Pics from my factory tour of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani!!

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Started off near Modena, in Sant'Agata Bolognese, at the home of Lamborghini. The tourguide I hired used to work for Lamborghini, and the racing teams of Ferrari and Toyotoa, so he had the insider info that made the trip so special, and the connections to get where the public can't. More info on his company later; here's some pictures:




An LP640 going for a spin




Everyone at Lamborghini drives Audi's, quite a few were RS4/6's

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Beautiful engines...

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First LP400

The Miura concept; it really is beautiful in person

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The original 350 GT; the blue one down below is the 450, for the true Lambo enthusiast

The original Diablo Roadster concept



The offshore powerplants



From the Chrysler ownership era...

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"Photos of the production floor are strictly forbidden"

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The evolution of the GTR...

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Gallardo Spider concept...There is actually one of these in the States





The last of the Diablo's, the SE, with carbon fiber accents


I liked the final GTR so much, I decided to take it for a spin...

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After piddling around the museum, we walked through the production floor. Pretty amazing; its the same facility that was originally used, even the brick floor! Of course, the machinery and technology is all modern, and the place was spotless. The Murcielago and Gallardo are made alongside each other on parallel production lines, but different techniques are used. The Murcielago is crafted completely in-house; everything from engine casting and assembly, to the stitching of the leather seats. The Gallardo is similar, but the engine parts are built in Germany at Audi, and assembled in the factory. It was amazing to see some of the specifications of the cars, which can be built to order, if you've got the money - there was a Murcielago with chameleon purple paint, and an orange interior being assembled! Out back, cars were being prepped to ship; imagine over 200 of these dream cars just sitting outside, begging to be driven! I wish I was allowed to take pictures in there....

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After Lamborghini, we headed out down the road we've probably all seen in car magazines....a long, straight stretch of tarmac notorious for "unofficial" testing, with only one gentle chicane, and lots of foot-wide tire marks. Soon, we arrived at a much smaller car manufacturer, but no less important. Horatio Pagani founded his facility after leaving Lamborghini to produce the car he had dreamed of, and started sketching in the early 90's. Lots of the sketches are on the walls of his design studio; its remarkable how true to his original vision the Zonda is.

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I perfer to have a Kia or Hyundi....my dream car would be a Tercel...

Anyone with money can have one of those...ha ha

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Pagani's first car, designed and raced when he was 20

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Again, I couldn't take pictures in the actual production floor, but it was pretty incredible. They design absolutely everything (With the exception of the AMG nuclear powerplant) in house....they have their own carbon fiber pressure cooker, castings and everything. The build one car at a time, everyone working on the same car - totally the opposite of an assembly line. The cars are only made when an order is placed, and the car is completely customizeable...from the type of leather straps that hold the engine cover down, instrument layout and backlight, every material used in the carpeting, to the custom leather shoes and luggage that comes with the car. The attention to detail in the fit and finish, and the little bits of visual flair are what make this car so special. Horatio Pagani is a very pleasant, but passionate man; he was there, overseeing development of a new car, and rushing around to make sure the half-finished Zonda on the floor was perfect. Speaking of a new car, there was a frame and moulds in one of the corners, covered, but partially exposed...and definitely not a Zonda...

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Another quick drive, and we found ourselves in the city of Ferarri, a massive industrial complex, with over 200,000 square meters of production floor, wind testing, racing development, and its own racetrack/testing grounds (Fiorano). We got there and had lunch in the Ferrari cafeteria with employees, and some racing team members getting ready to head to Brazil for the last race of the season. After a proper Italian lunch, we were off to the Ferrari gallery.

The original factory entrance, with Enzo Ferrari's office






GTO...same twin-turbo V8 as the F40

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I love redheads...