They’ve Turned a VW Bus Into a Livable Pontoon Boat
An Italian design studio is making a line of small river and lake boats inspired by some of the best classic cars ever made.
The models are super-accurately rendered from fiberglass, and mounted to a vide variety of pontoon shapes and sizes to go with your local freshwater source—whether a wide choppy lake or a narrow and silent canal.
Floating Motors by Studio Lazzarini has a lineup which appears to feature an old Mini, what could be an E-type Jag, an American muscle car, one of Bond’s Aston Martins (perhaps the DB5), an old Merc, a Lamborghini Countach, and even a great big VW Bus.
Their introductory offering is called La Dolce, and the shape reminds this reporter of a Nissan Figaro that almost ran him over in Galway one time.
They also take custom orders, so if there’s a particular cult classic-car you like, they’ll take care of the rest.
Currently the company is raising capital, and taking investments with big kickbacks if they manage to get enough to launch.
A $1,000 investment will get you a $5,000 discount from your first order, and $50,000 will get you a 1% stake in the company and a founder’s edition La Dolce.
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“We strictly respect the original car model proportions and sizes, applying the most modern nautical techniques for the floating hull (catamaran, conventional or foil), and delivering exceptional quality concerning construction materials and applied technology, for the longest durability into harsh condition,” the company writes.
“Our products are top-luxury motorboats, shaped like mythical cars.”
There are a lot of firms that will retrofit retro cars with state-of-the art engines, brakes, and suspension. For example, Eagle has modernized all the best-looking Jaguar sports cars from the 1960s.
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Personally, we at GNN like the idea of the VW Bus as a luxury pontoon boat, transforming the van lifestyle into the river van lifestyle—perfect for an ultimate cross country road trip like this one we reported on, done entirely by river and canal.
(WATCH the video rendering of the pontoon boats below.)
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