Remember when we told you some years that the only way to arrive at Lake Como was by vintage seaplane? Well, it seems that Phillip Sarofim – the Californian car collector extraordinaire and owner of Meyers Manx – has taken our advice seriously, as he is bringing his legendary 1950s Grumman HU-16 Albatross seaplane to this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. By air. All the way from Los Angeles. 

After Sarofim has already stunned the concorso crowds in 2018 with his Lancia Stratos Zero Concept and won the Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este trophy last year for the splendidly restored Aston Martin Bulldog as the youngest car to ever in the history of Villa d'Este, it’s only logical that he is stepping up the game for this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza. And we are certain the Albatross will make some waves when it lands on Lake Como after its refuelling stops in New York, Newfoundland, the Azores and mainland Spain. You can actually track the plane's journey via this live tracker.

To freshen up your seaplane expertise – the Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a larger-than-large, twin-radial engine amphibious seaplane that was designed in the 1940s and was used by the US Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard in the post-war decades for search and rescue operations, as its deep-V hull cross-section and keel length enable it to land in the open sea. Painted in a very Wes Anderson blue, white and yellow mid-century colour scheme, “Meyers Manx Airways” is now used by Phillip Sarofim as the official air support partner to his dune buggy brand, Meyers Manx. “Smiles for miles” claims the hand-painted slogan below the cockpit window – and after this daredevil Trans-Atlantic journey we couldn’t agree more. 

Photos: Albert Azouz