Fiat Portofino Concept Adds Nautical Vibe, Subtracts Doors, Roof, Floor

Fiat is hoping to recapture the spirit of the Fiat 500 Jolly beach cruiser with their Fiat Portofino Concept, set to debut at this year's Dusseldorf Caravan Salon. Based on the Fiorino van platform, the Portofino carries with it a nautical theme like the one found on the VW Caddy Topos Sail. In this case, getting nautical means swapping the floors out for wood and swapping out the seats with a natural fiber that goes through a special waterproofing process. There's not much of a roof and the doors have been replaced by pieces of rope, so we'd recommend the use of seatbelts. More »

Volkswagen Caddy Topos Sail Design Concept, For When You Can't Take Out Your Dinghy

Volkswagen is showing up in style to the Dusseldorf Caravan Salon with the Topos Caddy Sail Design Concept, a version of their Caddy commercial van converted to mimic the style and functionality of a sailboat. Rather than just adding some pinstripes and wood siding, the Topos Sail concept has a working wooden deck with aluminum rails. The deck bends to to make a convenient place to lay out and enjoy the sailing, but the most trick piece might actually be the wooden ladder built-into the glass that makes the roof accessible. A wooden deck roof is at least 1,000 times cooler than a gold-plated roof, and much classier. Press release below the jump. More »