All of your favorite rides were once conjured up somewhere inside the headquarters of their makers. Whether it be a boring cement box or a charming castle, every automaker must set up camp somewhere. In many cases, these buildings come to play a crucial role in the brand's character. Below, we've come up with eight of the coolest headquarters around.
Bugatti | Molsheim, France
Bugatti
Bugatti represents the epitome of the automotive world, so naturally, its headquarters should too. If you're wondering where masterpieces like the Chiron were born, they came to be inside a quaint chateau nestled into the French countryside. Of course, the actual manufacturing process takes place within a more modern facility at the other side of the property, where a small number of employees work tirelessly inside the building shaped to match Bugatti's own logo. The chateau is where clients land in their private jets, $3 million in hand, ready to design their own bespoke supercar. Each buyer is treated with a tour of the grounds, along with the opportunity to take a test drive, before they meet with Bugatti's designers to discuss their own perfect machines. Now that's something we'd pay seven figures for.
BMW | Munich, Germany
BMW
BMW's home base, which is commonly dubbed BMW Tower, looks like something straight out of the future. The German brand's global facilities stand tall over the city of Munich, closely accompanied by the equally impressive BMW Welt museum. The BMW Tower, which takes the shape of four cylinders, was completed in 1972 after just 26 months of construction. Hiding within the tower's state-of-the-art, cylindrical build are 21 floors, with 18 of them serving as office floors and the other four housing the brand's technical facilities.
Ferrari | Maranello, Italy
Alessio Montemurro / Unsplash
Ferrari's headquarters in Maranello, Italy may appear quite humble alongside all the chateaus and skyscrapers, but it has served as the birthplace for every single Ferrari model built since the company's official inception in 1947. The iconic automaker has practically built a community around itself, breathing life into the small town of Maranello with tourist attractions such as the Ferrari Museum.
Fiat | Turin, Italy
Fiat
Fiat's headquarters is much larger than its cars, housing both its administrative offices and its iconic Lingotto factory. The reason for its fame lies not inside the building, but rather on top of it. There, you'll find a rooftop track that loops around the perimeter of the oval-shaped facility. It's been there since the building's grand opening in May 1923, and at the time the Lingotto was the largest car factory in the world. The track never actually hosted races, but instead once served as a test track at the end of the manufacturing process, as cars began construction on lower floors until they reached completion at the top floor. Many years ago, the company could test over 50 cars at a time to ensure that there were no malfunctions. Fiat doesn't use the track or build cars there anymore, but it's still there for nostalgia's sake, and the building now houses everything from an art gallery and museum to an array of restaurants and stores.
GM | Detroit, USA
Elishia Jayye / Unsplash
GM's Renaissance Center, located in downtown Detroit, Michigan, consists of a whopping seven buildings that together make up the automaker's global headquarters. The central building, which takes the shape of a slender cylinder proudly wearing GM's illuminated logo, overlooks the Detroit River alongside the other Renaissance Center skyscrapers. GM acquired the space as recently as 1996, and it has housed the company's vast global operations ever since then. Note that it was first constructed in 1976, and contains a whopping 5.5 million square feet of space.
McLaren | Woking, England
McLaren
McLaren's Technology Centre has become an icon for the automaker since its completion in 2004, designed by famed architect Lord Norman Foster. Its curved shape faintly resembles McLaren's logo, and inside it features a multitude of historic models on display. Alongside the Technology Centre sits the McLaren Production Centre, which serves as one of the automaker's factories. But amid financial struggles in 2020, McLaren sold its unique headquarters to real estate investment firm Global Net Lease. The companies established a 20-year leaseback deal in which McLaren will buy back the facility from its new owners after those two decades pass.
Polestar | Gothenburg, Sweden
Polestar
Polestar's headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden is just about what you'd expect from an upscale Scandanavian company––a big, white box. But that's exactly what makes it so intriguing. The building, which is located on the same property where Volvo is based, was first inaugurated in 2018, and is known within the brand as the Polestar Cube. Adorning the brand's minimalistic home is a glowing Polestar logo, while the slim windows feature a bright white tint. Interestingly, the numbered parking spaces surrounding the simple building match the font and style the brand uses to designate its own numerical model names.
Rimac | Zagreb, Croatia
Rimac
Rimac, the Croatian EV startup responsible for the record-breaking Nevera hypercar, is currently working on its future headquarters in the outskirts of Zagreb. So far, it looks like the company's campus will be monstrous, spanning over two million square feet. The space will contain the brand's offices, alongside a production line for the Nevera hypercar, a battery testing center, a test track, and a museum. The land will also feature designated pastures for native sheep to graze freely, and organic food will even be produced on the grounds. CEO Mate Rimac has mentioned that the property won't be concealed by sky-high fencing, in order to inspire younger generations in the area. And it just so happens that Rimac is part of the same company as Bugatti. Cool headquarters must be a requirement over there.
Can you think of any other cool headquarters?
