It's been at least eight years in the making, but we've finally got a sneak peek at the first Romotow fold-out caravan, with its crazy-stylish rotating cabin and built-in sun deck. It's bang-on with the concept renders and production starts soon.
Designed by New Zealand architectural and interior design firm W2, the Romotow isn't the most lightweight, economical or even practical way to see the great outdoors – but what it may lack in these areas it makes up for in eye-popping style.
Fully folded, it's an aerodynamic trailer that can function perfectly well as a low-footprint camper trailer. But the cabin is designed to rotate out of the main shell, giving you an L-shaped camper (or indeed a straight, elongated one) with its own solid deck raised up off the ground out of reach of creepy crawlies.
The intent is to create a stylish luxury mobile living space that maximizes your ability to enjoy the views, assuming that you'll be towing it to the prettiest spots you can find. It's got some neat pull-out sun shades, a macerating toilet, a gigantic curved front window, the ability to sustain a decent-sized solar array on top and a nice rounded couch in the living area that can convert to a second double bed at night.
Built from carbon fiber and composites to help keep the weight down, the Romotow will tow at about 3,500 kg (7,700 lb), and we still don't have any sort of commitment on the price of the thing, except a reasonable assumption that it'll be a lot – probably several times the cost of some high-end premium campers. Still, it looks and behaves like little else out there and will be king of the campsite more or less anywhere it's set up, provided the swivel locks are good and it doesn't swing out on a corner and take out an oncoming car.
These photos are of the first Romotow nearing completion, with unfinished interior shots in the gallery showing its teak joinery and acrylic countertops. The company says it'll be ready to roll within months, to be shown in Tauranga, New Zealand, and work will begin on customer orders in the middle of the year.
Source: Romotow