Great Machines: Watercraft: Ferrari in the Wet
June 1, 2008
To be specific, the boat features touchscreen-adjustable Cantalupi interior lighting, automatically deploying spoilers, and the usual litany of flat-screen TVs, iPod-ready sound systems as well as a bar with a sink and refrigerator. Perhaps the most Ferrari-esque feature are the seats, virtual cocoons that make an Enzo’s side bolsters look downright flimsy.
As for who might be the prime market for the PF 36, its designer doesn’t hesitate. "We’re probably talking about [it serving as] a really nice tender for a mega-yacht." That said, the PF 36’s goal was to launch the firm at a price point that was rarified but not hallucinatory. "We wanted to shoot high, but still have the boat be relatively affordable," says Pininfarina. He adds that an even more family-friendly Pininfarina-designed Challenger vessel will debut later this year—it will have a slightly detuned powerplant and an even greater emphasis on deck-side lounging amenities.
"Over the past three years, we have launched three boats in Europe, but we knew we had to approach the U.S. market in a completely different way," he says. "America, after all, is another world, another speed, another temperature. Our effort had to be elegant without being cold. It had to be sporty. I think this boat perfectly reflects our attitude, inside and out."
Not that all buyers will need Pininfarina’s pointed historical references and artful explanations to be coaxed into buying a PF 36 Limited Edition. For anyone with stile italiano coursing through their veins, those rakish lines, that brilliant red, those plush seats—and, yes, that sleek logo racing across those pinched stern flanks—will be reasons enough.
Challenger Powerboats, www.challengerpowerboats.com
Pininfarina Extra, extra.pininfarina.com
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