Welcome to the ￡1.5m motorhome The Times Martin Dew Welcome to the ￡1.5m motorhome new Known as 'land yachts', these highly exclusive vehicles can transport not just A-listers in luxury, but their Porsches and falcons too The Dembell Elite, with exterior designs by Pininfarina Martin Dew Monday October 12 2026, 4.10am BST , The Times Listen 0:00 / · 10:16 min Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save Puzzles Challenge yourself with today's puzzles. You've got the superyacht and the executive jet, but what to do if you fancy a trip that requires a public highway? A burgeoning number of high-net-worth individuals, A-listers and Scottish politicians have the answer: a luxury motorhome. After touching down at Paris-Le Bourget or docking at Marina di Porto Cervo, you can seamlessly transition from one opulent airside or quayside interior to one that is tarmac-bound. After all, why trundle down the motorway in any less style than your other modes of transit? Better still, have your crew flawlessly prep the vehicle for a high-stakes board meeting or weekend getaway at your next destination. Most commented 1 Zelensky repeats offer to hold elections if Russia agrees to ceasefire Russia-Ukraine war 2,022 comments 2 Tiger kills man who 'jumped' into pen at Yorkshire Wildlife Park 792 comments True high-end motorhomes, referred to affectionately as “land yachts”, integrate kitchens, master bedrooms, en suite bathrooms, living rooms, entertainment zones and, in some cases, roof decks. There's virtually no limit to how a handful of premium vehicle manufacturers can accommodate an individual's idiosyncratic request. Many customers, for instance, will specify an onboard hydraulic car bay for their Bugatti Chiron or Porsche 918 Spyder. Whether your wish list includes yachtlike mahogany veneers, Nappa leather dashboard trims, underfloor heating or pneumatic levelling systems, there's a manufacturer out there who will happily comply. Luxury newsletter The inside track on tech, travel, philanthropy and the hottest handbags, cars and spas. Sign up with one click You've successfully signed up to the Luxury newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Luxury newsletter Explore our newsletters Prices for the most prestigious land yachts start in the hundreds of thousands of pounds and escalate rapidly based on the model and personalised configuration. However, motorhomes are a booming market with a worldwide sector growth expected to surge from $42.5bn in 2026 to $58.5bn by 2034. Luxury or “Class A” coaches assume an ever-larger slice of that pie — now well over a quarter — as affluent buyers increasingly opt for the independence and off-grid autonomy that such vehicles afford. Top stories 1 Starbucks 'explores takeover' of Chipotle Mexican Grill US business The most exclusive palaces on wheels have long been the darling of Hollywood movie stars and moguls. Will Smith famously shunned his on-set, production-issue trailer in favour of a two-storey behemoth, dubbed The Heat. If ever an actor needed a sanctuary in which to brush up on their lines before submitting to the hot lights, then a five-star bus could amply fit the bill. Unsurprisingly, Formula 1 drivers often choose them as their overnight sanctuaries at the circuit, while their seriously minted fans can bid for matching space in the VIP paddock. Advertisement Note that there can be obstacles to impromptu camping; the models we showcase below require “big rig” camping sites that can handle the colossal chassis weights and provide the appropriate facilities. Excursions like this will need advance planning. Driving a land yacht over 7.5 tonnes mandates a Category C HGV licence — or you can simply hire a chauffeur who has one. We have also omitted the mainly Prevost-based rolling mansions made by our cousins across the Pond due to UK vehicle width restrictions and the 240V power grid. Luckily there are a host of custom upfitters on the Continent who can fulfil your every on-wheel earthly desire. Dembell Elite Only natural materials are used for the refined living environment on the Dembell Elite “The most interesting requests usually come when a client doesn't ask what is standard… but what is possible,” Attila Torok, the business development manager at Dembell, tells me when describing his company's Elite flagship land yacht. He fields requests that are as quirky as “reflect the style of my yacht” or “match my car”. Such exacting demands are commonplace in Torok's cloistered enclave of luxury transit. They're also key to this Budapest company's success, because its well-heeled customers insist on having their “own private world around them”. Top stories 1 Mortgage rates dip after weeks of painful rises Mortgages Dembell made a splash in 2021 when it broke into the upper echelons of customised RVs. Its clean-lined 12m-long Elite is built on the rugged Mercedes-Benz Actros GigaSpace platform and houses its own garage accommodating a 4m car. Dembell's collaborations with Pininfarina for the exterior and Galeazzi e Minotti Architetti Associati's Roman studio for the interior has resulted in the Elite garnering one of the prestigious Red Dot design awards. The latter team's involvement is largely