Harley-Davidson Sells Test Track to Chrysler

Harley-Davidson has sold its 531-acre private test track in Florida to the Chrysler Group for $7 million. The property, located off of Interstate 75 in Naples, Fla., includes six miles of track including a 2.1-mile straightaway and several buildings.

The track was originally built for Ford, with construction completed in 1992. Harley-Davidson purchased the track in 2002 for $6.5 million, but the track had been left mostly idle since Harley-Davidson moved its testing operations to a portion of a Chrysler-owned track in Kingman, Ariz., in 2008.

The Business Observer reports Harley-Davidson will lease a portion of the Florida track and 10,200 square feet of office space until June 30, 2019.

“We chose the facility because of the existing road surfaces on the track and the optimal weather conditions for our testing,” Chrysler spokesperson Mike Palese tells Business Observer. “We plan to perform a variety of automotive tests on the 2.1-mile straight away and the 1.1-mile ride-and-handling loop.”

[Source: Business Observer]

By Dennis Chung