Hear that distant thunder? Don’t worry, that isn’t the approach of a rainstorm. It’s simply the sound and fury ringing out from the halls of General Motor’s new Powertrain Performance and Racing Center, where the majority of GM’s race and competition powertrains are built and developed.
Moving from its previous home at a leased building in Wixom, MI, the racing powertrain workshop makes its home at a new 111,420 square-foot wing attached to GM’s existing Global Powertrain Engineering Center in Pontiac, about 30 miles north of Detroit. With this location shift and a investment totaling $200 million, the new PPR center can pull from the expertise of over 100 powertrain engineers and builders already present at the Global Powertrain center.
With ten engine build bays, over 30 machining tools, a 3D printer, and an electronics lab, the center is ready to develop and create engines from scratch. The complex includes four high-performance engine dynos, including two gas-powered dynos, one gas-powered driveline dyno, and an electric driveline dyno, each capable of handling around 850-1,000 hp, and engine speeds as high as 12,000 rpm, depending on dyno.
Want to check out some of this sweet, sweet GM performance action for yourself? You can, as the new center’s front lobby can be rented for private events, allowing you to throw what is probably the greatest raceday watching party imaginable for up to 125 people.
“Louis Chevrolet established GM’s racing legacy more than a century ago and every win since then has helped us design and build better vehicles,” GM vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports Jim Campbell said in a statement. “With the new Powertrain Performance and Racing Center, we will advance that legacy with greater competitiveness on the track and stronger technology transfer to production vehicles.”
