Rather unusual from a suitcase manufacturer - Curt Lewis

Rimowa Is Reviving an Aviation Legend: You Can Now Purchase a Junkers F13 Plane for $2.2 Million

The first all-metal commercial plane-Junkers F13-took its inaugural flight in 1919 and revolutionized travel. Lightweight and able to fly long distances, the single-engine six-seater was considered an "air limousine" by businessmen and wealthy vacationers. 

Now, nearly a century after its the birth, German luxury luggage brand Rimowa, is reviving the legendary corrugated metal plane with reproduction Junkers F13s slated for release in May 2016-for $2.2 million each.

And Dieter Morszeck-the president and CEO of Rimowa, who himself has been a licensed pilot for 33 years-has good reason to bring back these aviation beauties: "A good 30 years after Hugo Junkers discovered the material duralumin, my father, Richard Morszeck, took the brave decisive step of using the same material for suitcases to make them resistant to tropical conditions," says Morszeck.

Unsurprisingly, Rimowa is keeping the DNA and integrity of Hugo Junkers' original plane intact-save for technological modifications in the radial engine, landing gear, and tail unit, to comply with today's flight safety standards. Beyond that, nearly everything will be true (or very close) to original specifications. In the cabin, the F13 is reminiscent of early 19th-century style: There's interior paneling, Alcantara leather roof lining, and leather-covered seating.

But getting it all done wasn't easy. It took more than 9,000 work hours (not including time spent on research and sourcing); 2,600 individual parts; 35,000 rivets; and 60 kilograms of paint. But the result is nothing short of spectacular-especially for true aviation and history enthusiasts.