In June 2015 it was announced that yet another superyacht with a name inspired by a James Bond movie would be built, the 66-meter Spectre. Commissioned by American businessman, John Staluppi, the superyacht is set to become his 7th yacht.
Active in the automobile industry since the 1950s, Staluppi is best known for building the fastest yacht on Earth, the 40-meter The World is Not Enough along with the rest of his Bond fleet that keeps growing in length.
Moving up from an 18-meter Viking boat, Staluppi commissioned the 36-meter For Your Eyes Only from Denison as his first yacht. The semi-displacement yacht was eventually launched in 1985 and became the first motor yacht to have a combination of MTU engines with water-jets in the US, which allowed it to reach a top speed of 30 knots.
In the late eighties, For Your Eyes Only hit a sandbar which led to her taking in water from a crack in the engine room. The yacht was eventually salvaged, refitted and renamed with some speculating that the following alleged legal actions, combined with the sinking of two other Denisons within a short amount of time, led to the bankruptcy of the US shipyard.
In 1988, Octopussy was launched as Staluppi's second yacht in a successful attempt to build the fastest yacht in the world. A defining moment for Heesen Yachts, Octopussy had to reach 50 knots in order for Staluppi to take ownership of the boat, which it ultimately did, reaching a top speed of 53 knots. Staluppi eventually sold the 44-meter yacht after having used her for close to a year in and a half, which allowed him to start working on his next project, Moonraker.
A fast cruising trideck, Octopussy now features an interior by Art Line. Fully refitted by her current owners in 2015, the 44-meter now has a sundeck with a Jacuzzi and raised sun pads. On the upper deck, she features a sky lounge and her sporty bridge along with two dinning tables to her aft.
Down on her main deck is the yacht's main lounge with a myriad of seating areas, tall windows, a bar area and a TV screen that slides out amidst ship. Towards the yacht's aft is a dinning table for 12 guests that can be either opened up in good weather or closed down with glass panels. Forward of the deck is the main cabin with four additional guest cabins on the lower deck. The yacht's current owner's are selling it at $4,995,000.
By the time Octopussy was sold, HH the Aga Khan, was building a yacht to overtake the crown of the world's fastest yacht. Staluppi therefore set out to build an even faster one and the 36-meter Moonraker was eventually delivered in 1992 by Norship with a design done by Dutch-based Mulder.
In 1998, Staluppi set up his own business in yachting, Millenium Superyachts that was to handle his project in the superyacht industry. In 2004, the newly created label delivered The World Is Not Enough, a 40-meter yacht with 20,600hp that could reach a top speed of 70 knots but couldn't steer past 66 knots according to the owner.
In October 2007, Staluppi acquired a project in-build from Henry Luken, co-owner of Christensen Shipyards. In 2008, the 49.6-meter Casino Royale which can cruise at a more regular speed of 12 knots, was delivered to her new owner. Built out of composite, the full displacement yacht came in at just under 500GT. It was later listed for sale in December 2008 and sold in April 2009 to Californian businessman, David McDonald.
Built with a more traditional, American audience in mind, Casino Royale features a straightforward layout with a full-beam master cabin forward of the main deck, 2 guest, 2 twin and one VIP cabin on the lower deck. With two tenders and three jet skis carried onboard, Casino Royale features a lounge on the main deck and a sky lounge as well.
In July 2009, Staluppi acquired Midlandia, a 52-meter Benetti with an asking price of €19,950,000, which he renamed to Quantum of Solace and extensively refitted. In August 2009, he listed the boat for sale again at an asking price of $24,995,000 and eventually sold it, two years later, in July 2011.
Designed with Italian roots at its heart, Quantum of Solace has a layout more typical of yachts found in the Mediterranean. Its main tender is brought into a tender garage aft of the lower deck, with a foldable platform for swimming. This clears out the sundeck for lounging, sunbathing, casual dinning and leaves enough space up there for a Jacuzzi.
In a configuration that has proven popular for charters, Quantum of Solace's main deck features a main salon and dinning room with an outdoor lounging area towards the aft. Up on the second deck is a large sky lounge with a playing table, bar area, lounging area and large outdoor dinning table.
In November 2011, Diamonds are Forever was launched for Staluppi who had acquired the yacht whilst in-built, 18 months prior to its delivery. Throughout the construction project, Staluppi made several substantial improvements including the addition of an extra top deck.
Originally intended to be chartered out by its owners, Diamonds are Forever was listed for sale in August 2012, asking $63 million. In October 2012, her asking price was reduced to $59.5 million and she was eventually sold in December 2013.
