Lingotto, a racing track on the roof of the FIAT factory

Lingotto was one of the most interesting buildings in the world. It  was built between 1916 and 1923 in Turin, the futuristic style plant  was divided into a central sector where the raw materials of the day and  the presses were placed to manufacture the bodies and then a continuous  production line in the form of a spiral that followed the oval of the main building. Inspired  by the innovative mass production methods developed by Henry Ford in 1913, the Lingotto line operated as a traditional assembly line:  vehicles entered the line and were completed consecutively. The  difference between the Fiat building and all other production lines is  that this line also had a vertical component: it was a five-level  spiral. When arriving at the last level it was acceded to a great hatch from which it went out to the roof. 

 When the vehicle arrived on the roof, it was finished, so it was all that was left to prove. Of  course, everything was in the plans of Matté Trucco, the architect who  built the factory, and the roof was a huge continuous test circuit in  which all necessary controls were carried out. The ends of the oval were timely inclined and curved, which facilitated driving at high speeds. Also Fiat's workers and employees could run races using the sports cars that were available at the time. 

 The factory  was operational for 71 years and 81 different models were built,  closing its production completely in 1981 because the organization of  the factory and the distribution of space were not compatible with  modern production techniques. As with so many other  beautiful old buildings, Lingotto was converted into a shopping center, a  small hotel and the administrative sector was donated to the University  of Turin.