn't it? What MTM have done is plonk in Audi's 2.5liter 5 cylinder that one usually finds located in the Audi TT-RS and used all of its magic to bring the power up to 500ps from 340ps and a whopping 600Nm of torque but kept it front-wheel drive. It must be as it is gravity defying in that the tiny (still) front-drive Audi A1 can accelerate from a standstill to 100km/h in 4.5seconds and go on to 324km/h. In such a small car doing anything above 300km/h must be like riding a bicycle downhill at breakneck speed without any safety gear or even any clothes on. Imagine this tiny tot thundering (I wonder if thunder can be this small) around the Nardo high speed ring surrounded by 9ff Porsches as well as tuned Mercedes SLRs. It must be David slaying many Goliaths at one go. This is the only Audi A1 which I truly fancy. The MTM Audi A1 Nardo Edition. Enough said.