Update 30/12: We published this story earlier in the year but thought it would be a fun one to revisit while you’re digesting a Christmas hangover.
Like most of us, you’re probably sitting at home wondering what to do a bit more than usual.
To help cure the boredom, here are the car museums and factories you can visit from the comfort of your own home. Yes, they’re all free. No, there isn’t a gift shop.
We’ve listed them in alphabetical order, and will update the list with any extras you suggest in the comments.
Audi
Equivalent in size to Monaco, Audi’s factory in Ingolstadt has been in its current place for around 70 years. It pumps out almost 500,000 cars per year, and is powered by around 45,000 workers.
It’s an impressive setup, and one of the most modern factories used by a car manufacturer in the world. Audi is offering 20 minute live-streamed tours free through its website – head to the Audi factory tour live stream page to book a seat.
Corvette
Muscle car buffs will want to check out the National Corvette Museum. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, it’s just around the corner from where the Corvette is built.
Most recently, though, it was a sink hole that swallowed up eight incredibly rare Corvettes saw it hit the news.
Gt a proper look at the museum before another earth hole claims some rare American metal, and check out the virtual Google tour of the National Corvette Museum here.
Ford
Located in Dearborn, just outside Detroit, the Henry Ford Museum offers an insight into one of the oldest and best-known car brands out there.
The building itself is steeped in history, while the contents hark bark to a time when emissions weren’t a thing and Ford was all about building big, practical cars.
Check out the virtual Google tour of the Henry Ford Museum here.
Honda
The Honda Collection Hall is located in Motegi, Japan. It contains some of Honda’s most memorable products, including cars and motorcycles.
This tour is controlled by the user, and includes interactive elements to offer more detail on each product. Head to the Honda website to take part in the Honda Collection Hall virtual tour.
McLaren Technology Centre
This place needs no introduction. The McLaren Technology Centre is where McLaren engineers sit down to create some of the world’s most iconic Formula 1 cars, and fastest road cars.
Located in Woking, United Kingdom, the MTC sits on a 50 hectare site, has five floors, and employs around 1000 people. You can do a virtual Google tour of the McLaren Technology Centre by following this link.
Mercedes-Benz Museum
160 vehicles, 1500 exhibits, and a floor space of 16,500 square metres. The Mercedes-Benz Museum located in Stuttgart, Germany, includes some of the brand’s most iconic models, including random vehicles like the world’s first fuel-cell van.
Check out the virtual Mercedes-Benz Museum tour by visiting the Mercedes-Benz website.
Lamborghini
Located in Sant’Agata, Italy, the Lamborghini Museum is a modest display of some of the brand’s most iconic models.
Even more important is the fact it’s located on the same site where the brand builds its cars. It’s a cool place, and if you ever get the chance to visit in person – let the virtual tour be future travel inspiration – it’s worth putting on your bucket list.
Check out the virtual tour of the Lamborghini Museum here.
Pagani
The Pagani Museum just outside Modena in Italy is another modest museum, but gives you the opportunity to get up and close with one of the most beautiful hypercars on the planet.
The Pagani Museum tour can be soon on an interactive virtual Google street view.
The Petersen Museum
This incredible car museum is located in the heart of Los Angeles, California. Created by publishing magnate Robert E. Petersen – the man behind some motoring titles such as MotorTrend – and his wife, the museum was originally a department store, before being purchased as a joint venture between Petersen and Los Angeles County in 1992.
It has since undergone a massive renovation and now includes a parking facility, a public display of cars, plus the incredible private vault tour where no photography is allowed.
You can check out the virtual Google tour of the Petersen Museum here, or go the whole hog and take part in a virtual Vault Tour on the Petersen website.
Skoda
With a history spanning over 100 years, the Skoda Museum located in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic offers a look into this quirky manufacturer.
The virtual museum tour will take you through the long history of Skoda vehicles including some of the cool rally cars.
I’ve been to the Czech Republic before and can confirm they’re loyal to their local brand, with Skodas everywhere you look. Check out the virtual Google tour of the Skoda Museum here.
Toyota
Now this is a museum! Located near Nagoya in Japan, the Toyota Museum spans three floors and is full of old-school Toyota products.
You’ll find virtually any Toyota you could think of, plus more, from boring vans to some of the brand’s most famous race cars.
Check out the virtual Google tour of the Toyota Museum here.
Volvo
The final cab off the rank for our virtual tour story is the Volvo Museum. Located just outside Gothenburg in Sweden, the museum includes everything from the first Volvo, the OV 4, through to trucks and buses.
We even spotted a marine motor. Volvo isn’t just a car company, so expect to find some pretty cool things here when flicking through the different displays on offer.
You can see the virtual Google tour of the Volvo Museum here.
