TBT: How the Dearborn Dynamometer Lab Became the Heart of Ford’s Power

Nearly 75 years ago, Ford opened what has been called “the heart of engine testing at Ford Motor Company” as part of a massive overhaul of its research and engineering campus in Dearborn following World War II. Over the decades, Ford’s Dearborn Dynamometer Lab has helped in the development of countless production vehicles, as well as racing vehicles.

Dynamometer testing, sometimes referred to as simply “dyno,” is a vehicle powertrain assessment that simulates real-world driving conditions while measuring the speed and torque a vehicle is capable of producing. The examination allows Ford engineers to more accurately gauge a vehicle’s performance and evaluate durability.  

The Dynamometer Lab was the first of the new buildings of the Research and Engineering campus completed in 1952. The facility also included a science lab on the building’s second floor. The structure was originally built in the shape of a cross with four wings, which extended from the center of the laboratory, the first of which opened in 1949. The building’s exterior consisted of brick combined with limestone and aluminum, and it was designed to blend with nearby landmarks, such as the Dearborn Inn, Greenfield Village, and what is now known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. 

Forty test rooms were incorporated in the Dynamometer Lab, including standard and endurance testing rooms, as well as more than a dozen specialty rooms for specific purposes such as the assessment of transmissions, carburetors, axles, chassis, and other engine components. During the 1950s and ‘60s, the facility was home to high-performance engine testing that would carry Ford and its partners to memorable victories at Indianapolis, Daytona, and Le Mans. It was also common to spot well-known figures from various racing series in the building during that era. 

The building’s dynamometers were designed to utilize power recovery, an idea demonstrated by Henry Ford with the production of Pratt & Whitney airplane engines at the Rouge plant during World War II. Upon its opening, all of the building’s electric needs were met by using recovered energy generated from the 32 dynamometers. 

The Dynamometer Lab was expanded in 1955, 1968, and 1980. Another expansion to the building in 1996 made it North America’s largest dynamometer lab under one roof. That expansion gave Ford a total of more than 100 testing rooms. Of the 30 new powertrain and engine development rooms that were added, 16 were equipped with climate-controlled chambers capable of replicating nearly all-weather conditions, meaning examination would no longer be delayed by unexpected weather changes or engineers being forced to travel to different parts of the world.  

While it’s difficult to estimate the number of cars, trucks, and SUV powertrains developed in part by the Dearborn Dynamometer Lab, there is likely just one airplane that has ever graced its equipment. In 2003, a team of a dozen Ford engineers, technicians, and supervisors helped test an engine built to power an authentic, full-scale reproduction of the Wright brothers’ 1903 Flyer created to mark the centennial of their historic first flight. 

The Dearborn Dynamometer Lab has played a crucial role in shaping the automotive landscape over the last 75 years, and with this landmark anniversary upon us, the building remains a symbol of the company’s relentless pursuit of innovation and engineering excellence.

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