THE ACCIDENTAL SUPERYACHT OWNER
What started as a ludicrously low auction bid led to classic car expert Simon Kidston confessing...
We meet the man who put in a cheeky bid at auction and ended up buying one of the world’s most famous superyachts
THE 21m BAGLIETTO ONCE OWNED BY THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD AND THEN DODI AL-FAYED. THIS IS THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF CUJO
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Simon Kidston never intended to buy a boat. He had distant yet fond memories of travelling through the French canals on his father’s Fairey Swordsman in the 1970s and dreamed of keeping a Riva Aquarama on Lake Geneva, but despite this nagging desire it never came to fruition. So how did a man with a love of classic cars end up “accidentally” buying one of the most famous superyachts ever built for an absolute song?
To understand this you have to go back 15 years to a time when Simon left auctioneers Bonhams to start his own business buying, selling and restoring classic cars. Cars are all he has ever known career-wise but they are also a personal passion. That’s why he specialises in classic cars with a story behind them and a background that holds a particular allure: “We often help clients find family cars that they would like to buy back – generally rare and special ones,” he says, “It’s like those people who save waif and stray dogs. I see a car that is neglected, forlorn and down at heel – a rough diamond – and I love bringing it back to life.” He went on his own personal journey to find a family gem, a 1938 Bugatti built for his father that he tracked down and acquired 50 years after he had sold it. He adds, “I believe that cars like this are there to be used and leaving them in a garage just to polish them is to not understand them fully.”
BOATS IN THE BLOOD
Owning a boat may not have been on the radar but the sea is in Simon’s blood. His uncle served on Royal Navy battleships and submarines in the First World War and was a keen powerboat racer; his father captained one of the first MTBS in the 1930s and was aboard British Destroyer HMS Kelly when she was sunk by German dive bombers in 1941. He was one of only half the crewmembers aboard who survived the assault.
His father’s Swordsman coming on to the market a few years ago was nearly enough to persuade him to bite the boating bullet but there were reservations: “I had her inspected at the time but wondered what I would do with a boat that my wife and children had no interest in whatsoever. For better or worse I didn’t buy
Von Neumann had a simple goal in mind – it had to go faster than anything else on the water
it, which I slightly regret, but practicality ruled the roost, which it rarely does when it comes to cars in my family!” he explains.
It was a cursory flick through an auction catalogue that arrived in the post that led to him spotting CUJO. He recognised the boat immediately as the Baglietto he had seen in
St. Tropez in his youth that was owned by the American VW and Porsche importer and Ferrari racing driver John Von Neumann. A legendary character on the US racing circuit in the 50s, Von Neumann effectively opened up the US market to the German brands and sold James Dean the Porsche in which he had his fatal accident. “I remember being on my friend’s boat in St. Tropez harbour and seeing this crazy American dude hanging out on a military-style boat, usually surrounded by a lot of very beautiful women,” Simon recalls.
Von Neumann commissioned the 21m Baglietto new in 1972 and had it heavily modified with a very simple goal in mind: it had to go faster than any other yacht on the water. Baglietto and the shipyard who built the boat, Castellanza, obliged, fitting the boat with two 54-litre (you read that right) W18 CRN turbo diesels with 1,350hp each for a top speed of 40 knots and a cruising range of 460 miles at 30 knots. The boat kept Von Neumann happy for a few years before he yearned for something bigger and faster, selling her to commission a larger Baglietto with jet propulsion that would crack 55 knots. He sold the boat to Adnan Khashoggi, considered to be the world’s richest man at the time, who took no time in selling her straight on to his nephew, Dodi Al-fayed. Dodi invested in a full refit at the CARM shipyard in Lavagna, tweaking the interior layout to make her a more comfortable cruising machine. His period of ownership thrust CUJO onto front pages around the world as he spent time aboard her with Princess Diana in the summer of 1997. The photo of the pair, rumoured to be the most expensive paparazzi shot ever taken, wasn’t actually captured on CUJO but Dodi’s father Mohamed’s superyacht Sokar.
