Just about everyone, including myself, loves to walk through a new car showroom. There’s nothing like the light shining off of that ultra-clean new vehicle, the clearcoat brilliant enough to nearly burn out your retinas, the oh so familiar new car smell wafting from the interior of the hottest cars to hit the market, beckoning you to take a seat inside and play around a bit. You think to yourself “How did they come up with this?”, or “Why haven’t I seen anything about this in the news?” The answer is easier than you might imagine: the automobile people simply didn’t want you to know about it until the car was ready.

Sure, most people probably think of Detroit when they imagine a car factory. Motor City seems like it’s been around forever, churning out hit after hit to the delight of car buyers everywhere. But of course, there’s more to creating a potential masterpiece than having it magically end up at the dealership. Tons of testing and tweaking are done in secret facilities and tracks all around the world every day, away from the eyes of curious customers and competitors. Join us on a trip around the world where some of the best cars on Earth are created.

24 Where F1 Dreams Come True - The Factory That Mercedes Built

via ytimg

Brixworth, England is where Mercedes calls their F1 cars' home. This top-secret factory is truly where dreams come true. The Verge reports that the Brixworth plant allows superstars like Lewis Hamilton and his F1 team to reign supreme. Equally important, the facility allows Mercedes engineers and expert to hone their skills at becoming more efficient with powerplant design and testing. F1 engine regulations are reportedly very tough and getting tougher each year it seems. Mercedes appears to be more than up to the task, easily staying at the forefront of F1 racing. This efficient thinking model also trickles down to the company’s more pedestrian offerings as well.

23 The Worst Among Us - Yugo Should’ve Stayed A Secret

via gawker-media

Poorly conceived and even more poorly received, the Yugo will no doubt stand the test of time as the world’s worst production vehicle ever unleashed to an unsuspecting public. Really. The car was kept a complete secret until its unveiling, which was pretty easy to do, since the car was built in what’s now Serbia. The Soviet-style plant had more than enough horsepower to build the rather raggedy vehicle. It’s been heavily upgraded since Fiat purchased it, but the Zastava auto plant will forever be remembered for bringing “that car” to public consciousness. But hey, anyone crazy enough to shell out $3,990 for a brand-new car deserves what’s coming to them.

22 Let There Be Light - Tesla’s Second Floor

via pocket

Tesla makes no secret about wanting to be the electric car company for everyone. Everyone has seen their beautiful factory, with its solar arrays and battery-operated generators and legion of robots pumping out dream cars as well as semi-trucks. Very few people realize that there’s another, way more secretive lab inside simply called the “Second Floor,” where the real fun begins. According to a report from Wired, that is where the other half of Tesla’s manufacturing and testing facility is nestled, something you won’t see on the tour of the plant. Teams of some of the best minds in the country come up with all sorts of technological wonders to enhance their vehicles, from safety to speed upgrades.

21 For Pasta's Sake - Ferrari’s Secret Lab

via conde

When is a car factory more than a factory? When it belongs to Ferrari. Ever the secretive company, Ferrari rarely allows public viewing of its Maranello factory. Those who do get a chance to glimpse the factory’s inner chambers are in for a treat. Ferrari doesn’t just make dream cars in my opinion as much as it turns wild and absurd fantasy into reality. Customers are invited to a tour, where they can pick and choose nearly everything that will go into creating their fantasy car, but even they aren’t invited into the car maker’s secret labs, where one imagines a group of warlocks and witches conjuring up the next insanely fast supercar.

20 I Know Nothing - Audi’s Lair

via audi-illustrated

A European automaker like Audi can test their cars just about anywhere they want to. Part of the Volkswagon Group, Audi has factories all around the world. One of the best-known and quite secret ones lies in Ingolstadt, Germany, which Audi calls home. What most people wouldn’t realize is that there have been massive upgrades to the interior of the factory as well as the exterior. Nearly 40,000 employees work at the place. Audi has also invested heavily in its robotic workforce as well, with about 800 of them working alongside their human counterparts, says Gizmodo. The robots provide a break for humans by taking over repetitive tasks like spot-welding and alignment, which the machines are superior at anyway.

