Ultimate Factories

They are a must if you are a world leader, but now even mums are starting to use them. Discover how cars are modified for maximum protection. Actually, this is "Science of Armored Cars", an "Inside"-episode, but it was shown on NatGeo UK as part of Megafactories.

The soon-to-be-released Chevy Volt electric car just might redefine the automotive world: It can go from 0 to 60 in less than nine seconds, hit a top speed of 100 miles per hour and is good for 40 miles of zero-emission, pure electric driving. Our cameras got rare behind-the-scenes access to the preproduction factory for this revolutionary vehicle. AKA Megafactories: Chevy Volt, this seems to have only aired in the UK

An army of engineers in three different countries constructs the awesome Typhoon, which can reach speeds of over 2000 KPH.

Inside Ferrari's closely-guarded factory in Maranello, Italy, you'll see how the newest, most powerful model is created from start to finish, learn its design secrets -- and take a test drive at 200 mph.

NGC takes you into the factories responsible for completely rebuilding the decades-old Abrams M-1 tank into one of the world's most powerful land weapons systems.

At the Peterbilt factory in Denton, Texas, the world's most sophisticated trucks are built from scratch. Discover Peterbilt's history and drag race a big rig.

The name BMW is synonymous with performance, precision, engineering, a fastidious quality. Obsessively designed, owners drive the "ultimate driving machine" for the sheer pleasure of controlling a mechanical marvel on the open road and feeling G-forces in their gut. Now, NGC takes viewers inside the creation of BMW's newest sports cars: the Z4 Roadster. See first-hand how this $45,000 ultimate roadster, with its unique styling and flawless quality, is built by three ultimate factories.

NGC takes you to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where GM is developing the new Corvette Z06, a high-performance street machine that is fantastically aerodynamically efficient.

Winnebago's motor homes, or RVs, have set the standard since the 1960s. But now they have upped the ante with their newest cross-country colossus, the Vectra. Offering 400 square feet of living space, the Vectra even includes a giant basement. From the chassis factory in Gaffney, SC, to the "Big Bertha" mega-plant in IA, visit the Ultimate Factories that create the ultimate home away from home on the open road.

The Phantom is the first Rolls-Royce motorcar to be introduced since the company was acquired by BMW in 1998. Each Phantom is a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology and old-world craftsmanship, constructed with meticulous attention to detail. Manufacture of the Phantom begins in Unterhallerau, Germany, where its strong, stiff and lightweight space frame chassis is built. Each space frame and body shell assembly is then sent to BMWs factory in Dingolfing, Germany for corrosion-resistance treatment and primer paint. Next, each Phantom is shipped to a manufacturing facility constructed by BMW specifically to build the new generation of Rolls-Royce motorcars. It takes an average of 450 hours and the skills of hundreds of dedicated craftspeople, artisans, designers, engineers, mechanics, painters, sewing machinists and others to hand-build each car. At a base price of $380,000, the Phantom comes equipped with an impressive list of standard amenities including 90 square yards (75 sq meters) of A-grade Bavarian leather upholstery and book matched interior wood trim, hand-crafted from exotic veneers, all of which are fashioned right in the main assembly building of the Goodwood plant. With the Rolls-Royce customization, or bespoke program, however, the options are limited only by the boundaries of the buyers bankroll and imagination.

What does it take to build a classic car with 21st century technology? Now, after nearly a decade off the factory line, Chevy is reintroducing the 2010 Camaro SS. NGC visits the 10-million-square-foot factory, one of the largest auto plants in the world, where the car is stamped from cold raw steel and assembled by high-tech precise robots and nearly 5,800 employees, to create the car's specially designed "unibody" construction.

Get inside the famous House of Porsche and see how they create the Porsche 911, one of the most influential and recognizable vehicles in the world. Every distinctive element is manufactured at the Zuffenhausen factory in Stuttgart, Germany, a historical industrial monument. We'll examine the Porsche factory's innovative system of lifts, elevators and bridges, which conveys car bodies 50 feet above a public highway.

The Season 4 opener spotlights the 2011 Dodge Challenger. The hour includes a tour of an assembly plant in Canada and a Mexican factory, where its famed Hemi engine is built.

An exotic car built to push performance to the edge while blending Italian elegance is crafted inside Maserati's ultimate factory. It takes 22 days for a Maserati to be assembled and considered road ready and the Maserati GranTurismo Convertible, a $135,000 convertible that tops out at more than 170 mph, is the new pinnacle of performance and comfort.

The hand-built production car, the Dodge Viper, is born, bred and built in Detroit, Michigan. Now NGC takes a unique insider's look at the Viper factory in the current model's last year of production. This ultimate factory is comprised of craftspeople who spend two and a half days building each Viper, which is packed with 600 horsepower that can take it from zero to 60 mph in under four seconds. Without any robots on this assembly line, every Viper is truly hand-crafted.

A BMW plant in South Carolina is visited for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the X3 in the Season 5 opener.

A Porsche factory in Leipzig, Germany, is visited for a look at the making of the Panamera, the company's first four-dour high-performance sports sedan.

A Mack Truck factory in Macungie, Pa., is visited for a look at the making of the Titan, which features a high level of customization, making automating the production process nearly impossible

With unprecedented access to the Williams F1 futuristic development factory, we reveal the ins and outs of the phenomenal FW33 F1 Car.

The inner workings of modern factories, beginning with the Oxfordshire plant where the Mini Coupe is manufactured, exploring the process of the vehicle's construction

How the popular Boeing 747 is being upgraded to challenge new models such as the Airbus A380, which has proved tough competition for the American company

The construction of the Learjet 60XR in Kansas, a multimillion-pound private plane that combines jet-fighter performance with yacht-style luxury