AND YOU THOUGHT YOUR BOAT WAS SPECIAL Who’s the target market for it? Shut up and take my money!

Holy masked potatoes, is that the new Batboat!?

If the Dark Knight takes to the oceans I could certainly see this in his marina berth. But what we actually have here is the Britishbuilt Alpha-centauri.

Alpha-centauri – the closest planet to the sun, right?

Right, and home to the Galactic Hyperspace Planning Council and (real) small furry creatures of course. It’s an appropriate name for such an extreme machine.

So… what actually is it?

The world’s first luxury hydroplane is what it actually is. Until now, these beasts have been the sole preserve of the racing circuit. Not any more. Think in terms of the (very cool) Lamborghini Miura, which introduced midmounted engines – previously only seen in race cars – to roadbased supercars.

Wow! What’s it made of?

Designed using computational fluid dynamics to create an exceptionally low coefficient of drag, the hull is a cellular sandwich composite construction with a stainless-steel space-frame to give high rigidity combined with low weight.

So it’s quick-ish then. What makes it go?

A 9.4-litre big block Chevy, available in states of tune spanning 550hp2,000hp. A Scott twin-stage jet that revs to 6,000rpm puts that power into the water. So yes, pretty nippy. Conway, £25 (hardback) The prototype features a 750hp engine and knocks firmly on the door of 60 knots. Acceleration is reportedly brutal.

A stripped-out racer, then?

Yes and no. Accessed by a fighter jet-style canopy, inside are four bucket seats, a digital dash and even a top-end Rockford-fosgate hi-fi. The finish on the prototype is a bit rough around the edges but we’re assured the production version will be better. It’s being marketed as the ultimate superyacht tender, an alternative to a RIB or the ultimate performance boat. ‘Impractical, woefully inefficient and terrifying,’ is how it’s described, like all the best toys! Quite! Prices start at £120,000 plus VAT, or you can buy the prototype for £80,000.