19 Just A G Thing - Larry Page And Flying Cars

via uncrate

Though there’s no real evidence of a physical factory in sight, Google co-founder Larry Page is reportedly attempting to produce a flying car. He’s heavily invested in flying car startups Kitty Hawk and Zee.Aero. It’ll take a lot of time and cash for people to feel comfortable enough to take to the skies whenever they feel like it, but I think we’ll eventually see something like flying taxis take off before us normal folk think about purchasing a person flying vehicle. Someone like Larry Page has both time and money to invest in the necessary tech and resources to make the all-electric flying car happen sooner rather than later.

18 I Don’t See It - VW’s Transparent Factory

via mjelia

Deep in the heart of Dresden, Germany lies a beautiful car factory. It looks so nice, that many people would drive by it thinking it was some type of museum instead. At least 250 people per day even pay to take the tour through this magnificent building. This particular auto manufacturing plant belongs to none other than VW. Affectionately called “The Bubble,” this factory pumps out plenty of pristine new Volkswagens every day. ¾ of the walls of the factory are transparent, allowing a great view of employees assembling fantastic cars. The plant is way larger than most people would think, with plenty of underground space housing secret offices, tech labs and testing areas.

17 The Petal Never Falls Far - Lotus Factory

via flickr

Lotus sticks pretty close to its British roots, churning out masterpiece after automobile masterpiece at its Bethel plant, located in Norwich, England. True, Lotus isn’t actually a British-owned car company anymore, last being majority-purchased by Malaysian-based Proton, but that doesn’t stop its supercars from entering the world with a British flair all their own. The design of the Lotus headquarters is really interesting to me, especially because of the track. Anyone who’s ever seen a pic of the B-2 Stealth Bomber should recognize the track’s shape instantly. Who wouldn’t love a quick trip around it sitting in the seat of superfast Evora or Exige? Sign me up!

16 Hey, No Racing In The Halls - McLaren Secret Corridors

via businessinsider

CNN likens the McLaren Formula One facility in the UK to something you’d see in a James Bond movie. I really can’t blame them for that description. The place is a high-tech wonderland, provided you could get access into the building. The place is stark white inside, almost hospital-like in appearance. Lots of security is on hand to let you know when you are in the wrong section of the building, and I can best describe it as one of those places that if you don’t work there, you would never be able to get around easily. I imagine finding your way around the Pentagon on your first day would be a similar experience.

15 Pull Over, Pull Over - Where UK Police Cars Come From

via motoringresearch

In the UK, Vauxhall uses the country’s oldest factory to make the newest law enforcement vehicles. The Engineer mentions that the cars are mostly built on an assembly line, with the biggest difference there are hardly any robots, with Vauxhall preferring the human touch in assembling the cars, which are all Vivaro models which come to the factory stripped and prepped on the inside for law enforcement customizations for the purchaser. Naturally, the autos are thoroughly tested for all sorts of scenarios such as electromagnetism to track/performance testing.

14 Here’s My Secret - Where GM And Toyota Meet Up

via timeincapp

Everyone knows GM isn’t exactly the fastest learner on the automotive block (just ask any Camaro owner, ever), but they had an interesting alliance with Toyota in the 1980s, sharing the NUMMI factory in Fremont, California. Anyone who knew of this factory knew a few things: the place was a dump and was poorly managed until Toyota came in and turned it into one of the best factories around, says NPR. Toyota and GM were in bad shape back then, and Toyota showed GM a thing or two. Of course, GM didn’t learn a thing until decades later, but it’s an interesting tale nevertheless.

13 Secrets Galore - Honda’s Secretive UK Plant

via yellowhammernews

Honda makes cars for different countries all around the world. The company normally stays mum on subjects such as vehicle testing and production, but every now and then us normal folk get a hint of things to come from the auto manufacturer. Quite a few Honda models get tested overseas. One such place is in England over at the Swindon plant. Honda has enough sense to pad their test vehicles with plenty of bulky cladding, but the careful observer can easily see the car heading through the Honda factory gates, returning from some testing ground area, putting the latest and greatest vehicles through their paces.

12 It’s An Open Secret - How Ford Hides Their Cars

via caradisiac

Sometimes it’s a lot easier to leave things out in the open. Like any car manufacturer, Ford needs to test their prototype vehicles on the open road as well as the track. The company employs quite a few tricks to do this. Patterned body stickers seem to be the main weapon of choice these days. Normally colored black and white, the dots and swirls on the sticker create an optical illusion so that cameras are effectively tricked because they can’t catch all of the details of the prototype vehicle. Fake body cladding also helps to distort certain dimensions as well, at least according to reports from ITWeb, AutoTalk, and many other sites.

