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Mehrzeller, the camper that wants to be an art museum
For some people (read: Wall Street bankers struggling to spend their multimillion-dollar bonuses.), camping in a 45-foot luxury RV is too dreary to contemplate. Fortunately for them and gas refineries everywhere, a pair of German design students have created the Mehrzeller travel trailer. Its luxurious interior is surpassed only by an exterior fit for a Tokyo art museum.
Forget about stolid aluminum blocks or shining metal blisters — the Mehrzeller is a polygonal puzzle. It looks like either one of the Space 1999 ships or a discarded White Castle bag. The jumble-of-angles theme is even more pronounced inside (check it out in the gallery), where random outcroppings and nooks can almost give you vertigo.
The designers, Christian Freissling and Theresa Kalteis, came up with the Mehrzeller while at the Graz University of Technology as an example of mass customization. Their word for it is "multicellular." Buyers would go online and use something called a Configurator to design their very own Mehrzeller by, presumably, fitting together different predesigned segments, or cells. Freissling and Kalteis' site lists almost 40 companies — including BMW and 3M — as "partners" in their effort to bring the Mehrzeller to dealerships. Who knew Europeans were so into trailer camping?
Via Mehrzeller
By Canolli at 12:43 PM ON 02/09/10
Please excuse my conservatism, but I have just two words... UG... LY!!
By k-zed at 1:40 PM ON 02/09/10
I dunno, kinda puts the "FUN" in Funky!!
By kzed at 1:41 PM ON 02/09/10
I dunno, kinda puts the "FUN" in Funky!!
By Mr J at 2:03 PM ON 02/09/10
Love the interior: about as far as the 'mobile 1950s-era cottage' look beloved of most 'van makers as it's possible to get.
Outside is perhaps less successful so far as streamlining and window area is concerned. On balance I'd take an updated Airstream, but at least it's different.
By dannyp at 3:18 PM ON 02/09/10
I like the interior. The whole thing might work better if was smoothed over outside with an airstream like shell around it.
This would improve the aerodynamics, add lots of storage spaces that could be accessed thru funky panels on the inside.
Plus, it would quadruple the "whoa!" factor when you invited someone in.
On the downside for some, though, a normal looking shell around this puppy wouldn't be the attention getter that some seek. But for me, I wouldn't want an item that makes every single passerby stop and stare, and every other camper in a 3 mile radius come to see, knock on the door, and ask to come inside for a look-see.
In fact, I'd probably put a kinda beat up old airstream shell around it :-)
By Vortex_3 at 7:00 PM ON 02/09/10
Wow... never.
By xZach_Attackx at 9:12 PM ON 02/09/10
The outside looks kind of weird, but the inside looks awesome. I kind of want one.
By Austria at 10:45 PM ON 02/11/10
Never mind what this thing looks like .... the guy who designed it are AUSTRIAN not German!!!!
By Airstream Chick at 6:19 PM ON 02/28/10
I have an Airstream, pretty new, very sleek and mod inside, looks like a loft in some fashionable city. I'm all about retro chic, but I gotta say, I like this! Striking! Definitely has the clean lines inside that the engineer husband prefers.
Gas mileage sucks enough when towing anything anyway, so who cares! And the campers/RV creed doesn't really allow you to invite yourself in as much as wait to be invited. But anyone who buys one of these probably wants to show it off anyway.
It's just nice to see someone thinking up totally new concepts. Love it, keep it up, Austrians!
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Airstream Chick:
I have an Airstream, pretty new, very sleek and mod inside, looks like a loft in some fashionable city. I'm all abo...More »