For gearheads it's often just as cool to see how cars get made as it is to see them driving. Auto factories are like massive industrial palaces, and Jalopnik readers have picked the ten most stunning ones ever built.
Welcome back to Answers of the Day — our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
There are many more amazing car factories that we just didn't have room for on this list, many important, large-scale plants. We focused on the small-scale boutiques. That's how the first cars were built in the 1800s and that's how the most technologically advanced supercars are built today.
Photo Credit: VW
For gearheads it's often just as cool to see how cars get made as it is to see them driving. Auto factories are like massive industrial palaces, and Jalopnik readers have picked the ten most stunning ones ever built.
Welcome back to Answers of the Day — our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
There are many more amazing car factories that we just didn't have room for on this list, many important, large-scale plants. We focused on the small-scale boutiques. That's how the first cars were built in the 1800s and that's how the most technologically advanced supercars are built today.
Photo Credit: VW
10.) Wiesmann
Why it's techno-fantastic: German boutique sports car maker Wiesmann picked the gecko for its mascot because they're light, fast, and grippy. Then they went and built their factory in the shape of a gecko, which sounds lame but actually looks awesome.
Photo Credit: Wiesmann
SEXPAND
Why it's techno-fantastic: German boutique sports car maker Wiesmann picked the gecko for its mascot because they're light, fast, and grippy. Then they went and built their factory in the shape of a gecko, which sounds lame but actually looks awesome.
Photo Credit: Wiesmann
SEXPAND9.) Tesla/NUMMI
Why it's techno-fantastic: Tesla's factory in California started off as a joint venture between Toyota and GM and proved that American car workers could build high-quality cars and not just drink and get high on the job. Now it's the factory for Tesla, making high-tech electric cars right here in the US. They should maybe start working faster, though.
Photo Credit: Steve Jurvetson
SEXPAND
Why it's techno-fantastic: Tesla's factory in California started off as a joint venture between Toyota and GM and proved that American car workers could build high-quality cars and not just drink and get high on the job. Now it's the factory for Tesla, making high-tech electric cars right here in the US. They should maybe start working faster, though.
Photo Credit: Steve Jurvetson
SEXPAND8.) Ferrari's Maranello Factory
Why it's techno-fantastic: Ferrari's factory in Maranello used to be full of mustachio'd guys with hammers mashing cars together. Now it's a hyper-advanced factory with its own wind tunnel and even gardens. Those plants aren't there for show; they keep the area at optimum humidity for making good engines.
Photo Credit: Rutger Middendorp
Why it's techno-fantastic: Ferrari's factory in Maranello used to be full of mustachio'd guys with hammers mashing cars together. Now it's a hyper-advanced factory with its own wind tunnel and even gardens. Those plants aren't there for show; they keep the area at optimum humidity for making good engines.
Photo Credit: Rutger Middendorp
7.) Local Motors
Why it's techno-fantastic: Other than your garage, there's really only one place you can build your own dream car. Local Motor's microfactory has you work on your own Rally Fighter along with their trained staff.
Photo Credit: Wendy Soucie
Why it's techno-fantastic: Other than your garage, there's really only one place you can build your own dream car. Local Motor's microfactory has you work on your own Rally Fighter along with their trained staff.
Photo Credit: Wendy Soucie
6.) Ford's River Rouge Complex
Why it's techno-fantastic: Making cars is a multi-trillion dollar industry, and it's been a huge business for over a hundred years. It's no surprise some of the biggest and most significant factory complexes ever made were devoted to cars, like Ford's River Rouge plant. Everything is self-contained; everything is designed for assembly-line efficiency.
Photo Credit: Detroit Publishing Co.
SEXPAND
Why it's techno-fantastic: Making cars is a multi-trillion dollar industry, and it's been a huge business for over a hundred years. It's no surprise some of the biggest and most significant factory complexes ever made were devoted to cars, like Ford's River Rouge plant. Everything is self-contained; everything is designed for assembly-line efficiency.
Photo Credit: Detroit Publishing Co.
SEXPAND5.) Volkswagen's Transparent Factory
Why it's techno-fantastic: VW makes its Phaetons and Bentley Flying Spurs here in Dresden's all-glass temple to cutting-edge manufacturing processes. They also store their cars in a gigantic glass tower, probably just to look cool.
Photo Credit: Dave Pinter
SEXPAND
Why it's techno-fantastic: VW makes its Phaetons and Bentley Flying Spurs here in Dresden's all-glass temple to cutting-edge manufacturing processes. They also store their cars in a gigantic glass tower, probably just to look cool.
Photo Credit: Dave Pinter
SEXPAND4.) Morgan
Why it's techno-fantastic: Morgan still builds their cars in small brick buildings, just like cottage car manufacturers did a hundred years ago. Not that the cars have changed much either, but it's still rad.
Photo Credit: Brian Snelson
Why it's techno-fantastic: Morgan still builds their cars in small brick buildings, just like cottage car manufacturers did a hundred years ago. Not that the cars have changed much either, but it's still rad.
Photo Credit: Brian Snelson
3.) Pagani
Why it's techno-fantastic: Not every cottage car manufacturer is quite as old-school as Morgan. Pagani, for instance, makes all of their carbon-fiber supercars in a tiny industrial estate on a back street in Modena. Imagine having them next door.
Photo Credit: Drive
Why it's techno-fantastic: Not every cottage car manufacturer is quite as old-school as Morgan. Pagani, for instance, makes all of their carbon-fiber supercars in a tiny industrial estate on a back street in Modena. Imagine having them next door.
Photo Credit: Drive
2.) Koenigsegg
Why it's techno-fantastic: Koenigsegg builds their humongo horsepower supercars in an old building from the Swedish Air Force. That means they have an airstrip outside where they can go test their cars for high speed stability. Now we want our own airstrip.
Photo Credit: Drive
Why it's techno-fantastic: Koenigsegg builds their humongo horsepower supercars in an old building from the Swedish Air Force. That means they have an airstrip outside where they can go test their cars for high speed stability. Now we want our own airstrip.
Photo Credit: Drive
1.) Fiat's Lingotto
Why it's techno-fantastic: What's cooler than having an airstrip next door? Having a test track built on your roof. Fiat's 1923 Lingotto factory was actually a major step forward in architectural factory design, but we're mainly obsessed with that roof track. Hey, they filmed the original Italian Job up there!
Photo Credit: Fiat
Why it's techno-fantastic: What's cooler than having an airstrip next door? Having a test track built on your roof. Fiat's 1923 Lingotto factory was actually a major step forward in architectural factory design, but we're mainly obsessed with that roof track. Hey, they filmed the original Italian Job up there!
Photo Credit: Fiat
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