Just returned from a business trip in Europe, which had me visiting Germany and Italy over the last two weeks. Since there were a few of us attending the same meetings, all guys, we thought this was a perfect time for a road trip and decided to rent a car instead of flying between the locations. So after picking up a Volkswagen Touran from the car rental in Karlsruhe we hit the autobahn. Important note: our route guided us through the automotive meccas of Stuttgart and, more importantly, Modena. So when it came to my turn behind the wheel I knew where we had to make an important stop on the way. After dinner in Innsbruck, I took the wheel and in a mere 2-1/2 hours ( I love driving in Italy!) we took the Modena Nord exit in search of the Detomaso factory.

First of all, not what I expected. We arrived around 8 pm and driving through several roundabouts to get to the right street, which were littered with rough looking prostitutes. In an industrial park in italy? Really? Anyway, we pulled up to the gate and it looks like, although the power is still on, there's nobody home. Here is what I found:

Looking over the fence the place was covered in weeds. But the sign was still illuminated:

We returned the next day before heading to the highway and took some pictures over the fence

The car was someone feeding the guard dogs. No other sign of activity, although there were some interesting tire marks in the parking lot. The last picture is the office/museum, looking unused.

Sad......so very sad.

Yea, this is quite sad. I was hoping for a different outcome, very unfortunate. I'm sure there is a lot of history behind those walls.

Sheesh, I just found this post Andy. Good that you took the time to visit. Believe me, you won't forget seeing that sign.

I remember the disappointment when I first visited the factory a few years ago. It doesn't matter what it is now. It served it's purpose giving us the cars we love. The history was real and the magic lives on.

Truly sad in a way, reminds us that nothing lasts forever. Sorry if I'm too deep on a Sunday morning...

But let's appreciate what was created there. Good and bad. I think the most important contribution seen from a current owner's point of view is that I can afford owning a beautiful Italian supercar. And I can fix most of it myself, I don't have to drive to the local Ferrari shop or something, having people who just don't give a damn work on my car, and charging obscene amounts for it. And it's OK to modify and improve, without tossing the future value out the window.
If I were to describe a recipe for the perfect supercar (for me), it's a Pantera that was previously owned by someone who had the passion, time and money to fix the small issues. There's a lot of them for sale, for reasonable money...

And of course creating the Longchamp which is the best handling sedan I've driven, and is for sale at very very low prices. The best everyday car I can imagine...

Yes I agree the magic and the spirit still lives on. It was something to be there, I can just imagine the stories those walls would have if they could talk!

Has anyone heard of what has happened to the receivership & rights to the cars and identities themselves? It looks like the factory could be opened again in a matter of days if someone wanted to do it.