Mercedes and Cigarette Racing make a splash with GT3-inspired boat
The Miami International Boat Show started this week, and that means there's an all-new powerboat dressed up like a high-performance Mercedes. The Cigarette Racing Team and Mercedes have teamed up once again, picking up where they left off with last year'sGT S-inspired boat to create a GT3 boat. If this 2,200-hp (1,640 kW) open-top harpoon doesn't bring the thrill of car racing to the open seas, few vessels have a chance.
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For the better part of a decade, Mercedes and Cigarette Racing have been partnering on high-powered, high-speed boats that showcase the best of both brands. In the past, their efforts have resulted in impressive designs like the "world's most powerful electric boat"and the five-engine Huntress.
Their latest effort, the Cigarette Racing Team 41' SD GT3, follows last year's GT S boat the way the actual Mercedes-AMG GT3 race car followed the GT S. The "racy" 22,500-lb (10,200-kg) boat was designed under the direction of Daimler's design chief Gorden Wagener. It features AMG racing livery to match the GT3 car, a complete teak floor, a full marine grade leather interior and matte components. The cockpit includes three HD 17-in displays, computerized controls, Bluetooth, and next-gen navigation and audio.
While the Mercedes-AMG GT3 is plenty potent on the track, its 6.3-liter V8 looks rather puny compared to the SD GT3's layout of dual 1,100-hp Mercury Racing engines powering NXT6 racing drives. That setup gives the captain a good deal more speed than he's likely to need on the average outing – up to over 100 mph (161 km/h).
The annual Mercedes-Cigarette boats tend to be designed more for show and joint advertising than for actual production value, but Cigarette Racing does invite interested buyers to request pricing for the SD GT3. Before you pick up the phone, you should know that last year's boat wore a US$1.2 million price tag.
You don't have to buy it to check it out, though. The Miami boat show runs through Monday.