Italdesign Giugiaro VW UP! Azzurra Sailing Team
The up! azzurra sailing team was created by Italian designers Giorgetto Giugiaro and Walter de Silva. Giugiaro and de Silva both grew up in nautical environments. And it was in this environment that the up! azzurra sailing team was created – a prototype of an open, small, eco-friendly automobile for the world’s marinas. Giorgetto Giugiaro, born in Garessio – a town near the Ligurian coast where the sea breezes blow strong – and Walter de Silva – born in Lecco on Lake Como – have extended the potential range of the New Small Family here to include a nautical version. The prototype’s name comes from a yacht club on the Costa Smeralda.
The up! azzurra sailing team retains the original character of the up! with its precise and appealing lines. Yet the concept vehicle is completely open – there are no doors or roof. This lets the driver and passengers enjoy the summer breezes, as if they were aboard a boat.
High-tech and highly stylish materials are used inside the vehicle, all of which are completely waterproof, and they intentionally resemble the fittings of a luxury yacht. These features include the four seats in white--blue leather, numerous chrome components and a dashboard in mahogany with maple wood inlays. Its surfaces are coated in a synthetic resin.
The up! azzurra sailing team is more than just a prototype – it forges a link between the heritages of Italian yachts and German automobiles. And that is how an up! was created with a Mediterranean soul!
