Upon entering the building formerly known as World of Motion, you'll hear the screams of the
test track cars as they fly past above your head at over 60 miles an hour. The mirrored paneling of
the building will let you see the streaking yellow, red, and blue cars as to let you know what
you're getting into.
Once inside the building, you will see a little of what goes into the testing and building of automobiles all around you. From electrical interference tests to impact tests on doors and glass, the pounding of the metal bars against the chest of a test dummy, is enough to make everyone happy this is a long process. Technicians from the facility will then assist you into the briefing room where you will meet your test coordinator. He will explain vehicle safety and offer a glimpse of what to expect. You will next enter the loading zone for the test vehicles.
After boarding the
six-passenger
vehicles, you are
immediately pushed
back against your seat
as the squealing tires
send you up a 15
grade at 20 mph.
Cameras track your progress though out your ride and
display your statistics via your on-board computer screen. With a quick right turn you encounter
the blocks and brick suspension test. At the bottom of the hill, your vehicle will face a series of
curves and come to the break test area. You accelerate forward towards a tight curve to the left,
skidding out of control and knocking cones over, and your brought back on track. Then the turn
is then made with your anti-lock brakes and you're able to keep control of your vehicle and see
your reaction around both turns on video. Next you'll dive down into darkness, inside of a tunnel,
and find yourself on a narrow bridge face to face with semi truck headlights bearing down upon
you. With a swerve to the right, you clear the truck as you bounce off the railing in a shower of
sparks and head off down the road.
You then enter the environmental test chamber that
simulates climate changes. You'll feel sweltering heat for a
few seconds then freezing cold for the next few. In the
corrosive test area, robotic arms spray the vehicle and then
finally all seems to be over and suddenly, a car accelerates
past your car and you watch it as it smashes head on into a
brick wall, the car completely crushed upon impact. As you
round the corner, the lights come up and you're heading for
a similar barricade, the vehicle picks up extreme speeds. As
you reach the wall and are about to crash, they break apart
and it sends you flying out of the building and onto the
speed-testing track.
Gaining speed, the track
curves to the right and circles around to the left over the Cast Member parking lot.
You then level out facing the building again and continue to accelerate as you reach
speeds up to 65 mph. Launching into a 50 degree banked turn to the left around the
side of the building, you can see the people as they are waiting in line to enter and
experience what you are feeling. As you round the building, you begin to slow down and
right before you re-enter the building around the back side again, a thermal imaging
camera shows you your body temperature as well as the temperature of the vehicle.
Once back inside,
You are welcomed
back and your test
data is downloaded
to the engineers. As
you exit, you will
pass the photo review
area where you can
see your picture from
the ride. Then you
enter the engineering
and computer rooms
where the latest in
vehicle technology like OnStar® is developed and tested. There are simulators you can drive that
show you some of the technology like night enhanced vision, proximity warning lights, and
OnStar directional help. (Personally, I ran back in line to ride it again and again!) Don't forget
to get your Photo claim ticket! (The Photo's at the top of this page are from my first two test
runs. I'm the one in black in the front row.)
Last Updated on December 12, 1998 by 
