Monday, March 23, 2009

Fiat Lingotto factory



You'll probably recognize this view from the original "Italian Job" movie with Michael Caine in 1969

Once was a car factory, constructed by Fiat. Built from 1916 and opened in 1923, the design was unusual in that it had five floors, with raw materials going in at the ground floor, and cars built on a line that went up through the building. Finished cars emerged at rooftop level, where there was a rooftop test track.

It was the largest car factory in the world at that time. For its time, the Lingotto building was avante-garde, influential and impressive— Le Corbusier called it "one of the most impressive sights in industry", and "a guideline for town planning".

80 different models of car were produced there in its lifetime, including the famous Fiat Topolino of 1936.
The factory became outmoded in the 1970s and the decision was made to finally close it in 1982.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingotto

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