Macchi's first attempt to design from scratch a seaplane that would win Italy the Schneider Trophy was a huge success. Two trainers, three racers and a static airframe were developed, built and flown well within a year. One of the 600 hp trainer versions crashed with fatal results, but this 800 hp race version won the 1926 Trophy in the USA at an average speed of nearly 400 km/h (250 mph).