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The Lommel Proving Ground also known as the Ford LPG, is an automotive
proving ground A proving ground (US) is an installation or reservation in which technology such as weapons, military tactics and automobile prototypes are experimented with or tested. Proving grounds can be operated by government bodies or civilian industries. ...
, constructed by
Ford of Europe Ford of Europe GmbH is a subsidiary company of Ford Motor Company founded in 1967 in Cork, Ireland, with headquarters in Cologne, Germany. History Ford of Europe was founded in 1967 by the merger of Ford of Britain, Ford Germany, and Irish Henr ...
on ground rented from the municipality of
Lommel Lommel () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and a List of cities in Belgium, city in the Belgium, Belgian province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg. The Campine, Kempen city has about 34,000 inhabitants and is part of the electoral distric ...
, located south of the
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...
hamlet of Kattenbos. Lommel covers an area of 3.22 km ², and since the development of new models are kept secret, the track closed to the public and heavily guarded. In 1964, Ford came to an agreement with the Borough of Lommel to rent a large area of forest on which to develop a test track. The location was chosen as it was midway between Ford's main development centres and production plants in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, allowing easy integration access. Operational from 1965, from 1970 the track was further extended, so that by 2008 there were of varying surfaces. Besides test track there are also environmental chambers, freshwater and saltwater pools.


External links


Official website
Ford of Europe Buildings and structures in Limburg (Belgium) Road test tracks Proving grounds Lommel 1965 establishments in Belgium {{Belgium-geo-stub