Italdesign Columbus

The Italdesign Columbus is a concept vehicle unveiled at the 1992 Turin Motor Show to mark the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, and Italdesign called it a sailing ship for dry land. It is a seven-seat MPV van conceived as an ultra-high-level status vehicle for the urban settings of the United States, nearly six metres long and about 2.2 metres wide. It rides on a steel box-section load-bearing chassis with a carbon fibre body. Power comes from a 5-litre BMW V12, quoted at around 300 horsepower and mounted transversely in a mid position, driving all four wheels permanently, and the rear wheels can steer through 15 degrees at low speed. The driver sits high in a bubble cockpit above the engine, in a central driving position on a swivel seat, like the captain of a ship. The standard layout is 1+2+2+2, the seven seats can be increased to nine, or removed so the space serves as a commercial vehicle. Car Design News describes it as a concept that remained just that.