potholed or awash with clinging mud. Why?
Because Millbrook is a vehicle proving ground and as such the test conditions are intended to be demanding. This is particularly important for military vehicle operators. If a serviceman or woman may be required to trust their lives to vehicles in rugged terrain of a theatre like Afghanistan then this must be replicated in a secure environment to test key components like engines, gearboxes and suspension. Millbrook takes its name from the little village on the ridge line above the proving ground. Construction work on the test facilities, by Vauxhall, a subsidiary of the American General Motors (GM), began in 1968. The site drew on experience built up at the GM Milford Proving Ground, in Michigan, USA, that had been in service since 1924.
The two mile, five lane, high-speed track was opened in 1969, and in the next ten years more facilities were added. The construction of the proving ground was a departure from the old practice of taking test vehicles out to run round redundant airfields or stretches of unopened motorway. The Vauxhall team had established that they needed a mixture of flat ground and hills and when the farms near the
village of Millbrook came onto the market they were delighted since this was close to the factory at Luton and not far from London.
The construction of the facilities involved moving 2,600,000 cu.yds. of soil to build the tracks, banks and other test features. At the height of the earth-moving work 51 machines were moving 125,000 cu.yd. of earth each week. One of the most costly and time consuming operations was laying 3,500 tons of granite blocks to form the 0.9 mile Belgian pave circuit – it was a job that had to be done by hand. The figures are daunting - 73,000 tons of
aggregate and 9,000 tons of cement went into the five lane high-speed circuit. 20,000 cu.yds of hardcore, 1,450 tons of cement, 4,500 tons of aggregate and 25,000 tons of sand were used to make the mile straight. The circular steering pad required 6,000 cu.yds. of hardcore, 1,300 tons of cement and 6,000 tons of aggregate. Over 200,000 trees were planted including both conifers and indigenous deciduous varieties. This landscaping, while aesthetically pleasing, also helps to ensure that the proving ground remains screened from prying eyes. The woodland and fencing ensure that Millbrook is also a haven for wildlife.
Initially the facilities were used to test Vauxhall
Mud, water, sand, even crude log trackways – are among tough conditions that can be
reproduced at Millbrook. Image © Millbrook Proving Ground
G3 DEFENCE
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