Covers off Aston Martin
Luxury car maker’s foray into boat market lines up against Mercedes-benz’s new superyacht tender
These are the first photographs of Aston Martin’s hotly anticipated new AM37 sportsboat. You’ll have to find £1.2 million for the AM37 with twin 370hp Mercruiser diesel engines, or £1.6 million if you prefer the AM37S Platinum Spec with twin 520hp petrols.
The 37ft luxury weekender was officially unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show, marking the British sports car manufacturer’s first foray into the nautical world.
Developed by Aston Martin and Quintessence Yachts, the AM37S has a claimed top speed of 50 knots and several innovative features including an extending bathing platform and a solid retractable tonneau cover.
At the touch of a button on the AM37’S key, the three lightweight carbon-fibre panels slide away under the aft deck to reveal the luxurious cockpit. Featuring styling elements from Aston Martin’s range of sports cars, the AM37’S helm has a carbonfibre dashboard with a tactile leather and stainless-steel steering wheel, throttles and joystick. The boat’s navigation, control monitor and entertainment systems are all integrated with multimedia functions.
Designed primarily as a dayboat, the open-plan cuddy cabin transforms into an overnight berth with the aid of a convertible dinette table. Mood lighting, air-conditioning, basic galley facilities and a toilet provide all the essentials for a weekend away.
The cockpit seats up to eight people, protected by a wraparound windscreen created from a single piece of extreme double-curvature glass.
“AM37 is a pure translation of the Aston Martin DNA into a new maritime concept,” said Aston Martin’s EVP and chief creative officer Marek Reichman. “The powerboat reflects our values in terms of power, beauty and soul.”
Monaco also marked the boat show debut of the new Silver Arrows Marine 460-Granturismo designed in collaboration with Mercedes-benz.
Designed primarily as a superyacht limo-tender, the 46ft craft is capable of whisking ten passengers along in leather-lined luxury at speeds of up to 38 knots. Named Mercedes in recognition of its design partners, this show model was officially a prototype. The finished production versions will be built by Baltic Yachts in Finland.
Costing a cool £2.16 million, the 460-Granturismo is even more expensive than the Aston Martin AM37 and boasts its own unique innovations including dimmable smart-glass side windows that retract at the touch of a button and a sunroof that lifts up to create a shaded ‘pergola’ effect.
An initial run of ten will be built with each one destined for a different country to guarantee exclusivity.
A record-breaking 95-stone pumpkin is being turned into a motor boat by the Royal Horticultural Society. Horticulturist Matthew Oliver grew the giant gourd from a seed costing £1,250. Its record-breaking status was confirmed at Southampton’s Autumn Pumpkin Festival.
SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
The £200 million polar research ship the RRS Sir David Attenborough is now officially under construction at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead, Merseyside. The ship’s proposed name attracted more publicity than the scientific ship itself when an online poll made Boaty Mcboatface the public’s chosen favourite. That name has now been given to the ship’s autonomous underwater vehicle that will dive to 6,000m to explore ice sheets. The National Environment Research Council overrode the public vote to honour the 90-year-old naturalist and television favourite.
The number of apprentice marine engineers, electricians and carpenters who graduated from Sunseeker’s scheme during the Southampton Boat Show.