For 85 years now, Mooney International has been crafting some of the fastest piston-powered production airplanes ever designed. Its new M240V Acclaim Ultra continues this tradition with all of the speed, balance, and quality people have come to expect from the company. In 2013, Mooney was purchased by a group of Chinese investors, but their design ethos has remained unchanged.

Over three generations Mooney has hand-built and delivered 11,000 examples of the Acclaim. This year’s model is a blend of new technology and decades of knowledge.

Small features have taken the M240V Acclaim Ultra to the next level. One example is the composite skin wrapped around the tubular cabin roll cage, which helps maintain the aerodynamic integrity, and also noise-cancel in the cabin during flight. Or how Mooney has widened the doorframes on the entry points to the airplane by four inches, and added a second door for easier accessibility.

Once inside, the pilot and up to three guests can indulge in the finer things and easier navigation thanks to hand-stitched Italian leather seats, a Garmin G1000 NXi glass-panel avionics display, and an updated center console.

Powering Mooney’s new aircraft is a twin-turbocharged TSIO 550-G engine that produces up to 278 horsepower, giving the M240V a 1,425-mile range.

All that, and pretty, too. The graceful lines, and two-toned paint job are pleasingly nostalgic, referencing the company’s past while suggesting innovation.