Building Alfa Romeo Brera and Spider with Peugeot 406 Coupe
We have certainly observed several video tours of overstocked garages of unclaimed automobiles, but it is somewhat infrequent that we view entire auto production factories. In the year 1986, Pininfarina initiated constructing this facility to construct outer shells for the Cadillac Allanté and later on manufactured other types of cars until 2011. Unfortunately, now, it sits desolate.
The Allanté possessed a peculiar assemblage process. Pininfarina constructed the vehicle’s outer shells in its plant located in Italy, before attaching them to special fixtures and conveying them to Detroit using Boeing 747s. Completion of the production transpired at the Hamtramck plant, current assembly site of the Hummer and Silverado electric vehicles.
Once the manufacturing of the Cadillac had wound up, briefly in its wake came assembly of the Ferrari Testarossa then later the Peugeot 406 Coupe. Further, Pininfarina was instrumental in constructing the Alfa Romeo Brera and Spider, after which the premises were concluded in 2011.
A video which was published recently demonstrated the remnants of test cars from Brera that were abandoned as recent as 2015. Certain vehicles still had the disguise intended for evaluation purposes. Sadly, these chariots have now been removed from the scene.
Incredibly, despite having been closed for more than a decade, the factory floor still appears immaculate. There, the assembly line machines look ready and waiting to once again produce vehicles. Fascinatingly, many of the robots remain in situ, as do several of the diagrams detailing how to put the Brera together.
The workplace at the location is in a rather chaotic condition. Revelers appear to have purloined the copper from the construction as well as removed the chair legs of the dining area. Sadly, some of the surfaces even bear mischievous doodles. Truly, it is a distressing and bizarre spectacle.
Externally, remnants of the testing track can still be spotted, yet it is clear that nature is reclaiming its domain. Across the asphalt, shards of grass burst through; amidst the ruins, trees have begun to blossom. In its peak, this location was employed to both test vehicular suspensions and drive through treacherous waters.
Pininfarina ceased the functioning of their facility for a mixture of causes. Subsequent to the 2008 economic slump, fabricating small quantity vehicles became a less desirable venture, which was this factory’s speciality. The 2015 takeover by Mahindra likely compounded to the issues as well. According to the footage, there is no sign of a revival of production – an absolute regret given its remarkable past.
Source: Forgotten Buildings via YouTube, via Cadillac Society
