Italdesign's Outrageous Mid-Engined BMW V12 Minivan

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In 1992, Italian design firm Italdesign unveiled the Columbus, a mid-engined, V12-powered, double-decker minivan concept car. Featuring a central driving position, rotating passenger seats, and gull-wing doors, the Columbus was an audacious attempt to redefine the humble minivan as a luxurious, high-performance people-mover. However, the Columbus never made it to production, joining the ranks of other quirky automotive concepts that never saw the light of day.

Why it matters

The Columbus represented a bold, imaginative vision for the future of the minivan, challenging the conventional box-on-wheels design. While it ultimately failed to gain traction, the concept highlighted the potential for automakers to push the boundaries of what a family vehicle could be, even if the results were sometimes outlandish.

The details

Powered by a transversely-mounted BMW M70 V12 engine producing 300 hp, the Columbus was a massive, 19-foot-long, mid-engined minivan with a central driving position and a second-row seating area above the front passengers. Its gull-wing doors and rotating, reclining seats were designed to offer a luxurious, almost private-jet-like experience. However, the Columbus's impractical design, including its lack of sliding doors and excessive use of glass, likely contributed to its failure to reach production.

• The Columbus was unveiled at the 1992 Turin Auto Show.
• The Turin Auto Show ran from 1900 until it was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before being reinvented in 2022 as part of the Autolook Week motorsport festival.