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This company is making your favourite classic car bodies into boats.
Floating Motors wants to send some automotive legends out to sea - in the good way.
So far, the Fiat 500, Jaguar E-Type, Mini Cooper, Volkswagen campervan and Porsche 550 Spyder have been aquatically reimagined, all of which are mated to a hull, which are sized between 9.8 and 24,6 feet.
They are powered by electric motors, ranging between 40 and 240hp, conditional on the model.
At this point, only renderings exist so it is unclear how the bodies will be sourced - if they will be original or copied. When the first of them will hit the water is also uncertain.
For the avoidance of doubt, these are not amphibious vehicles, they are boats that look like cars, they can't do real car things.
The company itself is a joint venture between jet Capsule and the Lazzarini Design Studio.
Photo Credit: Floating Motors
1969 Fiat 500 Giardiniera - Review
Overview
Just to clarify, the Giardiniera is an estate version of the original 500. It's got a slightly larger engine (475 to 499cc) and it's a slightly larger car. It's one of the few 3 door estate cars, so you can imagine it's quite small.
Power, engine and driving
The slightly bigger engine produces marginally more power, up to around 18hp (no, that's not a typo, it really is 18hp!) And there's slightly more weight, so it makes no real difference. Highest speed ever achieved approximately 60mph, downhill with a prevailing wind and normally probably about to reach 40 ish. The engine we were originally going to have a 126 engine and gearbox but on first start up, it exploded so we put the original engine in it with the 126 gearbox, but the ratio was way too high so now it has all original running gear. The handling obviously isn't the best, it rolls quite a bit in the corners at anything more than 25 and less than that isn't a particularly noteworthy experience. It's at home on windy b roads, where you don't have to go particularly fast and you can enjoy the ride and the views, with no need to razz it around.
Practicality
As estates go, it's clearly tiny, but the boot space is reasonable if you fold the rear bench seat down. The engine is at the back but on it's side so it doesn't make too much difference, but it is loud so sound deadening may be in order, which takes up a bit of room. In the front, seats probably need to be rolled right back, as there's not that much space for your legs. My dad brought this car back from the garage when it was restored and had to stick his head out of the sunroof to see properly, and lowered the seat mechanism as soon as he got home so he could see through the windscreen.
Looks
As you can see, it really keeps the originals cuteness, just making it slightly more sensible. It's nowhere near as stylish or easily recognisable as the regular 500 but I think it's got some of the original coolness about it.
Interior
Its a nice place to be, if a bit baron, with no radio or anything really except windscreen wiper control and heating, which is quite underwhelming based on the lack of insulation and 5mm gaps between doors and body. The vinyl seats are fairly comfy, if a bit sweaty after a while.
Conclusion
Its not perfect, but it really doesn't matter as it's fun and it's impossible to look at without smiling, so enjoy the photos for a minute.
View
What cars and car culture means to me
Cars have always been a large part of my life, my father being a huge petrolhead and having a large collection of classic cars, although I haven't always been a particular fan of cars.
When I did become part of the carmunity (see what I did there?) I found a brilliant community of like-minded people who are generally really nice. There are of course exceptions to this rule, but that's not a bad thing, as this allows for arguments. Not bad arguments, just 'spirited debates' which are actually kinda fun, even if nothing is achieved.
Obviously, there are sometimes problems, like people getting a bit too competitive, caring too much about speed and power, which leads to the kind of arguments that are less fun and more angry. Luckily, these are fairly rare occurrences and generally people are fairly supportive of you're car, as they know how important cars are to a fellow petrolhead.
This is my opinion, and if you've read this far then I hope you agree to some extent at least.
News
The Lamborghini Miura SV's 50th birthday.
It's been 50 years since the Lamborghini Miura SV (Super Veloce) was first unveiled at the Geneva motor show, and it was love at first sight for the entire motoring community. From the jaw dropping looks to the incredible speed, there was no downside to this stunner, except of course the unreliability. 0-100kph (62mph) in just 6.5 seconds (in 1971!) and a max speed of 180mph (290kph) meant that it was far ahead of its time, and one of the fastest cars in the world! Sadly, only 150 of them were ever made and because of that, prices are monumentally high so seeing one, let alone owning one will be an unlikely event
Å koda Octavia Vrs review; 250hp hot estate, worth it?
First off, some stats:
•245 HP as tested
•6.7 seconds 0-62MPH
•155 MPH top speed
•2.0 litre inline 4 engine
•35 avg MPG
•1,645 KG
•Around £30,000 New, bought second hand for £18,000
Cars are often rated on 1 of 2 things: practicality or power. This is often either one or the other, as both is almost impossible to come across without certain compromises. Even the best hot hatches are either crazily powerful or have a big boot, the latter often making up for it by being 'fun to drive'. This is, to be honest, true of the Å koda as well. The thing is, though, who cares? It's easily fast enough to be pushed into the back of your seat and you're cruising at "70" before you know it. This, coupled with the fact you can easily fit *insert large funny object in here* in the boot and it doesn't look too bad either.
Being a front wheel drive drivetrain, it's harder to get the back end out, although it has a fairly long wheelbase so it is possible. There's a bit of turbo lag but it's fairly quick off the line. It red lines at 5000 RPM so not too high but it's good enough to get some nice speed up. It's comfy enough, the suspension isn't too hard even though it is a bit stiffer than standard, so the handling quite good and it's quite fun to drive, especially seeing as it's a relatively heavy car.
This isn't the only fast estate on the market, and I can't claim it's the fastest or most practical so not really a contender to be the best, but to be honest I don't really care because it is as much as you need and will really ever use.
Photo credit: Wheels Alive
The Alpine A110-perfectly suited for a mountain road.
I know this may seem obvious but I don't know your opinions so here I am.
There is nowhere else it can really be. I realise it's a rally car, but be honest, would you rather drive it tastefully around the edge of a mountain road, alone, like the beginning of the Italian Job, or thrash it around noisily on a muddy track, with 20 more cars pushing up your bum. Not that rallying isn't great but there's an obvious winner here (I hope)
Also, picture it in your head: an A110 rounding the corner on the edge of a mountain, just above the clouds, the sun shining off the blue paintwork. Doesn't it just fit perfectly together?
Again, I have no clue if this is a well established point or if I will be smited for even contemplating the idea but either way, just want to put my opinion forth.