Lists
Oct 22, 2023
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These Eight Impressive Automaker Headquarters Will Blow Your Mind
Museums? Rooftop racetracks? Pastures for producing organic food? Check, check, and check.
All of your favorite rides were once conjured up somewhere inside the headquarters of their makers. Whether it be a boring cement box or a charming castle, every automaker must set up camp somewhere. In many cases, these buildings come to play a crucial role in the brand's character. Below, we've come up with eight of the coolest headquarters around.
Bugatti | Molsheim, France
Bugatti
Bugatti represents the epitome of the automotive world, so naturally, its headquarters should too. If you're wondering where masterpieces like the Chiron were born, they came to be inside a quaint chateau nestled into the French countryside. Of course, the actual manufacturing process takes place within a more modern facility at the other side of the property, where a small number of employees work tirelessly inside the building shaped to match Bugatti's own logo. The chateau is where clients land in their private jets, $3 million in hand, ready to design their own bespoke supercar. Each buyer is treated with a tour of the grounds, along with the opportunity to take a test drive, before they meet with Bugatti's designers to discuss their own perfect machines. Now that's something we'd pay seven figures for.
BMW | Munich, Germany
BMW
BMW's home base, which is commonly dubbed BMW Tower, looks like something straight out of the future. The German brand's global facilities stand tall over the city of Munich, closely accompanied by the equally impressive BMW Welt museum. The BMW Tower, which takes the shape of four cylinders, was completed in 1972 after just 26 months of construction. Hiding within the tower's state-of-the-art, cylindrical build are 21 floors, with 18 of them serving as office floors and the other four housing the brand's technical facilities.
Ferrari | Maranello, Italy
Alessio Montemurro / Unsplash
Ferrari's headquarters in Maranello, Italy may appear quite humble alongside all the chateaus and skyscrapers, but it has served as the birthplace for every single Ferrari model built since the company's official inception in 1947. The iconic automaker has practically built a community around itself, breathing life into the small town of Maranello with tourist attractions such as the Ferrari Museum.
Fiat | Turin, Italy
Fiat
Fiat's headquarters is much larger than its cars, housing both its administrative offices and its iconic Lingotto factory. The reason for its fame lies not inside the building, but rather on top of it. There, you'll find a rooftop track that loops around the perimeter of the oval-shaped facility. It's been there since the building's grand opening in May 1923, and at the time the Lingotto was the largest car factory in the world. The track never actually hosted races, but instead once served as a test track at the end of the manufacturing process, as cars began construction on lower floors until they reached completion at the top floor. Many years ago, the company could test over 50 cars at a time to ensure that there were no malfunctions. Fiat doesn't use the track or build cars there anymore, but it's still there for nostalgia's sake, and the building now houses everything from an art gallery and museum to an array of restaurants and stores.
GM | Detroit, USA
Elishia Jayye / Unsplash
GM's Renaissance Center, located in downtown Detroit, Michigan, consists of a whopping seven buildings that together make up the automaker's global headquarters. The central building, which takes the shape of a slender cylinder proudly wearing GM's illuminated logo, overlooks the Detroit River alongside the other Renaissance Center skyscrapers. GM acquired the space as recently as 1996, and it has housed the company's vast global operations ever since then. Note that it was first constructed in 1976, and contains a whopping 5.5 million square feet of space.
McLaren | Woking, England
McLaren
McLaren's Technology Centre has become an icon for the automaker since its completion in 2004, designed by famed architect Lord Norman Foster. Its curved shape faintly resembles McLaren's logo, and inside it features a multitude of historic models on display. Alongside the Technology Centre sits the McLaren Production Centre, which serves as one of the automaker's factories. But amid financial struggles in 2020, McLaren sold its unique headquarters to real estate investment firm Global Net Lease. The companies established a 20-year leaseback deal in which McLaren will buy back the facility from its new owners after those two decades pass.
Polestar | Gothenburg, Sweden
Polestar
Polestar's headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden is just about what you'd expect from an upscale Scandanavian company––a big, white box. But that's exactly what makes it so intriguing. The building, which is located on the same property where Volvo is based, was first inaugurated in 2018, and is known within the brand as the Polestar Cube. Adorning the brand's minimalistic home is a glowing Polestar logo, while the slim windows feature a bright white tint. Interestingly, the numbered parking spaces surrounding the simple building match the font and style the brand uses to designate its own numerical model names.
Rimac | Zagreb, Croatia
Rimac
Rimac, the Croatian EV startup responsible for the record-breaking Nevera hypercar, is currently working on its future headquarters in the outskirts of Zagreb. So far, it looks like the company's campus will be monstrous, spanning over two million square feet. The space will contain the brand's offices, alongside a production line for the Nevera hypercar, a battery testing center, a test track, and a museum. The land will also feature designated pastures for native sheep to graze freely, and organic food will even be produced on the grounds. CEO Mate Rimac has mentioned that the property won't be concealed by sky-high fencing, in order to inspire younger generations in the area. And it just so happens that Rimac is part of the same company as Bugatti. Cool headquarters must be a requirement over there.
Can you think of any other cool headquarters?