This year’s Monaco Yacht Show saw the presentation of the newest 14-metre Granturismo yacht, developed by Mercedes Benz Style as well as Silver Arrows Marine, more than 125 years after Gottlieb Daimler constructed the first motorised boat and cruised up the River Neckar. Ideal as a tender for large megayachts, Granturismo yacht represents a unique combination of design elements typical of Mercedes-Benz automobiles and innovations hitherto unknown in the boat industry.
The result of this excellent collaboration is a progressive and emotionally appealing luxury yacht Granturismo featuring the passionate design language of Mercedes-Benz. The boat also represents the next stage in Daimler’s vision of allencompassing mobility: along with Mercedes-Benz vehicles on land and the Eurocopter EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style in the air, mobility on water under the aegis of the three-pointed star will also soon now be possible.
The motor yacht Granturismo is being developed and will be built by UK-registered boatbuilding company Silver Arrows Marine whose team includes world renowned marine architects Martin Francis and Tommaso Spadolini, between them responsible for some of the most capable and luxurious craft in the world today.
The ‘Silver Arrow of the seas’ is due to come on to the market in 2013.
“Giving shape to a boat was an exciting challenge for automotive designers like we are,” said Gorden Wagener, Head of Design Mercedes-Benz Cars, at the presentation of the yacht’s design in Monaco. “Our task was to explore how to apply the Mercedes-Benz design language to the particular proportions and specific requirements of a boat. We wanted to create something special and what we have come up with is indeed unique. The ‘Silver Arrow of the seas’ embodies pure emotion and stands for luxury, style and pleasure.”
The crème de la crème of designers and boatbuilders
The new Granturismo yacht, styled by Mercedes-Benz designers, is being engineered by the project partner, Silver Arrows Marine. “Silver Arrows Marine is a new brand with the best team of experts for extremely high-end maritime products,” Gorden Wagener said. As well as Martin Francis and Tommaso Spadolini, the Silver Arrows Marine team consists of specialists in all areas of luxury yacht development and construction.
Mercedes-Benz Style and Silver Arrows Marine have been working closely together to implement the designers’ interior and exterior style concepts in line with their precise specifications. The Mercedes-Benz Style team has been involved in the project from the beginning, collaborating with Silver Arrows Marine on the yacht’s innovative layout and use of space, shaping the exterior and interior and choosing materials and colour combinations.
Silver Arrows Marine is responsible for the Granturismo yacht’s technical equipment and construction, with the first yacht expected to be launched within a year of the presentation of its design.
On the design collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Style, Silver Arrows Marine Chairman Ron Gibbs said: “It has been a privilege to work with professionals as passionate about design as we are passionate about boats and the sea. I am confident that together we can deliver innovation and elegance in a motor yacht that changes the way people see boats in this class.”
Granturismo in her finest form
At 14 metres in length, the new Granturismo yacht’s design makes it suitable for a wide range of uses. The innovative versatility and intelligent use of space are particularly impressive. While ideal for a day on the water with friends, the motor yacht can also offer overnight accommodation. The elegant and timeless interior appointments offer a level of comfort and luxury commensurate with the Mercedes-Benz name.
About Mercedes-Benz Style
In addition to their work in the field of automotive design, the designers at Mercedes-Benz have been working since 2010 on a range of designs for other products, in cooperation with selected partners. The first product to come onto the market, in 2011, was the Eurocopter EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style helicopter, the first of which have now been delivered to customers.
This was followed in 2012 by an exclusive furniture collection, produced in cooperation with the Formitalia Luxury Group, one of Italy‘s leading manufacturers of designer furniture. The Mercedes-Benz Style label encompasses transportrelated products as well as furniture and lifestyle products.
About Silver Arrows Marine
Silver Arrows Marine is a collective of internationally renowned marine architects and engineers who are behind some of the greatest luxury motor yachts currently in service. Registered in the UK, Silver Arrows Marine works on an exclusive basis with leading specialists in all fields of luxury motor yacht design, development and construction to build high-end boats that make no compromises in their elegance, functionality and sheer usability.