Difference between revisions of "Test Track (Pavilion)"

Revision as of 23:31, 24 March 2016

Test Track is a pavilion located in Epcot. The pavilion was known as World of Motion from 1982-1996. For the attraction located within the pavilion see Test Track (Attraction)

Test Track (Pavilion)
The entrance sign for the Test Track pavilion.
Epcot
Land	Future World
Theme	Transportation
Opening date	October 1, 1982
Number of Attractions	1
Formally Known As	World of Motion (1982-1996)
Sponsored by	General Motors (1982-2012) Chevrolet (2012-Present)

Pavilion History

In 1977, General Motors signed on as the sponsor of a Transportation pavilion for the as yet unbuilt EPCOT Center. After seeing the success that Ford had in partnering with Disney at the 1964 World's Fair, GM agreed to 15 year contract, becoming the first of EPCOT Center's many sponsors. Taking its inspiration from Ford's World's Fair pavilion, the original plans for the Transportation pavilion called for a journey through a futuristic city, and a raised track located outside of the building (similar to Ford’s Magic Skyway).

By 1978 as the designs became more defined, the Transportation pavilion began to take form. Inside of the pavilion was to be a dark ride (which would eventually also bet titled the World of Motion) which took guests through the history of transportation- beginning with man walking and ending in a large futuristic model city. Following the attraction, guests would be able to visit a series of interactive, transportation themed exhibits. The pavilion itself was designed to look like a large wheel (albeit one that was 65ft high and 320 feet across), with guests entering through a “wedge” that had been removed from the wheel.

The Transportation pavilion was eventually named the World of Motion, and the pavilion along with its title attraction and the interactive TransCenter opened with the rest of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982.

By the end of GM's original contract in 1992, the popularity of the World of Motion had declined. With this is mind General Motors was hesitant about continuing their sponsorship of the pavilion ^[1]. After 1992, GM agreed to sponsor the pavilion for 12 months, in order to reevaluate the benefits of their sponsorship, while also protecting the pavilion from a rival sponsor ^[1]. Eventually, General Motors decided to renew, but with the understanding that World of Motion would be updated ^[1]. Instead of renovating the existing attraction however, Disney and GM decided to create a new attraction for the pavilion all together.

With instructions from GM to narrow the focus of the new attraction to automobiles, Walt Disney Imagineering decided to revisit one of the original ideas for the pavilion- an attraction that let guests experience how cars were tested before they became available to the public ^[1]. After getting inspiration from the General Motors proving grounds, Imagineering pitched the idea of Test Track, an E ticket attraction that would take guests through the rigorous testing that GM cars put through.

With plans for Test Track underway, on January 2, 1996 the World of Motion pavilion closed for renovations ^[1]. On February 13, the GM Preview Center opened in front of the closed pavilion, featuring concept art for Test Track, and a large mural painted by Catherine Feff (which was installed in order to hide the pavilion during its construction) ^[2]. Due to a series of delays related to both Test Track's ride system and ride vehicles, the attraction was not ready for its May 1997 opening ^[2]. Instead, in 1998 the GM Preview Center was updated to feature new attraction artwork. Finally, in late 1998, the Preview Center was removed and the attraction soft opened to guests on December 19, 1998 ^[2]. Despite the fact that both guests and Cast Members were able to ride Test Track in December 1998, due to constant ride breakdowns, Test Track's Grand Opening was pushed back to March 1999 ^[2]. Finally, after three years of construction, Test Track was officially dedicated on March 17, 1999 ^[2].

On January 6, 2012 Disney announced that Test Track would be closing for a refurbishment ^[3]. Although the track and ride vehicles remained, the theming of the attraction was altered. As opposed to showing guests how cars were made, the new version of Test Track focused on the testing of cars. In Test Track 2.0, guests design their own ride vehicle in the queue before testing its capability, efficiency, responsiveness, and power in the attraction itself. Following the attraction, guests now receive a card with their car information on it, which they can use to play various interactive games. On December 6, 2012 Test Track reopened to guests ^[4]. Since the 2012 refurbishment, Test Track has been sponsored by General Motors' Chevrolet as opposed to the parent company GM ^[5].

Attractions

Test Track- This high speed attraction lets guests design and then test their own SimCar. Reaching a top speed of 65 mph, Test Track is the fastest attraction in Epcot.

Former Attractions

World of Motion- This dark ride attraction took guests through 30 different scenes depicting the history of transportation. The ride concluded by showing guests the future of transportation in CenterCore- a futuristic metropolis.

General Motors' TransCenter- The General Motor's TransCenter featured 10 exhibits that allowed guests to further explore the history and future of transportation.

Shopping

Test Track Shop- Located at the exit of Test Track, the Test Track Shop allows guests to purchase ride photos, General Motors merchandise, and other Epcot souvenirs.

Former Shopping

Inside Track- The original Test Track gift shop, Inside Track sold automobile souvenirs, Epcot merchandise and guests' on-ride photos. Inside Track was open from 1998-2012.

Restaurants

Taste Track- Located just outside of the Test Track pavilion, this quick service stand sells grilled cheese sandwiches as well as beer.

Fun Facts and Trivia

• The closure of the World of Motion Pavilion, led to Horizons being briefly reopened in 1997. This was done to make sure there were enough attractions for guests to experience in Future World.

• General Motors is the only sponsor that the pavilion has ever had (current sponsor Chevrolet is owned by GM). This makes it unique among Epcot pavilions.

• The third floor of the Test Track pavilion holds GM offices and the GM VIP lounge.

• When the World of Motion pavilion closed, many of the cars were moved to the boneyard scene in the Backlot Tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

• During Test Track's 2012 refurbishment, the Test Track All Stars musical group performed outside of the pavilion.

References

http://www.intercot.com/edc/Motion/facts.html

http://www.lostepcot.com/worldofmotion.html

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/test-track-pavilion/

http://www.guide-to-disney.com/epcot/future-world/test-track/inside-track-shop.php

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} http://www.intercot.com/edc/Motion/facts.html
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} http://allears.net/tp/ep/e_tt2.htm
3. ↑ https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/01/re-imagined-test-track-will-put-guests-in-the-designers-seat-this-fall-at-epcot/
4. ↑ https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/10/test-track-to-reopen-at-epcot-december-6
5. ↑ http://www.autonews.com/article/20121109/BLOG06/121109854/chevy-supercharges-test-track-at-disney-world