Rolls-Royce Opens Eric Platford Proving Ground at Goodwood Headquarters

On September 16, Rolls-Royce inaugurated the newly completed Eric Platford Proving Ground at its Goodwood headquarters. The facility features an aeroacoustic laboratory equipped with a movable gantry fitted with high-pressure air jets capable of adjustable wind speeds. Within this chamber, vehicles can simulate driving conditions exceeding the UK’s maximum speed limit of 112 km/h without physically moving, enabling evaluation of wind noise performance above legal speed limits and replicating driving scenarios on unrestricted roads in markets such as Germany. Following aeroacoustic testing, vehicles traverse four parallel lanes. Each lane spans 90 meters and collectively features eight distinct road surfaces, including cobblestones of varying sizes, railway tracks, concrete washboard surfaces, twisted ramps, and interlocking metal plates. A section of smooth asphalt is also installed within the facility. Each surface is tested twice—once under constant speed and once under continuous acceleration and deceleration. Turnaround areas at both ends of the test track allow simulation of roundabout maneuvers. Additionally, engineers select certain vehicles for real-world validation along a 13-kilometer public road route surrounding Goodwood. The proving ground is named after Eric Platford, Rolls-Royce’s first Chief Test Driver.