'Breaking into' little-known supercar manufacturing locations

There are famous car models born in places that have nothing to do with their origin.

It’s not uncommon for mass-market vehicles to be manufactured halfway around the world from their headquarters. For example, Toyota is built in the US instead of Japan, or the Jeep Renegade has an American image but is built in Italy.

Even luxury automakers are outsourcing production, like BMW and Mercedes, which build their high-end crossovers in the southern United States. The R-Class even makes its way to China from Indiana. But what about supercars?

Supercar brands tend to emphasize the uniqueness of their home countries more than others. So most people would think of Ferrari as being made in Italy, Porsche in Germany, Koenigsegg in Sweden and McLaren in the UK. But that’s not always the case.

Some supercars are made far from where their manufacturers are based. So nationality, in some cases, doesn't apply to supercars:

Ford GT: American origin, manufactured in Ontario, Canada

Production of the previous generation Ford GT was split across multiple locations, all in the US, with final assembly in Michigan. But the second generation, from 2016, is different.

To build the EcoBoost supercar, Ford contracted with Multimatic, based in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Multimatic is also an expert in carbon fiber, the material used to make the structure and body of the Ford GT.

Acura NSX: Japanese origin, manufactured in Ohio, USA

The NSX is sold in some markets as an Acura or Honda. But the Japanese supercar is not made in Japan, at least not with the second generation, from 2016.

To produce the new generation NSX, Honda built a High Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio, USA. The factory is not open to the public, but customers who have ordered a car can come here since the end of 2016.

Spyker C8: Dutch origin, manufactured in Coventry, England

Spyker is a Dutch car company and even owns the Swedish car company Saab. But the C8 supercar was born in Coventry, England, thanks to a long-standing partnership with CPP Metalcraft. There are more than 10 versions of the C8, and the latest version, the C8 Preliator, was officially introduced at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Only 50 C8 Preliators were produced.

Aston Martin Rapide: British origin, born in Graz, Austria

Aston Martin models are built at the company’s main factory in Gaydon, England. But the Rapide is made in another country: Austria, under contract with Magna Steyr, the same company that builds the G-class for Mercedes, the Countryman for Mini, and will soon make the BMW 5-series and Jaguar I-Pace.

Mercedes SLR McLaren: German origin, manufactured in Woking, England

Before Mercedes brought the SLS and AMG GT to market, the SLR was the special supercar that helped the German company compete with the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT in the mid-2000s. But while its successors were born in Sindelfingen, the SLR was not born in Germany but in England, at the McLaren Technology Centre.That was when Mercedes owned a 40% stake in McLaren and had a long-standing partnership with the Formula One team.

Other cases:

The Ford GT, Acura NSX, Spyker C8, Mercedes SLR and Aston Martin Rapide aren't the only sports cars built outside their home countries. Assembled in Italy, the Lamborghini Huracan (or Gallardo before that) has its chassis and powertrain built in Germany by parent company Audi.

There's also the Fiat 124 (made at a Mazda plant in Japan), the Porsche Boxster and Cayman (once built by Valmet in Finland), and the Pontiac GTO (built by Holden in Australia).

According to VNE