Cadillac's Super Bowl Ad For Its BMW Killer Was Filmed On This Epic German Track

This year, Cadillac will be bringing its BMW fighter, the ATS, to the market. First shown in Detroit last month, the track tuned ATS will be hitting dealers this summer.But how did we know it was track tuned?Cadillac made sure to let the whole world know that the ATS was designed to beat the 3-Series by showing the car off on a German track they called the "Green Hell" during an elaborate Super Bowl ad.Take a look at it below (via YouTube): But what exactly is the "Green Hell?"The actual name for the race track is the Nurburgring Nordschleife. It is 13 miles long, has 985 feet of elevation change, and at least 170 corners. This is one of the most daunting and deadliest race tracks in the world.With blind hills, narrow straights, and trees lining the entire track, one mistake can be the difference between life and death.Over the years, the Nordschleife has been home to Formula One and sports car racing, but terrible crashes made drivers and officials deem the Nordschleife too dangerous for some competition.And while a shorter circuit was constructed next door to accommodate Formula One, the Nordschleife is far from dormant.In fact, the Nordschleife is celebrating its 85th birthday this year, and it appears to be busier than ever.Drivers can pay a toll and take their street car for a ride on the famed circuit. Car manufacturers have also set up shop at the German track to develop all the latest rides. Top speeds are no longer the top tout for manufacturers; times around the 'Ring are what they extol.The history, races, cars, and people of the Nordschleife are what make it one of the most legendary race tracks in the world.The History.The Nurburgring was built in 1927 in response to the total lack of racing circuits in Germany.Prior to this, races were held on a closed part of the Autobahn outside Berlin. With dedicated tracks popping up across the rest of Europe, like Monza in Italy, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, and Brooklands in England, the Germans decided to invest in one track in the Eifel Forest.The Nurburgring was divided into two sections, the Nordschleife and Sudschleife; this translates to North Loop and South Loop. The shorter Sudschleife was used for club racing practice while the mammoth Nordschleife was a testing facility and showcase of German precision, engineering, and skill.Source: nurburgring.orgThe Track.There are few tracks that elicit the same awed reactions that come from the Nurburgring.With 170 corners and varying elevation changes, it can take months to just learn the track and years to go around it quickly.There are drivers that dedicate their entire careers to this one track who may never perfect it.The wide array of corners, from fast sweepers to hairpins to the banked Carousel, provides a unique test for cars that cannot be found anywhere else.Over time, locals have spray painted graffiti all over the track. It is just another element that gives the course even more character.The Crashes.The Nordschleife became famous, or infamous, because of the awful crashes that claimed the lives of racing heroes over the last 85 years.For a time, the 'Ring took race car drivers on what seemed to be a monthly basis.And even the drivers that weren't killed were scarred forever.In one of the most well known crashes on the track, Formula One World Champion Niki Lauda, who also claimed the track was unsafe, was almost burned to death in the 1976 German Grand Prix (via YouTube):His helmet fell off in the accident and the resulting burns to his head left him without his right ear. His lungs were nearly destroyed from smoke inhalation and he had several broken bones. It was thought that his chances for survival were so low that he was even administered the last rites.Somehow he survived and returned to racing just six weeks later. Lauda subsequently won the 1977 and 1984 World Championships. This crash ended Formula One racing at the Nordschleife, with racing going to the safer and shorter grand prix circuit from then on.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderPlease follow Getting There on Twitter and Facebook.See Also:SPOTTED: This Billionaire Sheikh Takes Off-Roading Very SeriouslyThe 10 Best First Cars For Drivers On A BudgetRed Bull's New Car Will Win The 2012 Formula One World Championship

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