Ever Wonder What an $80M Flying Speakeasy Looks Like?

Take a private jet. Add the glorious excess of the '20s. Stir.

March 14, 2017 9:00 am

Sometimes, while sitting in our (imaginary) luxury private airliner, we think to ourselves, “If only this thing felt more like the 1920s.”

Turns out we’re not the only ones who have considered this dilemma.

Embraer, one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, is currently building two skybound regal-gone-retro behemoths, the Manhattan Airship and the Hollywood Airship. The Art Deco-inspired ‘crafts promise all the bells and whistles you’ll need to transport yourself back to the devil-may-care days of Prohibition.

Airship (5 images)

Aboard the Manhattan, you’ll be kicking back among gold and brass decor that recalls Leif Neandross’s handywork in the Empire State Building lobby. The bar, meanwhile, is an homage to Chrysler Building, with a window culled from the designs of Jean-Michel Frank.

The Hollywood Airship, on the other hand, is motivated by the silver screen. The craft’s dripping-in-marble details with sculptural 3D leather reliefs depict Sunset Tower, Howard Hughes’s personal flyer and all the classic rides a bag full of Lincolns could buy.

Suited to hold 19 kittens and grifters, both charter jets come with five cabins: three for socializing and/or relaxing, one formal salon for conferencing with czars (or ministers?) over Old Fashioneds, and the Crystal Room. The fifth houses Embraer’s Upper Technology Panel (these guys could really use a more creative marketing team), which gives the passengers moment-to-moment flight information and global web access throughout. Beyond the foyer, the jets come with an optional master suite complete with standing two-person shower and bed.

According to the designers, the price tag is around $80 million. Not included: a Brooklyn-esque bartender with a ‘stache. Not required: any sense of modesty whatsoever.

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