responsible for the decor's nautical atmosphere and sense of casual elegance. Only natural materials — marble, steel, crystal, leather and timber — are used for the refined living environment. Owners can expand the lounge and kitchen floor area with two 2.1m (full height) slide-outs and the regal double bedroom includes a 50in TV and surface-heated windows. As Attila explains: “The proportions, the materials, the lighting and the furniture concept are all developed to create the feeling of a luxury apartment.” Starting at ￡1.2m, Dembell Morelo Grand Empire The Morelo Grand Empire does not trade comfort for practicality MORELO Reisemobile GmbH When the Bavarian manufacturer Morelo emerged in 2010 and unveiled its first camper van prototype, the company had evidently endured teething problems during construction. Not only had the initial five employees braved sweltering heat in the summer and bitter cold in the winter inside a corrugated steel workshop that was not climate-controlled, but Morelo ran into a legal snafu with patent attorneys before the vehicle even saw the light of day. The determined owners eventually navigated those speed bumps and their flagship land yacht of today is the Grand Empire. All nine iterations of this pristine holiday cruiser plant themselves on top of a Mercedes-Benz Actros chassis, but vary in size and price and offer various interior configurations. Six of them sport an unfolding-ramp mobile garage, one of which provides an ample-sized plateau for sports cars up to 4.6m in length — that's enough to swallow an AMG GT or Porsche 911 whole. For long journeys, the air-suspension pilot seats can get to work on your back with an invigorating massage to take the edge off road fatigue and can also swivel on their bases. The Morelo clearly does not trade comfort for practicality and a loaded kitchen comes with a 172-litre fridge and dishwasher. Its cozy bedroom offers several airline-style overhead racks for storage — a must for wealthy nomads. Starting at ￡537,000, Morelo Advertisement Marchi Mobile Elemment Palazzo Superior The Marchi Mobile eleMMent draws on futuristic, sculpted design Marchi Mobile claims that its eleMMent Palazzo Superior is the “most luxurious mobile home in the world”. If this 4m high space-age white camper has one arresting visual signature, it is the extraordinary bubble-eyed windshield that protrudes over the sloping bonnet. Its private commissions to date have satisfied owners requiring everything from luxury overnight stays by the racetrack to tailored fit-outs for VIP airport shuttles. Juliane Marchi, the CMO of Marchi Mobile, tells us that the company has even calibrated a chassis “with off-road capability for use in the desert” and a vehicle “customised for the transport of falcons… with animal welfare as a key consideration”. For something more standard, most deep-pocketed buyers will hopefully revel in the Superior's proprietary “sky lounge”, which rises out of the vehicle body to form a walled-in roof deck. Sitting behind the bulbous front glass canopy is a jet aircraft-inspired MMI (multimedia interface) driving console and the cruiser's walkway has electronic sliding doors. For its interior style cues, the Swiss outfit has drawn on the futuristic, sculpted design language of Luigi Colani and you are welcome to bunk down in a king-size bed of the type supplied to the royal family, no less. When taking a break from driving, there's a generous 68 sq m of living space to stretch out in. Starting at ￡1.5m, Marchi Mobile Concorde Centurion The Concorde Centurion has a more dynamic zoning of space While it's not to be confused with the brand name of a former supersonic airliner, Concorde Reisemobile's top-of-the-line Centurion channels a private jet vibe all the same. Its leather recliner seats in the living area, curved double bed and kitchen would look just as at home at 30,000ft. Three steps up to the bedroom from the main cabin (to accommodate the small car garage below) break up the monotony of some of its one-deck-layer competitors, creating a more dynamic zoning of the space. Concorde says that its 2027 vehicles will offer customers two distinct colour themes, “grey elegance” and “pure oak”, although the myriad options to configure the final result are extensive. Earmarking a few bespoke preferences can quickly see the price tag shoot up past the ￡1m mark. Concorde has been crafting motorhomes since the early 1980s and says that it strives to hide the technology and focus rather on an “atmosphere that radiates tranquility”. It's an understated approach that favours an executive tone over that of a conventional holiday camper. Another coach that relies on the heavy-duty Mercedes-Benz Actros platform, the Centurion's outer shell is formed from a sandwiched construction of aluminium and GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) for rigidity and weather resistance. Rough conditions, alpine expeditions and lengthy trips are all handled with ease. A transport, in other words, that's ideal for a discerning businessperson with regular cross-continental travel in mind. Starting at ￡600,000, Concorde Life & Style LUXX luxury travel Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save