Mansion on wheels: Step inside the Elemment Palazzo Superior

 We can’t blame you if you slow down to rubberneck – or stop in your tracks completely – when you see this spaceship-like RV coming down the highway.

Designed and engineered by Marchi Mobile – a subsidiary of Marchi Holding AG, a European automobile company specializing in promotional vehicles and healthcare trucks – the Element Palazzo Superior looks like nothing else on the road.

Billing itself as the “most luxurious mobile home in the world,” the innovative RV combines inspiration from sports cars, aviation and yachting to create its unique aesthetic.

Depending on custom configurations, each RV costs between $2-4 million and takes about two years to build.

“Honestly, I designed the Elemment for my own enjoyment in the beginning – it was a little bit selfish. I was tired of what was on offer in the automotive industry,” Mario Marchi, founder of the Marchi Group and creative force behind the RV, tells CNN Travel.

“Almost all RVs have almost exactly the same design and the same functionality – and I didn’t want to jump on that tired and boring wave. I wanted to create something outstanding and unique.”

Hitting the road

The living room area has a wrap-around sofa, 42-inch LED screen TV and adjacent bar cabinet and wine fridge.

Marchi Mobile Vienna

Originally from Vienna, Austria, Marchi feels like he was born to design automobiles.

“My first word in life – before mom and dad – was auto, so obviously, I was meant to do this,” he says. “I love all types of vehicles, and I feel fortunate to work on what I am most passionate about.”

His father owned a trucking transportation company, where he drove big rigs while dabbling in show truck design.

His passion for design led Marchi to establish the Marchi Group in 2002.

“That was really the beginning,” he recalls. “I continued designing vehicles and customizing big trucks, building semi-trailers with room extensions and extendable trailers – always trying to innovate.”

After coming across an avant-garde truck cab prototype by German automotive design maverick Luigi Colani, who envisioned futuristic vehicles for the likes of BMW and Volkswagen, Marchi set out to bring the idea to life.

“That early prototype was almost impossible to drive because not too much attention was paid to the functionality,” he says. “But we wanted to create a luxury vehicle that looks and drives beautifully.”

Marchi started drafting designs for the Elemment in 2005, built the first hand-crafted vehicle with a team of engineers in 2010, and introduced the first model in 2012.

Since then, the RV’s overall aesthetic has remained consistent, but everything from the grill to the materials to the production line has evolved.

“Piece by piece, unit by unit, we are improving the vehicle each time,” he says. “Every RV is made-to-order, so we can update and innovate.”

Over the past decade, Marchi started using robots to assemble the units, engineered after-sale spare parts to support customers, and replaced the original fiberglass with industrial carbon fiber, which is much lighter, stronger and more durable.