Learn About Your Dream Car

Start your engines! If you are an automobile buff, you should incorporate fast cars into your travel plans. A lot of vehicle manufacturers open their factories to the public, so why not stop by to learn about your dream car! Below are a few car factories and museums you can visit:

If you are a Ferrari fan, there are lots of experiences to choose from. You can visit the Museo Ferrari in Maranello, Italy, which has ever-changing Ferrari-related exhibits. Past exhibitions include a collection of cars personally driven by Enzo Ferrari, a tribute to famous race car driver Michael Schumacher, and a focus on hypercars and technological innovation. If you want to learn more about the founder, check out the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena, Italy. At his birthplace, you can discover how Ferrari developed his engine and trace the history of the brand. Finally, if you are brave enough to get behind the wheel, head to the Autodromo di Modena. If you present your museum ticket, you can enjoy 15 minutes of circuit time at a discounted price. Tickets for the various experiences can be purchased on the Ferrari website.

If you want to learn about the car made famous by James Bond, plan an excursion to the Aston Martin Museum near Oxford, UK. Its exhibits will take you through 110 years of Aston Martin history. The museum collection includes artifacts, scale models, engines, racing memorabilia, and of course lots of vehicles. Currently on display are an Ulster, AMR1/01, Nimrod, Vantage, and an A3 – the oldest surviving Aston Martin in the world. Please note, you must book tickets in advance via the Aston Martin Heritage Trust website.

In Wolfsburg, Germany, you can tour the factory where cars such as Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, and Skoda are created. Spanning more than 6.5 km², it is the largest automotive plant in Europe. The 2-hour factory tours are available Tuesdays to Fridays. Next door to the factory are the Autostadt pavilions, which contain a variety of car-themed exhibits and attractions. Autostadt also has a track for adults to test drive the off-roading Volkswagen Touareg, and a mini track for children to drive small electric Volkswagen Beetles. While in Wolfsburg, you should also stop in at the VW Auto Museum to study the history of the brand and see over 130 historic VW models. You can find more information on the Volkswagen website.

Monday to Thursday throughout the year, you can visit the Lotus factory in Norfolk, England. On the two-hour tour, you can watch the sports car manufacturing process from the factory floor itself. Specifically, you will get an up close and personal look at the Lotus Emira being constructed. If you visit on Tuesday or Wednesday, you have the option of taking a three-hour Heritage Tour, which is a shortened factory tour combined with access to a museum full of historic Team Lotus Formula 1 race cars. Visit the Lotus website for more details.

Jaguar lovers flock to Castle Bromwich, near Birmingham, UK to see the company’s state-of-the-art production facility. The plant has manufactured everything from Spitfire airplanes in the 1940s to modern supercars. During the 3-hour walking tour, a Jaguar expert will walk you through the manufacturing process from start to finish and explain how the robotic machinery constructs each vehicle. You have the option of upgrading to a VIP experience, which is a private, access-all-areas tour that includes a meal. Tickets for both experiences are available on the Jaguar website.

Plan a trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA if you love Corvettes! At the National Corvette Museum, you can browse exhibits discussing the history of the brand and then practice driving a C6 Corvette with its virtual racing simulator. Next, head to the Bowling Green Assembly Plant to watch a C8 Corvette being manufactured. Finally, if you are ready to get behind the wheel of “America’s Sports Car,” purchase The Corvette Experience at NCM Motorsports Park. You can do laps around its 3.2-mile racetrack in a C8 Corvette! Visit the Corvette Museum website to get started.

In Stuttgart, Germany, you can visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum. It has nine levels, 16,500 m² of floor space, and over 1,500 exhibits. The museum has an impressive collection of historic cars displayed in chronological order, starting with a replica of the first car Carl Daimler built back in 1886. It also has modern vehicles, including a hydrogen-fueled Mercedes. The museum is open for tours Tuesday to Sunday and you can buy tickets online on the Mercedes-Benz website.

The brands above focus on cars, but if you are a motorcycle buff, you should consider visiting the Ducati factory and museum in Bologna, Italy or the BMW motorcycle factory in Berlin, Germany.

If you are hitting the road anyway, you may as well see some amazing cars on your journey! Enjoy learning about your favorite automobile brands and if you are interested in seeing how other products are produced, check out our article Visit Your Favorite Food Or Beverage Brand.