11 If You Have To Ask How Much - Bugatti Fantasy Factory

via bugatti

Every once in a while, the highly secretive Bugatti auto company eases up on its confidential processes and allows the world a (very) small peek into its inner workings. I suppose those of you who might own something like the ludicrously expensive $2.4 million-dollar Veyron L’Or Blanc probably know a thing or two about the Molsheim, France auto plant and testing grounds Bugatti has in place, regularly pushing the vehicles way past most other car’s limits. After all, if Bugatti has time to hand-paint a car with a ceramic finish, then one would think they have more than enough to test out supercars too, right?

10 Goulash For Everyone - BMW’s Hungary Plant

via data.motor-talk

Debrecen, Hungary is where BMW chooses to test out some of their more exotic concepts. The plant will enable BMW to increase production up to 150,000 gas and electric vehicles per year, reports Business Insider. But it’s the highly secretive “Plant Zero” located in Munich where the real prototypes are tested to their limit. It would be quite a thrill to tour such a place, and BMW does allow carefully controlled access every now and then. There are a few leaked videos of the inside of the plant posted to YouTube which I have not seen, because I prefer to wait until the new vehicles are shown to the world in the flesh.

9 Halt And Identify Yourself - Lamborghini Hideouts

via ytimg

Lamborghini is another car maker that like to keep its secrets close to home. The museum that’s actually a car factory is located in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, is a wonder to behold. Visitors can tour the factory, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to peer further. With very tight security around its labs, you won’t get very far attempting to snoop around. Top Gear says that the museum section has virtually every offering from the car maker since 1963. In the labs, all kinds of tech are made from the most fantastic finishes to self-healing car frames are developed, pushing Lamborghini ever closer to automobile perfection.

8 A Piece Of American Pie - Apple’s Car Secrets

via gannett

When I first read the rumors about an Apple Inc. car, I thought “Why?" As more and more news comes to light, it seems the computer and phone producing juggernaut is more focused on adding self-driving and entertainment technology to its Services offerings. I think it’s an interesting idea, simply because the company can focus on what it knows best, software, and if it can get car companies to purchase the software, it will be much less of a risk than becoming a new auto company. It’s no secret that the tech giant has a massive new headquarters recently minted in California. I think if any company could pull this sort of services segment off, it would be Apple, but time will tell.

7 Turn Up The Heat - Dodge Factories And The Hellcat

via autotrader

Fiat Chrysler has its fingers in all sorts of secret honey jars. The Detroit Free Press reports that the company is building out new facilities over at the Chelsea Proving Grounds in Detroit. Most of the new area will be for testing the company’s new self-driving cars. There’s still plenty of places in Detroit to test cars both gas and electric. Take the Dodge Hellcat for example. Dodge managed to sneak this car in and out of its facilities with no one the wiser, pushing the 707 hp monster to its limit at the track, while being just discreet and secretive enough to get back to the factory unnoticed by all but the most discerning eyes.

6 Quality, Not Quantity - Rolls-Royce Factories

via bmwblog

Rolls-Royce is one of those companies that never, ever has to brag about anything. Likewise, their factory located in Goodwood, Sussex, England reflects the companies style – sedated and elegant. Robb Report mentions that the factory looks more like a museum than anything else. From different articles I’ve reviewed, the factory incidentally houses quite a few secret labs and testing areas. Of course, Rolls-Royce has several factories such as the Unterhallerau, Germany plant, where Phantom’s are created. Every Rolls-Royce car is handmade, making each one truly unique. Attention to detail is something this car company knows. Since the first one rolled off the line in 1906, Rolls-Royce still has 65% of its cars on the road.

5 Future’s So Bright - The Faraday Factory

via arstechnica

In 2017 Faraday Future built a sparkling new factory in California for its FF 91 EV. It’s a good move for the company since California is considered the biggest market for electric vehicles, if you want to consider Los Angeles or Silicon Valley as part of the US anymore. The facility will also house testing grounds and areas for dreaming up all types of technological wonders for the company, joining the main headquarters which is already in Southern California. The “less than $300,000" FF 91 supercar with its all-around touchscreens and retractable lidar sensor will prove whether or not Faraday has what it takes to survive in the EV market.