- 1,115
- Rivera
- Tsukishima-TDUDT
The Columbus, introduced to mark the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, was a "sailing ship for dry land". It was in fact a 7-seater MPV van designed as an ultra-high level status vehicle ideal for the urban scenarios of the United States, according to Italdesign Giugiaro.
Following the success of large MPVs such as the Renault Espace and Chrysler Voyager, the idea of adding luxury to the already spacious interior seemed like a natural step forward in the early nineties. A few would remember the De la Chapelle Parcours, a sort of hyper-luxurious Espace powered by a 326 hp V8 from Mercedes. However, they only sold one. High tech gadgets in a ‘soccer mom' car might not be such a good idea after all. This would have been enough to discourage anyone to give another try but not Giugiaro, who indulged in building his own interpretation of a deluxe MPV.
Created 500 years after the discovery of America, the Columbus was presented at the 1992 Turin auto show on the Italdesign stand. Its opulent interior loaded with technology and comfort was an invitation to travel long distance and explore.
Far away from all the constraints of size, weight or maneuverability, the Columbus is simply colossal. It is almost as wide as it is high, spanning 2,200mm and is six meters in length. Apart from its bulky dimensions, the real signature element of the Columbus is its elevated cockpit, clearly visible from the outside creating a prominent bubble at the front as you'd find on a motor yacht or on a Renault Trafic.
The huge front doors are frameless and the rear doors are split in half. The lower opens normally while the upper section – which includes part of the roof – has a butterfly opening.
The Columbus was built on a steel box-section chassis with the body made from carbon fiber to keep the weight down. A large 5.0L V12 developing 295 hp taken from the BMW 8 series powered the jumbo car.
The transmission featured 4WD and 4WS with the rear wheels turning up to a 15-degree angle to improve maneuverability.
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