When you think of building cars you think of massive, inhuman factories churning out Ford Model Ts and giving everyone some kind of debilitating lung disease. Jalopnik readers, though, have found ten car companies that they dream of working for.
Welcome back to Answers of the Day — our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Photo Credit: GF Williams/Jalopnik
10.) Mazda
The company builds some of the most underappreciated family cars on the market, they have a basement full of race cars, and they own a racetrack. Why wouldn't you want to work there?
Suggested By: Stig-a-saw-us-wrecks, Photo Credit: hushypushy
9.) Porsche
We would work at the giftshop of Porsche just to have a job there. Not that we wouldn't want to work for, say, their classics department and tinker with 959s all day, but we won't be picky. German worker's benefits and job security wouldn't hurt, either.
Suggested By: OneFastPuertoRican, Photo Credit: Carsten Lindstedt
8.) Subaru
Because employee pricing on an STi.
Suggested By: Stig-a-saw-us-wrecks, Photo Credit: barbiez
7.) Chrysler
Because weed. And Vipers.
Suggested By: Rufus760, Photo Credit: Fox 2 News
6.) Morgan
Morgan still makes cars that look like they came out of the 1930s. They still build their cars like it's the 1930s, too. You work in a small set of brick buildings, you are a well-trained craftsman, and you build cars with your own hands. There are no massive, dehumanizing robots here.
Suggested By: gearboxtrouble, Photo Credit: Brian Snelson
5.) Local Motors
Like Morgan, Local Motors is a small operation, building boutique cars. Their microfactory is one of the most impressive in the world, where you get to help customers build their own, individual offroaders. Plus, they have an offroad test course outside their Arizona site.
Suggested By: Gamecat235, Photo Credit: Local Motors
4.) McLaren
Everything about the hyper-clean, hyper-advanced clean room masquerading as a car factory just makes us want to work. Honestly, we would be proud to make these cars. Walking past a row of Grand Prix champions would just be a bonus
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3.) Koenigsegg
Again, we'd love to work for any small supercar maker, but reader AclockworkApple pointed out something special about the Swedish manufacturer.
I would be happily content with just mopping the floors with Koenigsegg. Why? Because:
1. The factory is utilizes an old air-force base.
2. The boss's name is Christian von Koenigsegg which sounds like a James Bond villain.
3. The boss looks like a James bond villain.
4. Since the boss probably is a James bond villain I could play part in his global domination scheme as one of his (mop pushing) henchmen...or get killed by James bond in the process. sweet!
Suggested By: AclockworkApple, Photo Credit: Drive
2.) Pagani
If there is any one small supercar company above all others, it is Pagani. They make the most exquisite production vehicles in the world right now, and they make everything that makes up the car (save the engine) in-house. The engineering geek in us would just about have a heart attack to reach into a drawer of bolts and find they all have "Pagani" inscribed on them.
Suggested By: eharken123, Photo Credit: Drive
1.) Our Own
The dream that defines all these great companies is one that we share as well: to make our own cars, just how we want them. It is insanely difficult, the chances of failure are astronomical, but everyone from Honda to Lamborghini to Pagani to even Skoda all started by making their own designs. If we could magically get anywhere in the car business, it would be at the head of our own brand, making our perfect car a reality.
Suggested By: Patrick Frawley, Photo Credit: US Department of the Interior