Bugatti and Palmer Johson - manufacturers of sports cars and luxury yachts respectively - announce the launch of the Bugatti Niniette 66, inspired by the Bugatti Chiron. It will be the first model in a new range of yachts from 50 to 80 feet. The two companies have merged their expertise in design, technology, and performance to create this new sports yacht.
Bugatti was a manufacturer of some of the fastest sports cars in the world and was also a boat builder at the time. In 1930, Prince Carlo Maurizio Ruspoldi commissioned the founder of the brand - Ettore Bugatti - to create a unique concept for a fast boat. He named it Niniette, after the pet of his youngest daughter, Lidia.
When the two manufacturers met for the first time in early 2015, the goal was clear from the outset: to create an innovative yacht based on the strengths of both companies while echoing Bugatti's unconditional design DNA. After the presentation of the first renderings of the yacht at the end of 2015, a large number of potential buyers - among them several current Bugatti owners - showed great interest in the project. But they had requested that the yacht should look more like Bugatti's latest supercar, the Chiron, which will be unveiled worldwide in March 2016. This forced the designers and engineers to rework the concept of the much-anticipated Bugatti Niniette 66.
The Bugatti Niniette 66 has an inspired and bold design, evolved from the Bugatti Chiron. "The challenge was to create an experience and a character, more than a yacht, with refined luxury, sophisticated style and unprecedented quality." explains Timur Mohamed, CEO of Palmer Johnson.
This 20 m long yacht features Palmer Johnson's innovative hull design combining a very slim main hull with two left and right bilges which have a positive effect on stability and roll, even at high speed. The carbon fibre used in the construction of the boat also adds to the structural rigidity of the yacht and increases efficiency.
"The Niniette is a genuine member of the Bugatti family." explains Etienne Salomé, design director at Bugatti. With its accentuated central line and its duotone color on the outside, which splits the hull in two, the yacht encompasses key elements of Bugatti's heritage. True to the company's guiding principle "Form follows performance." . Also the design of the Bugatti Chiron - namely this "C" shape on the side of the hull. "Even at a great distance when entering a harbour, the Niniette will still be recognized as a real Bugatti," explains Salomé.
The Bugatti Niniette 66 has an open cockpit where the authentic materials of the luxury car brand are blended: carbon fiber, leather, or blue-stained oak wood for the dominant elements. The rear part of the deck houses a jacuzzi combined with a sun deck. There are also two large side benches, a large armchair facing the sea, installed behind the two seats in the cockpit, but above all, a fireplace, installed in the middle of the boat.
Below deck, there is a spacious interior where the finest materials are used such as polished metal, carbon, leather and marble are used for furniture and decoration. The main room takes its place in the saloon in the form of a huge horseshoe-shaped bench seat, soaked in light which filters through the macaroon-shaped window in the ceiling. Adjacent to the living room, the main suite is equipped with a comfortable double bed. As usual with Bugatti, a myriad of customization options in terms of colors, materials and finishes for the exterior and interior guarantee the uniqueness of each Niniette.
The Niniette will be able to reach 44 knots, and her reduced draft of 0.83 m will allow her to access shallow areas. Bugatti's specially designed cockpit seating as well as the futuristic dashboard with interactive infotainment system for navigation, monitoring, control and entertainment of the vessel further enhance the experience.
