Which Fancy Car Elevator is Best for Mitt Romney?
The most striking detail of Mitt Romney's renovation plans for his beachfront home in La Jolla is the inclusion of what Politico's Reid Epstein describes as a "split-level, four-vehicle garage that comes with a 'car lift' to transport automobiles between floors." We've seen car lifts in the city, but Epstein makes it clear that in Casa de Romney, "the cars will have their own separate elevator." Which raises an obvious question: how is that going to work in a private residence? Especially a home as ornate as Romney's, which we assume includes numerous solariums, conservatories, and flocks of domesticated peacocks. We scoured the Internet for car elevator systems worthy of the Romney beach residence, and a subterranean fortress of solitude for the former Massachusetts Governor.
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The Jewelers' Building
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An oldie-but-goodie, from Chicago. Note the gilded domes on top of the building, as well as the whole neo-classical vibe, which will do wonders to further enrage the quiet beach community of La Jolla. The actual elevator is located at the heart of the building and has not been operational since WWII. The good news is, jewelers could ride to their offices without exiting their cars, as long as they were willing to shimmy along the fire escape. The bad news is that the apparatus hasn't been operational since WWII. Though even if it did still work, it wouldn't be practical for a vacation home, since the elevator could take cars as high as the 22nd floor.
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Hyundai's vision of magnetized parking
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Well, this is interesting. A computer-rendered film from Hyundai depicting the future of parking, which appears to be heavily reliant on magnets and translucent building material. The cars zoom up and down without hesitation in the video, but Mitt Romney can't put a hologram beneath his house. When Mitt Romney puts an elevator for automobiles into a private residence, you bet your buttons it is going to be a real elevator, with doors and the works.
"200 Eleventh Avenue"
This is actually how tenants park at 200 Eleventh Avenue in Chelsea, and the technology seems flawless. But Romney's going to have a garage of his own. The key here seems to be an elevator that conceals the vehicles from those in the house and gawkers passing on the street, trying to get a look at Mitt Romney's ride.
"The Phantom Park"
This seems to suit Romney best. It's practical for in-home use and is also quite cool if you're doing something down in a lair, and want to make a grand entrance when company shows up for dinner. Also, the Phantom Park is made in American, which can't hurt, unless for some reason he elects to blurt out "Let the Phantom Park people go bankrupt!"
