On paper it made a whole lot of sense. Design and construct a modern, highly effective, Lexus-branded luxurious sports activities cruiser, even name it a Lexus LY 650, and boat-loving Lexus homeowners can be standing in line to purchase.
Similar story at British luxurious automaker Aston Martin. Again in 2016, it unveiled its rakish Aston Martin AM37 dayboat. Constructed along with Holland’s Quintessence Yachts, it was lauded as Aston Martin’s entry into the nautical world.
Now rewind to 1988 and the Italian luxurious duo of Riva and Ferrari acquired collectively to create a needle-nosed 32-foot, go-very-fast speedboat influenced by the strains of Ferrari’s legendary Testarossa supercar.
What all three have in frequent, together with comparable collaborations between Bugatti and Palmer Johnson, Mercedes-Benz and Silver Arrows Yachts, Porsche and Dynamiq, is that every partnership was quietly dissolved after solely a handful of examples have been constructed.
“I simply don’t assume luxurious automobile corporations actually perceive the boating trade and the challenges concerned in producing low-volume, hand-built boats,” says Rob Parmentier, CEO of Sailfish Boats and former president of Marquis Yachts that constructed the LY 650 for Lexus.
“They’re additionally extremely protecting of their manufacturers and have a tendency to lose curiosity after they don’t have whole management,” Parmentier instructed Robb Report.
In the meanwhile, the trade is seeing a resurgence of carmaker and boatbuilder partnerships. Arguably essentially the most high-profile is Italian builder Tecnomar’s three way partnership with Lamborghini to create the 4,000-hp, $3.5 million Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 sport yacht.
Different rising collaborations are extra about sharing electrical powertrains than full partnerships. Subsequent 12 months will see Austrian yacht maker Frauscher working with Porsche to supply a brand new 28-foot luxurious dayboat that includes an electrical powertrain from Porsche’s upcoming all-electric Mecan SUV.
On the latest Cannes Movie Competition, BMW showcased its new collaboration with German electrical boat start-up Tyde. This quirky 43-foot electrical foiling boat is scheduled to enter manufacturing in 2024.
Among the many hits and misses, we’ve chosen our 9 favourite high-profile boats which have automotive inspiration of their DNA.
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Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63
Picture Credit score: Courtesy Tecnomar This trendy 63-footer is essentially the most profitable of any boat builder/automobile maker partnerships so far. With a deliberate manufacturing run of 63 boats, and order books crammed properly into 2025, this Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 seems to have a rock-solid future. The celeb endorsement of MMA star Conor McGregor shopping for Hull #2 little question helped elevate the already excessive profile of this $3.5 million rocketship. It additionally helps that it appears to be like like a Lamborghini, with its multitude of hexagon design cues, its carbon and leather-based helm seats from the Huracán Evo, steering wheel and instrument panel from the Aventador, and wild colours. Like every Lambo, it’s additionally insanely quick. With twin 2,000 hp MAN V-12 diesels, it tops out at over 60 knots.
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Brabus and Axopar’s Shadow 800
Picture Credit score: Courtesy Axopar Boats Now in its fifth 12 months, the partnership between Finnish journey boat builder Axopar and German car-tuning specialist Brabus solely goes from energy to energy. It kicked off in 2018 with the stealthy, all-black Brabus Shadow 900 primarily based on Axopar’s strong-selling 37 Solar Prime mannequin. Manufacturing was capped at simply 20 examples, every costing nearly $500,000. All bought. As of late, there’s an entire lineup beneath the Brabus Marine banner, starting from the 25-ft. Shadow 300, to the 38-ft. flagship Shadow 900 XC Cross Cabin. The Brabus enter is usually beauty, that includes military-style hull colours, carbon-fiber helm seats trimmed in top-quality quilted leather-based, and stealthy matte-black carbon trim. Mercury Verado 300 and Mercury Racing 450Rs are the outboards of selection, with the 450s delivering high speeds over 50 knots.
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The Icon by Tyde and BMW
Picture Credit score: Courtesy Tyde Boats The results of a partnership between BMW Designworks and German start-up Tyde, this 43-foot electrical foiling cruiser is named The Icon. It appears to be like like a cross between a floating greenhouse and the pyramid at The Louvre. The inside is a spacious, luxurious lounge surrounded on all sides by home windows. Don’t presume it’s some, loopy, blue-sky idea. Munich-based Tyde is already taking orders. Moreover the design, BMW is offering six high-voltage batteries from its electrical BMW “i” fashions. These energy a pair of 100kW Torqeedo drives that may push the Icon to round 30 knots whereas cruising at 24. For now, the draw back is the vary. Reckon on round 50 nautical miles at 20 knots earlier than you might want to discover a charging station.
