The M.C.72 represents the culmination of high speed floatplane development in Italy. Its Fiat AS.6 engine consists of two coupled V12 blocks that delivered a maximum of 3100 hp to two contra-rotating propellers. After serious initial problems, this plane became the world speed record holder for five years. In 1934, it reached 709 km/h (441 mph) averaged over three passes, a record for prop-driven seaplanes that still stands in 2019. All the gold-coloured surfaces are water and oil radiators.