Banked Curve on High-Speed Track with Hill Climb Summit in Backgroun, Michigan Proving Ground, circa 1955

In 1957, Ford Motor Company opened a 4,000-acre proving ground near Romeo, Michigan. The facility included a high-speed test track, roads of various surfaces and topographies, a hill climb track, and a salt bath -- along with offices, garages and support structures. Press reports claimed it was "engineered with every conceivable device to test the durability of passenger cars."