Blog | Luxury Car Makers and Superyacht Builders – The Ultimate Bromance

Back in 2016 we reported on the 46 feet long, Arrow 460 Granturismo, the first luxury yacht designed and built by Mercedes-Benz, and the AM37, which was built by Quintessence Yachts in conjunction with Aston Martin. So far in 2017 we introduced you to the Lexus Sport Yacht, the Niniette 66, a joint-venture between Palmer Johnson and Bugatti, and the 115 foot hybrid superyacht, known as the GTT 115, a collaboration with Porsche.

Stewart Campbell, editor of Boat International, says to expect this “bromance,” between luxury auto brands, and yacht makers to continue in the months and years ahead. “It’s perhaps not totally natural, but there are plenty of synergies. Both worlds have to constantly innovate to incorporate new technologies and attract new audiences. Introducing a whole lot of outside creativity can only help push the boundaries of what’s possible, resulting in more choice and innovation for the consumer.”

Indeed, at the recent London’s Superyacht Gallery held in June, Italian shipbuilder Rossinavi revealed its new yacht, Aurea, created with Pininfarina, the famed automaker known for being the “go-to designers” for Ferrari. The Aurea is a 230-foot superyacht that features “sweeping lines that share DNA with more than 100 Pininfarina-designed Ferraris.”

It is not just on the high seas that luxury brands are seeing the benefits of such synergies in marketing to their target audience of high net worth individuals. In fact, a recent report by the British alliance of luxury brands, Walpole, found that “78% of brands were intending to collaborate in some way by 2020.”

Speaking about one of the most well-received of these collaborations, Aston Martin’s AM37, marketing director with Quintessence Yachts, Peter Van Rooy, explained the appeal of these “crossovers.” “Aston Martin has created true automotive icons in the past. To see that identity worked back into a yacht makes the AM37 extremely special and collectible.”

Synergies in Design and Vision

The synergies between the luxury auto world, and luxury motor yachting, are not restricted to “one-off,” collaborations. There are several high profile CEOs who have “jumped ship,” from one industry to the other.  Phil Popham, CEO of British yacht builders, Sunseeker, was a former executive with Land Rover. “At the end of the day, both industries are concerned with designing, manufacturing and engineering luxury products,” says Popham. “Yachts are obviously sold in much smaller volumes, but the overriding principles are the same.”

Antony Sheriff, CEO of Princess Yachts, who made a similar move from McLaren, agrees. “The customers have a lot in common, and you have to have a beautiful, well-built, high-quality product for both.”

Traditionally, yacht builders have not relied on “branding,” and name recognition in the competitive luxury market space, as automakers have. This is another reason why these collaborations work so well, because the auto brand offers a level of familiarity to first time yacht buyers, and can make the purchase of a luxury motor yacht a little less intimidating.

Other Unique Luxury Motor Yachts

If you are an auto enthusiast that is as excited as we are about these collaborations between designers of fine automobiles and yacht builders, we would be happy to see if we could “put you behind the wheel” of one of these incredible new machines!

If a more traditional, but equally luxurious motor yacht is more your speed, we can certainly help you there as well. Feel free to contact us about any motor yacht in our new or pre-owned listings.

It’s not always easy to stay on top of what’s new in motor yachts. If you would like to benefit from our expertise in these areas, or if you have any questions or comments about this blog post, do not hesitate to contact our Sales Specialists, or call us at 954-900-9988.

[main image: Courtesy – bugattininiette.com]