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Polestar and Candela C-8 Dayboat
Picture Credit score: Courtesy Candela Boats Candela has partnered with Swedish electrical carmaker Polestar to be used of Polestar’s superior battery know-how for its 28-ft. foiling C-8 dayboat and upcoming C-8 Middle Console. In comparison with the Candela’s authentic battery pack, the 69kWh Polestar system (from the Polestar 2 sedan and upcoming Polestar 2 SUV) takes the C-8s’ vary as much as 57 nautical miles at a 22-knot cruise velocity. It additionally lets homeowners use DC quick charging to top-up the batteries in much less time. To cement the partnership, Candela is providing a C-8 Polestar Particular Version that includes very Swedish stealthy-gray paint with gold-colored hydrofoils, plus Polestar-inspired upholstery. Actually not low cost at round $450,000, although base fashions begin at $390,000.
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Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air
Picture Credit score: Courtesy Frauscher Porsche has but to launch its extremely anticipated, all-electric Mecan efficiency SUV. However the sportscar maker is already sharing its Mecan battery know-how with the Austrian builder Frauscher. The upcoming Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air can be a 28-ft. open dayboat, primarily based on the present Fantom 858 Air. Manufacturing is ready to begin subsequent 12 months. It’s not the primary electrical boat for Frauscher—it already provides 5, ranging in size from 20 toes to 24 toes, mockingly utilizing know-how from BMW’s electrical i3 mannequin. The brand new Fantom Air will use Porsche’s newest lithium-ion battery tech with a complete capability of round 100kWh. No phrase but on what sort of vary patrons may anticipate, or how briskly it’ll go, or perhaps a predicted value. However being a Porsche, anticipate it to go quick.
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Aston Martin AM37
Picture Credit score: File Picture It was dubbed an Aston Martin for the seas. Designed by the crew that created such rolling icons as Aston’s One-77, Vulcan and DB11 supercars, the AM37 dayboat was unveiled on the 2016 Monaco Yacht Present. With high-quality meeting by Holland’s Quintessence Yachts, this luxurious 37-footer made the right accent for any Aston Martin proprietor. Aston DNA included hand-stitched Foglizzo customized Italian leather-based, a stunning wraparound windshield, a cool, cockpit-covering sliding deck, and folding carbon-fiber hardtop. Energy selections included both twin 370hp Mercury diesels, or a pair of 430hp or 520hp Mercury gasoline V8s. Prime velocity was 50 knots. Nobody will say what number of AM37s have been bought, although with costs as excessive as $2.1 million, it’s thought there have been few takers.
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Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette
Picture Credit score: Courtesy AMG It was a convention. Every Miami Boat Present would see a brand new high-powered providing from the lengthy partnership between Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing. It lasted 13 particular editions, with the ultimate mannequin debuting on the 2021 Miami Present. Primarily based on a Cigarette 41 Nighthawk, its retina-searing Magmabeam Orange paintwork and funky graphics got here from the drawingboard of Mercedes design chief, Gorden Wagener. The $1.2-million, needle-nosed projectile was additionally the primary 41 Nighthawk to be fitted with 5 Mercury Racing 450R outboards, delivering 2,250 horsepower. Prime velocity? Over 90mph. After Cigarette Racing was bought to new homeowners, the partnership fizzled out.
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Lexus and Marquis’s LY 650 Flybridge Cruiser
Picture Credit score: Courtesy Marquis It was the dream of Toyota Motor Firm chairman and passionate boater, Akio Toyoda, to develop a sports activities yacht that might assist Toyota’s Lexus division turn out to be a sweeping luxury-lifestyle model. The “car” to do it was the Lexus LY 650, a 65-ft. flybridge cruiser with a 33-knot high velocity. Toyoda turned to Wisconsin’s Marquis Yachts who, with the assistance of a reported $6 million launch get together price range, unveiled the yacht to nice fanfare in November 2019. With its head-turning copper-and-steely-gray exterior and an inside by Italian design studio Nuvolari Lenard, it had all of the fashion and luxurious of a flagship Lexus LS sedan. After simply 5 examples have been delivered, Lexus reportedly pulled the plug amid rumors of disagreements with Marquis about Covid lock-downs. Marquis ultimately closed its doorways.
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Riva Ferrari 32
Picture Credit score: Courtesy Riva It was a partnership made in Italian heaven: legendary boat builder Riva, and storied supercar maker Ferrari. The 2 luxurious giants got here collectively within the late Nineteen Eighties to construct “the Ferrari of sportboats,” the Riva Ferrari 32. Incorporating design cues from Ferrari’s Testarossa supercar, this open, go-fast dayboat turned heads with its towering, System 1-style carbon-fiber wing over the cockpit, and traditional Ferrari Rosso Corso paint. Energy got here from a pair of 390hp BPM Vulcano V8s able to punching the 32-footer to a 54-knot high velocity. After the primary boat was delivered in 1988, 39 extra have been constructed, every ambitiously priced at round $400,000 (a Testarossa on the time price $159,000). Regardless of all 40 being bought, it was the one boat to return out of the Riva-Ferrari partnership.