Nardo Circuit is 40 years old

Nardo’s not just about the infamous high-speed bowl, of course. It also crams a further 20 test circuits into its 700 hectares, including a 3.8-mile layout replicating choice corners from the Nurburgring Nordschleife, and many less enthralling stretches dedicated to tedious durability testing. Incidentally, experts calculate around 3% of a car’s top speed is lost in tyre scrub on the Nardo banking. More recent production car speed records have been set on the flat, at the likes of VW’s Ehra-Lessien proving ground.

Nardo’s set to continue to grow, as Porsche plans ‘extensive expansion and modernisation plans to meet the development requirements of the future’ so here is to another 40 years of top-secret top speed.