Picture this: You’re 59 stories up in your private oceanfront condo, enjoying an ocean breeze, taking in an Atlantic sunrise—and basking in the gleam of your Lamborghini or Bugatti parked right next to you.
Believe it or not, that’s the experience one developer is promising prospective residents of a glass luxury tower under construction in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., that caters to ultra-wealthy sports car enthusiasts. It’s even named after a car: the Porsche Design Tower Miami.
“What we really tried to do is create a home in the sky, and that includes a garage,” said Gil Dezer, president of Dezer Development, with offices in New York City and South Florida.
A “sky garage" for each of the tower's 132 units—some of which list for as high as $25 million—is among the features that will set the tower apart from every other luxury residence in the world, according to Dezer, one of the largest oceanfront property owners in Sunny Isles Beach, a barrier island resort north of Miami.
Dezer partnered with Germany-based Porsche Design Group, founded by the grandson of the man who created the iconic Porsche 911, in designing the cylindrical tower and its sleek glass exterior, the centerpiece of which is its car elevator system.
The elevators will lift cars to all levels of the tower and use a turntable to slip them into each resident’s private garage. The entire process is automated, so the car engines remain off. While a handful of other buildings have automated car elevators, Dezer said the robotics and the ability of an owner to walk from his garage into his home will make Porsche Tower unique. The system will include three car elevators.
“It is the height of cool,” Dezer said. “The inspiration was to create something that had never been created before and most likely will never be done again, at least not in this market.”
The condominiums are listed at between $4.5 million and $25 million, with a maintenance fee of about 65 cents per square foot depending on the size of the unit.
Pampered Porsches
The units will range in size from 4,200 to 17,000 square feet. Most will have two-car garages, but some will have space enough for four. With the option to separate living areas and the garage with glass walls, the cars can become part of the décor and, thus, need to be kept clean. So the building will have a “car concierge” to wash the cars and perform regular maintenance, including tire rotations.