ONE is at a loss what to call the Marchi creations. Bigger than any
red-neck’s mobile home and more luxurious than a yacht, these mini-penthouses on
wheels are aimed squarely at very rich Saudi playboys.
The flagship eleMMent Palazzo can be ordered for over R33 million
and as Marchi states on its website “You can go wherever the sun takes you, but
all the while outshine everything”.
No bar fridge
March said its 30 m² eleMMent Palazzo model unites characteristics
from yachts, jets and sports cars, but a thirsty traveller will look in vain for
a bar fridge.
Instead, one “can relax with one’s friends by having a chilled
drink from one of several bars that comes sliding out on an automatic, liftable
flybridge lounge”.
While the liftable bar has space for finger snacks and there is a
full kitchen, nothing as common as actual cooking smells are envisaged for the
owners.
“Park in front of your favourite restaurant and monitor your
eleMMent Palazzo via an additional control unit,” says Marchi.
Remote video access allows you to show your friends the exterior
and interior and also permits to pre-set the lighting and temperature for your
return to the vehicle.
Nightlife on board
When parked, the owner can extend both the rooms as well as the
integrated 20 m² automatic awning, which comes with a stainless steel gas braai
station, an 80-litre fridge and of course slide-out all-weather 40-inch flat
screens and a speaker system that can be heard in the next town.
While guys pulling normal caravans can point out how the cushions
on narrow couches around the table at the back flattens into a double bed, in
the Marchi, things are rather different.
“Nightlife on board: transform your couch area by the push of a
button into a stylish bar furniture. That way you glory in your private party on
two entirely equipped floors,” states the website.
If it is not snowing or blowing, the owner can party on the roof,
or “sky lounge”, where all the furniture, including a couch, bar, sun roof, hand
rail and stairs, also rises from the floor with the push of a button. The floor
of the sky lounge is heated for cool nights, and cooled down by a water fog
system on hot days.
And for the after-party? Well, a “comfortable retreat is guaranteed
by the master bedroom” with an suite “wellness bathroom” that has a rainfall
shower “for a pleasant recovery.”
The drivetrain
The Marchi creations are all build on a 13-metre American truck
chassis, driven by a 380 kW turbo diesel engine.
Marchi claims its futuristic shape makes the truck engine 25% more
fuel efficient. The cockpit is isolated to ensure usage in any weather
conditions.
Should all those roof parties result in spillage, the integrated
vehicle wash system will clean the Marchi Mobile “on tour”.
