Bringing you another episode of “the future is here,” an Italian designer has debuted plans for a $1 billion superyacht that is not only a floating marvel but also has its own detachable airship.
The 699-foot-long cruiser is a combination of luxury and advanced technology, and it is slated to not only dominate the seas but also the skies, thanks to the airship that is mounted on top of the main yacht’s structure.
While showing the world a glimpse of their project, the company also made a cheeky plea to Tesla founder Elon Musk in a video about the jaw-dropping yacht.
Titled ‘Colossea,’ the project is a tribute to the N1 airship (later renamed Norge), which was used in the 1920s for the first verified expedition to fly over the North Pole, according to the New York Post. Norge was also the first aircraft to fly over the polar ice cap between Europe and America.
An Italian designer has released plans of his project titled 'Colossea'
Image credits: Lazzarini Design Studio
The designers behind the Colossea have truly imagined the mega yacht to be an opulent serving of luxury across four floors. The yacht is expected to offer guests the five-star treatment as they lounge in the lavish interiors or by the large pool on the top deck. But the real cherry on top is the detachable airship, which can be launched right from the yacht’s main structure at any point in time.
This means guests have the added luxury of taking an aerial tour of any paradise they want to visit while the yacht rests in the middle of the water.
The airship is kept in place using electromagnetic blocks that are unlocked when it’s time to fly. So yes, the Colossea is nothing less than a floating luxury haven that doubles as a launchpad for some aerial adventures.
The airship has a payload of 10,000 kg and the capability to whisk away 24 passengers along with 10 crew members into the blue beyond. Meanwhile, the yacht can comfortably accommodate up to 44 guests and 20 crew members. These guests can enjoy the luxury of the decadent suites available as they glide across the ocean.
Colossea is expected to dominate both the sea and the skies
Image credits: Lazzarini Design Studio
Colossea is the brainchild of Italian designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini, who is known for his futuristic designs.
Pierpaolo was born in Rome in 1982 and was described on his company’s website as “an Italian designer with artistic visualization and prototyping skills.”
“Pierpaolo Lazzarini spent years working in the automotive field [and] is a designer who believes in a different design approach,” the website added.
Through his project Colossea, Lazzarini is giving a special nod to Norge and paying tribute to the first airship that completed its first verified trip of any kind to the North Pole in 1926, according to a description released by the company along with its awe-inspiring YouTube video of the mega yacht.
The entire mega-structure is a combination of luxury and modern technology
Image credits: Lazzarini Design Studio
“On 12 May, 1926, the Captain Umberto Nobile, Roald Amundsen, and Lincoln Ellsworth directed the Norge airship to the first verified expedition of the North Pole,” read the video that showcased the luxury and prowess of the Colossea project.
The video included spectacular shots of the mega yacht with the main hero, the detachable airship, comfortably sitting on top. The video eventually shows the airship taking flight.
The airship is then seen gliding through the air while the vessel continues cruising.
In the video, the company also made a playful plea to multi-billionaire Elon.
“Elon, get in touch,” read the plea being drawn forward by the aircraft as it soars alongside the vessel.
The recently released video shows the airship detach from the vessel and take flight
Image credits: Lazzarini Design Studio
The company explained that the mega yacht would act as a floating dock station for the detachable airship.
“Colossea reimagines its iconic design with the materials and technologies of today, proposing the same measurements of the 1924 airship with upgraded materials and propulsion,” the company said.
It also noted that the structure of the Colossea is conceived to be made of carbon fiber, including both the exterior blimp surface as well as the interior structures.
"Entirely conceived to be built in carbon fiber from the internal structures to the exterior blimp surface, the airship will be moved by 8 electric engines, with its upper structure comprising a take-off/landing area shaped to the blimp’s form," the company's description added.
Colossea is expected to offer guests the finest luxury across its four opulent floors
Image credits: Lazzarini Design Studio
The company also noted that the blimp of the Colossea will have 22 isolated compartments with various installations, like LH2 tanks (liquid hydrogen), batteries, cabins, and all internal structures.
“The overall volume of the carrier gas compartments have 30,000 mc, which grants the aircraft enough space to release sufficient H2 into any compartment. The LH2 is released into the compartments to adjust the weight balancing needed and also as H2 reserve in case of gas loss.” the company said.
“The same LH2 is devoted to supplying the necessary energy requirement of each engine, capable of pushing the flying vessel to an estimated maximum speed of 165 km/h (about 90 knots), while the Yacht instead is pushed from 4 HTS engines on a maximum speed of 22 knots.
"Likewise, airship propellers can increase and support the efficiency of the sailing," continued the description of their spectacular project.
"Elon, get in touch," the company said in their newly released video
Image credits: Lazzarini Design
While talking about the number of guests that can be accommodated, the company said, “The new airship with 10,000kg of payload and armament can now accommodate up to 24 passengers (plus 10 crew members), though instead, the yacht offers 22 dislocated guest suites and multiple deck[s] with pools on the rear part for a total load capacity up to 44 guests and 20 crew members.”
Although some people were left in awe of the newly released concept images, others online were skeptical about the project, with one saying it will “probably never see the light of day for consumers.”
People online were not completely impressed by the design
