For 11 years, the car manufacturer Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing Team - legendary manufacturer of offshore racing cars - have been working together to produce a fast boat combining Mercedes AMG design and Cigarette technology. This new edition of the Miami International Boat Show (15 to 19 February 2018) was an opportunity for the two manufacturers to unveil their new - and 9th - collaboration: the Cigarette Racing 515 Project ONE.
The 51.5-foot (15.7 m) long and 9.5-foot (2.9 m) wide offshore racing car is inspired by the much-anticipated Mercedes-AMG Project ONE sports car, a hybrid supercar derived from Formula 1, whose prototype was unveiled in 2017 at the Frankfurt Motor Show and whose first model is expected to hit the road in 2019. This Miami-made boat was designed by designer Gorden Wagener, head of the Daimler Group's design department.
Designed in carbon fibre, kevlar and fibreglass for lightness, the Cigarette Racing 515 Project ONE is the most innovative boat the Cigarette Racing team has ever built, designed from scratch using the latest technologies and design methodologies.
"By directly transforming the technology used in Formula 1, by adapting the know-how from the track to the road, Mercedes-AMG's ONE project is our most ambitious and impressive vehicle to date. It's incredible to see our vision for water reinvented in such an impressive and very convincing form" explains Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Management Board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
Featuring 6 comfortable alcantara seats, it offers 30% more space than the 50 Marauder while delivering an even higher level of performance. The boat's deck is constructed entirely of carbon fibre to reduce the overall weight and lower the boat's centre of gravity. Carbon fibre is also used for the internal structural laminate of the hull, forward bulkheads, cabin, engine hatch, consoles and storage, again to save weight. For example, the air intakes, which are 2 m long and 30 cm wide, weigh only 2 kg. In comparison, Cigarette Racing 515 Project ONE is 10 feet longer than Cigarette Racing 41' SD GT3 but weighs 2267 kg less. Kevlar has also been used for its strength properties.
This boat is a jewel of technology, a true Formula 1 of the seas. As on cars, there are numerous air intakes on each side of the engine, on the freeboards.
Speaking of Formula 1, question of power, the a Cigarette Racing 515 Project ONE receives two Mercury engines of 1550 hp each (3100 hp), giving it the incredible speed of over 220 km/h! Fasten your seatbelts!
