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Elevated three-quarter view of the 1992 Italdesign Columbus concept van with all four doors raised open, revealing its quilted cream-leather cabin, swiveling captain's chairs, and the red-and-white Columbus crest on its lower door panel.
In Automotive

Bizarre Minivan Concept From 1992 Had Two Levels and Futuristic Lines

Side profile of the 1992 Italdesign Columbus concept van parked on a path in a park, showing its silver-over-black two-tone body and stepped two-level roofline beside a cyclist pausing next to it for scale.
A cyclist pauses beside the Italdesign Columbus, whose sheer scale — nearly 20 feet long — becomes clear next to a full-size road bike.

Italdesign Columbus: The Wild 1992 Luxury Van That Never Was

Concept cars are meant to push boundaries, but the 1992 Italdesign Columbus went all out. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign — the same studio behind the equally outrageous 1988 ItalDesign Aztec Roadster — this massive luxury van looked like a mix between a bullet train and a superyacht on wheels.

At nearly 20 feet long, the Columbus was powered by a BMW V12 engine, featured six plush seats in a 2-2-2 layout, and had a central driving position like the McLaren F1.

It also boasted all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, and a digital dashboard, making it shockingly advanced for its time.

Elevated three-quarter view of the 1992 Italdesign Columbus concept van with all four doors raised open, revealing its quilted cream-leather cabin, swiveling captain's chairs, and the red-and-white Columbus crest on its lower door panel.
With every door thrown open, the Columbus reveals the plush six-seat cabin Italdesign built to mark the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to the Americas.

But as bold as it was, the Columbus was also wildly impractical, in the same spirit as the wedged wondercars of the 1960s and 70s that came before it — too big, too expensive, and too futuristic for the real world.

Though it never made it past the concept stage, it remains a fascinating glimpse at what high-end travel could have been.

Would you take a ride in one today? 🚀

Side view of the silver-over-black Italdesign Columbus concept van parked on a paved path beside a red bicycle leaning against a sunlit wall, with a two-story building and scattered autumn leaves in the background.
Parked in dappled autumn light outside Italdesign’s studio, the Columbus shows off the low black lower body and tall silver greenhouse that gave it its ship-like profile.

The Columbus, introduced to mark the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, was a “sailing ship for dry land”.

More Views of the Wild Columbus Concept

From studio-lit profile shots to a peek at its lounge-style cabin, here’s a closer look at every angle of Italdesign’s strangest what-if. If eccentric luxury concepts like this are your thing, don’t miss the Golden Sahara II, a concept car with its own luminous tires and cocktail bar, or the 1989 Pontiac Stinger, a pure 80s fever dream in its own right.

Moody studio-style photograph of the 1992 Italdesign Columbus concept van shown in profile against a dark abstract backdrop, spotlighting its glossy silver-over-black paint, aerodynamic nose, and sculpted alloy wheels.
A dramatically lit studio shot highlights the sculpted, almost aircraft-like surfacing Giorgetto Giugiaro’s team gave the Columbus concept.
Side profile photograph of the Italdesign Columbus concept van parked on a grassy lawn outside a building, its stepped silver roofline and long black lower body visible beneath overhanging autumn tree branches.
Another angle on the Columbus outside Italdesign’s studio grounds, showing off the stepped roofline that gave the concept its distinctive two-tier silhouette.
Illustrated cutaway diagram of the Italdesign Columbus concept van's interior in profile, showing a translucent teal figure stepping upright through the cabin's low central aisle between the front captain's chairs and rear bench seating.
An Italdesign engineering diagram illustrates how passengers could walk upright between the Columbus’s front and rear seating zones via a stepped central aisle.
Close-up interior photograph of the Italdesign Columbus concept van's front captain's chairs upholstered in quilted tan leather, swiveling on a central pedestal base, with a large side window and city buildings visible beyond.
The Columbus’s front seats swivel independently on their own pedestal bases, part of the six-seat, 2-2-2 lounge-style layout designed for long-distance luxury travel.

Images via ItalDesign.

Author

Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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7 Comments

  1. David

    Where was the engine located? A V-12 would take a lot of room, you would think. Must have been a real gas-hog, and it didn’t carry as many people as a normal Toyota van, and it gets great hybrid mileage.

  2. Moss And Fog Post Author

    Good insight! We agree it sounded overpowered, which probably meant way too expensive.

  3. Bryan

    Nice concept! Looks like a good platform for a multipurpose vehicle similar to the original VW camper. Not sure the V12 is necessary, but a reliable, modern V8 would be sufficient. The central driving position would also make it compatible for driving in all countries by not having to convert it to a left or right hand drive.

  4. Robert F Harrington

    I like the concept with one exception. I do not like that central seat for the driver.

  5. Alon

    I like the design; it kind of reminds me of the old Toyota Previa but larger. My family definitely would have bought one of these if they were ever made and brought Stateside. Now it seems like it’d be a good candidate for an EV or hybrid, marketed as either a large delivery van or as one of those larger family vans that can sit 7-9 depending on seat arrangements.

  6. Debbie Schneider

    I love it! Where is that prototype today? Would love to see it in person.

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