Vintage: Fiat Rooftop Test Track in Turin (1920s)

Vintage: Fiat Rooftop Test Track in Turin (1920s)

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The Lingotto building in Turin, Italy, once housed a Fiat factory. Construction started in 1916 and the building opened in 1923. The design (by young architect Matté Trucco) 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 to go onto the test track. It was the largest car factory in the world at that time. For its time, the Lingotto building was avant-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 Fiat Topolino of 1936.

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building

Torino Fiat-factory building


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