In the wake of the couple’s tragic deaths, the devastated captain and crew lost heart and the boat spent some time as a private taxi for guests of Mohamed before being decommissioned in 1999, moved ashore at CARM and falling into disrepair. It was Dodi’s cousin, Moody, who couldn’t stand the sight of the boat’s deterioration and spent a staggering €800,000 on a full refurbishment in 2018, keeping the original engines but boosting their output to 1,650hp. After a couple of seasons enjoying
her around Sardinia and the Amalfi Coast he put her up for auction and Simon took his chance.
“Auction day fell during Retromobile in Paris where we had a stand,” he explains. “I asked a colleague of mine to head down there and, if it did come through and goes cheaply, to put a bid on it for a bit of fun.
“He called me from the auction and said that someone had bid €150,000 so I told him to bid €160,000 and see what happened.”
What happened was nobody else bid and, just like that, Simon was the owner of a boat with one of the most extraordinary backgrounds you’re likely to find. The estimated sale price before the auction was between €300,000 and €600,000. “I couldn’t believe that I had won the boat, the feeling was one of excitement tinged with terror and a very fine line between the two!
“Moody, who, coincidentally, I went to prep school with in Switzerland, called me to say how happy he was that I had bought the boat. I delved into researching the boat’s history, which I love, and unearthed a photo of her anchored somewhere during the John Von Neumann days – just him and a group of topless women. Funnily enough they didn’t use that one in the selection of auction snaps!”
READY TO ROLL
Simon took ownership of the boat in spring l ast year, just as Europe was entering a lockdown of undetermined length in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, but he did find a window to get on board the boat in Lavagna and meet the captain. “The design of the boat reminds me of the MTBS that my father commanded and I can’t help but think of that scene in Apocalypse Now when the patrol boats are charging through the delta as the Viet Cong open fire.
“It has tonnes of presence, is completely impractical and apparently the engines hate idling so it’s very difficult to manoeuvre at slow speeds. They also need the regular care and attention of an engineer who specialises in their upkeep, much l like an old supercar.
“Ownership of CUJO isn’t that different to owning a Lamborghini Miura of the same era.” In fact, you can see the pair in action together in a film called The Portofino Affair that Simon made for his Youtube channel, Kidston Productions – it’s well worth a watch.
Due to lockdown restrictions this is the only time that Simon has managed to get out on the boat but impressions so far are positive: “CUJO seems to attract a lot of attention when she arrives in port, people seem baffled that a military boat is entering a civilian harbour!” he says.
“Onboard, space is limited, performance abundant, and surprisingly free of the loud noise I expected. Instead you get a whistle from the turbines, almost like an old-school Porsche Turbo or Ferrari F40. She’s out of the water for winter works at CARM in Lavagna at the moment, but trips to Capri and St. Tropez – her old hunting ground with Dodi Al-fayed – are on the cards for this summer.”
Once things open up post-pandemic Simon thinks Italy will be where CUJO calls home, both because of the expertise of CARM and their knowledge of the boat and his love of the country. “I grew up in Italy and spent a lot of my time there so I speak the language and adore the food. It’s easy to fly or drive to Lavagna and it’s a great springboard for the destinations that I enjoy in Italy and along the Côte d’azur,” he adds.
What about his family, has their interest in boating been piqued by the acquisition of such an unusual boat? “The kids think CUJO is fantastic,” he explains, “but my wife is less than enamoured with the idea. Hopefully once she’s on one of the sun loungers with a drink in her hand she might be swayed!
“It’s been a great process so far but I must admit I gulp at the estimates of what it’s going to cost to run each year,” he confesses.
“But when you’re on the water with the engines at full pelt and (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones is playing through the speakers, that’s when it feels worth it.” When described in those terms, ownership of such a charismatic craft seems enormously appealing, especially when you consider that Simon never intended to buy a boat. He can take plenty of satisfaction from that.
I couldn’t believe I had won the boat – the feeling was one of excitement tinged with terror