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The Proving Ground for the Products of General Motors
Published by General Motors
Revised June 1, 1928
10 pages with illustrations

In 1928, General Motors published this pamphlet which explained the functions of the Proving Ground at Milford.

Five years prior to this publication, GM decided to establish a proving ground. It was created because GM believed that no one of the manufacturing divisions alone could shoulder the responsibility of such comprehensive project. The Proving Ground was to be the place where all types of cars were tested and compared, a place where independent tests could be conducted by resident engineers free from the problems of design and production.

In 1923, the land for the Proving Ground, comprising approximately 1,300 acres, was acquired. Its proximity was equi-distant from Lansing, Flint, Pontiac, and Detroit. The tract of land was comprised of level and hill country and all sorts of rough and smooth roads with a variety of surfaces (concrete, macadam, gravel, dirt, hills, curves, straightaways). Shops and garages were built to house and maintain hundreds of test cars. There were living quarters for the staff of resident and visiting engineers. A complete weather observatory was installed as an official government cooperative station from which regular reports were made to Washington. A feature of the equipment at this station was the only device in existence for making instantaneous record of wind velocity. Most of the recorded data was of such nature as to call for measuring and indecating instruments never before required. The GM Research Laboratory provided most of the testing apparatus.

Proving the products of the factories at the Milford Proving Ground marks a forward step-an assurance to the buyers of GM cars that the final product is right.

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