If you’re looking for an Aston Martin with perfect wet weather handling, look no further than the brand new Aston AM37.
Of course it helps that it’s a boat.
Yes, the British luxury auto maker and preferred mode of transport for one James 007 Bond, has gone into the boat-building business.
And at this week’s Monaco boat show, it pulled the wraps off its first venture, the 37-foot, $2 million AM37 day cruiser. Or, with optional twin 520-horse V8s giving 50+ knots, make that day ‘rocketship’.
It’s a joint venture between Aston and Dutch boat builder Quintessence Yachts, with the gorgeous design coming from the drawing board of Aston design chief Marek Reichman and Dutch naval architect Mulder Design.
Looking like a modern-day Riva powerboat, it has sleek, elegant and timeless proportions – much like a modern-day Aston Martin. The curvy, wrap-around windshield that’s crafted from a single piece of glass, is nothing less than a piece of art.
And there are Aston Martin design cues all through the boat. Like the stunning, deep-dish, three-spoke steering wheel, the hand-stitched leather and carbon fiber trim and mirror-polished stainless steel fixtures.
One of the boat’s coolest design features however is it’s three-part folding carbon fiber sliding panel system which, to me, sets the boat apart.
At the touch of a button, the panel glides out from under the rear teak engine hatch to cover the entire cockpit. Perfect for securing the boat when you leave, and keeping all that fancy leather upholstery dry.
Press the button again, and the rear-hinged engine hatch opens up, the carbon fiber panel cantilevers electro-hydraulically upwards, and becomes a sun-shading bimini top. The panel is also in two sections, so with another touch of the button the second section glides rearwards to extend the bimini to give more shade.
In the cockpit there’s comfy seating for eight with that engine cover making the perfect sunpad. And when the sunset on the Cote d’Azur is just too beautiful not to enjoy, there’s a small air conditioned cabin with a V-berth, toilet, fridge, microwave and coffee maker for overnight stays.
Power-wise, take your pick from three Mercury powerplants – twin 370-horse Merc turbodiesels, twin 430-hp V8 gas motors, or for the flagship AM37S version, twin 520-hp gas V8s that should give a 50 knot-plus top speed – plenty fast enough to get you from Cannes to St. Tropez for lunch.
There’s no official word on pricing, but at the Monaco show there were whispers of a base price close to $2 million. I’m sure your local Aston dealer would be happy to take your order, maybe with a new Aston Martin DB11 in a matching color to go with it.
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