eleMMent Palazzo, the Monster RV That Is World’s Most Decadent and Expensive

Marchi Mobile is an Austria-based company that’s been in the business of luxury recreational vehicles for many years: they make RVs and flightless jets and even trucks for hauling goods. You may have heard of the company back in 2014, when it was able to sell a newly launched vehicle that they themselves dubbed the world’s most expensive for an eye-watering $3 million – after draping it in gold, no less.

That vehicle was an eleMMent Palazzo RV, to this day the most expensive and decadent in the world. These RVs still sell at prices starting at $3 million, with further customization added by the future owner driving the final tally up. They remain massive, arguably strange-looking and maybe even ugly monster trucks that make a show of being truly outrageous in terms of furnishings and amenities, and of delivering the most luxurious mobile home a literal boatload of money can buy.

But the eleMMent Palazzo is also an outstanding vehicle in terms of the way it’s built. It’s not easy to put a 28-ton truck on the road and make it easily maneuverable, but Marchi Mobile (that’s the capitalized MM in the name of the RV) did their best. Penned by Luigi Colani, aka the father of the so-called biodynamic industrial design used in certain vehicles from BMW, Alfa Romeo and Fiat, the Palazzo is built on the chassis of a Volvo truck, using 6-cylinder in-line Volvo engine, able to deliver up to 600 hp.

The Palazzo is a two-story RV that further expands sideways and upwards at the touch of two different buttons: you have a slide-out room and a pop-up Sky Lounge, both of which add to a total living space of 68 square meters / 732 square feet. Exact measurements are: 13,70 meters / 45 feet in length (slightly shorter for the EU), 4 meters / 13 feet in height and 6 meters / 20 feet in height with the extended Sky Lounge, driving width of 2,55 meters / 8,4 feet and width fully extended of 5 meters / 16,4 feet.

The thing is massive, if it needed be said once more. With all that, efforts have been made towards rendering it more aerodynamic. The Marchi Mobile Go Green Advantage technology helps it save at least 20 percent fuel compared to a standard RV. “We are very proud of our aerodynamic design, because this allows us to have the best track co-efficiency currently available for a street legal truck," Mr. Mario Marchi, President of Marchi Mobile, told Barcroft Cars in an interview from earlier this year.

The cab is made of carbon fiber and comes packed with jet-inspired cockpit instruments like central digital instrumentation and MMI control. There’s a panoramic windshield with two stages of sun protection and a three-blade windshield wiper.

“The view out of the cockpit is incomparable to any other vehicle,” Mr. Marchi explains. “The driving is outstanding; you are like the captain on the road. It’s definitely unique, we are very proud.”

A solid structure with a 60+mm wall thickness provides stability and insulation for the RV. It’s fitted with yacht windows with chrome trim and it strives to remain elegant in design – as elegant as its size allows it to. Automatic sliding doors serve to further save space and add to the practicality of the design.

Inside, there’s a generous living room that can double as a party lounge, complete with a massive TV, fireplace and wet bar. The upper story is reserved for rest and relaxation, with a master bedroom with king-size bed (made by the same company that supplies the British Royal Family) and a bathroom with spa (with glazed rainfall shower and light therapy), of the kind you’re more likely to find in the fanciest, many-starred hotel. There’s also an open-plan kitchenette, for any billionaire out there who’s still into cooking and baking like us regular folks.

The floors are heated throughout and a unique air circulation system allows creating different temperature zones. Two power generators and intelligent power management system, together with generous water storage capabilities ensure this RV can stay on the road for extended stretches.

The Sky Lounge, perhaps the most outstanding feature of the Palazzo, opens at the touch of a button. A lift brings up a seating area with extendable couch and a table, and there’s even ambient lighting on the canopy. The Sky Lounge can serve as a nightclub just as well.

“Our philosophy by building our vehicles is the freedom to make the impossible possible. You feel like flying, it’s just fun,” Marchi says of the Palazzo. “It’s made for enthusiasts [with] extraordinary taste.”

At a $3 million starting price, taste isn’t the only prerequisite: this thing is also made for enthusiasts with very deep pockets.