It is nothing new that designers and coachbuilders of the automotive field have focused on boats project, in particular on large yachts.
Giugiaro has created partnerships with shipyards as Cranchi and Abbate and has signed a project about a new Baglietto long 48 metres, Antalia, in 2007.
Norman Foster (McLaren F1) has signed projects of some futuristic yachts that are been admired – or at least observed- at the recent boat shows.
Pininfarina, who had already created “Destriero”- the yacht that in 1992 beaten the record for crossing the Atlantic and the legendary “Nastro Azzurro”, has recently designed “Ottantacinque” (Eighty-five) a new superyacht presented at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2015 and produced by Fincantieri.
Even car manufacturers are not averse to associate their image to boating:
Mercedes for some years has combined the AMG sportive brand to Cigarette, high performance and competitive boats;
Abarth “has lent” name and logo to the manufacturer of sportive dinghies SACS for a forceful special motorized version with 1,000 hp.
And from the partnership between BMW and Bavaria Yachtbau, the largest German shipyard, was originated the BMW cruiser Deep Blue 46’.
Peugeot has also launched into the fray through the Peugeot Design Lab, a designed atelier oriented to the development of products different form the Automotive.
The presented projects range from the sail boat with a yacht long 30 metres, the unusual architecture and interior space similar to those of loft, to a motorboat characterized by an original and luxurious realization that, in certain stretches, takes up the automotive code design and to a catamaran intended for ocean cruises, futuristic both in design and in technical and housing solutions.
Someone will say: just marketing or co-branding operations to improve their visibility.
Certainly, it is proved by the fact that almost always these objects – or projects – are “dreamy”.
When designers and automotive manufacturers will begin to deal with even the small boating, that of boats and small boats that fill the ports , the two worlds will be very close.
As it is for the closely automotive field, dreaming Maserati or Porsche, we like to think that all the Fiat or Opel, which we drive every day, are the result of the same design work.
Translated by Federica Izzo