Floating Motors wants to "rest float" classic cars

A company called Floating Motors is trying to reimagine classic automobile designs for the high seas. The company plans to build a boat that looks like a vintage car, which it calls "Resto Floating."

First spotted by Motor1 on Thursday, Floating Motors displayed a Jaguar E-Type, a Porsche 550 Spyder, a Volkswagen Microbus, and water versions of the original Fiat 500 and Mini. The Volkswagen Microbus is configured as a kind of cabin cruiser with a large rear hatch and top deck.

The car-like shape is combined with a hull ranging from 9.8 feet to 24.6 feet and is available in three configurations: conventional, catamaran, and foiling. Power is provided by an electric outboard motor, with output ranging from 40 to 240 hp, depending on the model.

Floating Motors has only shown renderings so far, so it is unclear whether the company plans to procure the original vehicle for the marine restomod or build a replica. It is also unclear when the first boats will go to sea.

Floating Motors is a joint venture between Italian watercraft company Jet Capsule and Lazzarini Design Studio; as Motor1 notes, it took a while for Jet Capsule to get moving. The idea for the company first surfaced in 2010 (pun intended), but it wasn't until 2016 that Jet Capsule delivered its first boat.

It is also worth noting that the Floating Motors concept is a boat like a car, not an amphibious vehicle; we know of a British builder that attached a Lamborghini Countach look-alike body to an amphibious vehicle hull in 2016, and other several companies have attempted to market amphibious vehicles over the years. Conversely, a one-off hydro car is an amphibious road vehicle that looks more like a drifting speedboat than any car.