While secret passages and doors are common in large mansions, a luxurious villa in the Portuguese Riviera boasts a disappearing car lift leading to an underground garage. The architects designed the lift's lid to match the driveway's floor to avoid visual obstruction.
The car lift has a secret trap door mechanism that disappears once the garage owner merges with the driveway. The top of the disappearing car lift is strong enough to drive over and covered in the same material as the surrounding area. It is simple for the owner to park outside for a few moments.
The installation of the disappearing car lift eliminates the need for ugly lifts, masive garage doors, or strange ramps that break the architectural lines. Enter Arquitectura designed the villa, which follows a logic of "well-defined vertical planes that structure and organize the house's interior spaces." They combine with the property's attractively landscaped exterior.
According to the architects, the camera system links the mansion's lift and garage to prevent the operation of the lift while someone stands on top of it. It also alerts anyone leaving the garage if anything is blocking their exit from the driveway.
It is strong enough to lift a Rolls-Royce Cullinan with the IP1-CM MOB car lift, which can lift 2,700 kg (5,952 lbs). The lifting capacity is 150 kg/square meter (30 lbs/square foot) at the top of the lift. It hasn't revealed how much the luxurious villa with a unique car lift costs.
