Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door spawns powerboat
German hot shop and US boat maker’s latest collaboration is a 1200kW four-motor cruise missileThe newest four-door supercar in Mercedes-AMG’s stable has become the inspiration for the latest 130km/h-plus floating missile for powerboat maker Cigarette Racing.
The US boat-maker, which specialises in building long, narrow rockets stretching up to 18 metres in length, has used the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-Door Coupe as the muse for the 1200kW Cigarette Racing AMG Carbon Edition, unveiled overnight at the 2019 Miami International Boat Show.
The boat has landed even before you can buy its road-going equivalent in Australia – the $349,900 470kW 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 four-door “sedan” version of the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Coupe isn’t expected to arrive here until June.
The Cigarette Racing AMG Carbon Edition was teased at the Bathurst 12 Hour early this month and marks a relationship between the German hot tuner and the US offshore powerboat maker that dates back to 2010 with the near-1000kW Cigarette 46 AMG.
In fact, this marks the 11th time that Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing have collaborated on a boat, and follows on from the jaw-dropping 2300kW Marauder GT R Performance boat unveiled last year.
The big difference in performance is related to the design of the boats; the 2018 Marauder GT R Performance used a pair of 9.0-litre Mercury Racing inboard V8 engines, staggered to pack them in more tightly together, while the 2019 AMG Carbon Edition uses a bank of four supercharged 2.6-litre Mercury Racing V6 outboards.
Despite shrinking in outright performance, the Cigarette Racing AMG Carbon Edition will still hit 130km/h with eight people on board, it’s claimed. Fully booking it with 20 people – the boat’s maximum number of passengers – and you’re limited to an undisclosed, but potentially still quick, cruising speed.
In contrast, the Mercedes-AMG will hit a top speed of 315km/h in the dry, but can only carry four people.
The boat’s striking looks come via a collaboration between Cigarette Racing and Mercedes-Benz designers.
The team’s focus was on weight reduction, skimming more than 220kg out of the hull by tapping into carbon-fibre technology. The hull is made from a lightweight core sandwiched in between an inner and outer skin of carbon. The boat’s deck, rudder, roof lining and hardtop laso tap the material.
Mercedes-Benz said the hull was painted in “designo graphite grey magno”, a contrasting matte and high-gloss finish developed exclusively for the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe.
The Merc-AMG touches extend to the inside, where the seat upholstery is colour-coordinated with the exterior and seam patterns exclusively designed for this special edition.
“Additionally, the interior features innovative ‘Cigarette Cool’ upholstery which is able to reflect up to 30 per cent of the absorbed heat,” Mercedes-Benz said.
“This technology made a darker color choice possible in the interior, while retaining a comfortable and luxurious atmosphere.”
Jump in the driver’s seat, and stretched across in front of you are three 17-inch full-HD Garmin touchscreens showing navigation charts and engine. The skipper can even tweak the onboard ambient lighting to match the mood without lifting a butt cheek.
No pricing was announced for the Cigarette Racing AMG Carbon Edition.
The 2019 Miami International Boat Show kicked off overnight in the US.
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