With a number of features mirroring the Quantum of Solace, such as the large bar area in the sky lounge, Diamonds are Forever became a refined version of Staluppi's previous builds. The main attribute that set the yacht apart from other Benetti's of her size is the addition of a fifth deck to act as a sunbathing area, creating a second master cabin on the upper deck and pushing the bridge up to the third deck.
Born in Brooklyn in 1947, Staluppi started as a mechanic at 16 years old with a life long passion for cars during the golden era of automobiles. His first business became a Sunoco station, which he established thanks to a loan that his father took on.
After establishing a chain of gas stations, Staluppi risked bringing on an unknown car manufacturer at the time to the American market, which is now known as Honda. After 10 years, Staluppi established 20 dealerships of Honda cars in the United States. After Honda, Staluppi established a network of dealerships of Hyundai cars.
An avid collector of cars, Staluppi had established a museum around cars from all eras and an extensive personal collection. In 2012, these cars were put up for auction by RM Sotheby's in Palm Beach and generated over $11,5 million in sales revenue.
"John Staluppi is larger than life and well known in the collector-car hobby. His collection reflects a very precise collecting philosophy, focused on securing only the very best." said Donnie Gould of RM Auctions at the time of the auction.
Commissioned in July 2015, Spectre will become Staluppi's seventh superyacht named after a James Bond film and will also be designed by Mulder.
Madame Gu is a 99.00 m luxury motor yacht. She was built by Feadship in 2013. This week this majestic superyacht has been seen in Saint Tropez. With a beam of 16.50m and a draft of 4.60m, she has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. This adds up to a gross tonnage of 2900 tones.Madame Gu is powered by MTU 20V 4000 M73 engines of 4,828hp each, capable of reaching a maximum speed of 24 knots and cruise at 22 knots.She can accommodate 12 guests in 6 cabins including a master stateroom and five guest cabins. Both, an interior and exterior design by Andrew Winch make up one of Holland’s largest yachts ever built. The superyacht a fully enclosed helicopter hangar with a Eurocopter Dauphin AS 365N3, which costs around US$ 9 million. Also, there are two 11-metre tenders and scuba gear as well as a beach club, gym, and jacuzzi on deck.
July 9, 2020
Lürssen shipyard delivered 180 metre superyacht Azzam in 2013. With such an impressive length, she is the largest privately owned superyacht in the world and held its title unchallenged for nearly seven years. With a beam of 20.8 m and a draft of 4.3 m, she has a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. This adds up to a gross tonnage of 13136 tons. Azzam is powered by engines of 23,500 hp each giving her a maximum speed of 30 knots.The all-white motor yacht can accommodate guests in cabins with an interior design by Christophe Leoni and an exterior design by Italian studio Nauta Design.Mario Pedol, co-founder of Nauta Design commented:Azzam features balanced, modern architecture composed of straight lines and proportional volumes, which are some of the main design principles of Nauta Design When we were called to participate in pitching for the exterior styling of this yacht we knew it would be the most demanding work of our career, defined by the strictest and most challenging requests in terms of dimensions, performances, and technology. What made us confident to be able to deal with such a challenge was the interpretation of the client’s brief. The best technology was required in order to obtain the highest performance possible.There is not much information about her interior design, but it’s not a secret that the interior layout includes an open-plan main saloon measuring 29 metres by 18 metres.Pedol said about it:We’ve had a lot of compliments for Azzam. They all talk about elegance and balance, that she doesn’t look as big as she is, and I think this is a good achievement.
July 9, 2020
Dutch shipyard Lynx Yachts is happy to announce the delivery of the 27.3-metre motor yacht Roe Shadow to her owner in the Netherlands after successful sea trials out on the North Sea.She is the second YXT 24 Evolution model by the shipyard with an all-Dutch design. The vessel’s naval architecture was created by Diana Yacht Design and her exterior design by Bernd Weel with a minimalistic Scandinavian interior by Darnet Design. The YXT 24 Evolution is a model developed with a clear objective: to deliver more for owners. Filippo Rossi, Lynx sales and marketing manager commented:We are very proud of this new vessel and want to express our special thanks to the whole team involved in the construction.In particular, we also want to thank the owner, his representative and ACP Surveyors, for the great cooperationduring the lockdown and this unprecedented period, we are all facing.There is an impressive 24-square-metre beach platform on the lower deck with direct access to the sea. The 100-inch outdoor screen gives opportunities for amazing movie nights or sporting events. The versatility of this yacht makes it easy to stow whatever an owner wants.The 24-square-metre main deck offers 9.8 metre Pascoe beach lander, two Sea Doos, and a knuckle boom crane with a load capacity of 3.930 tonnes.She is powered by two 800hp MAN engines and has a cruising speed of 12 knots and a top speed of 13 knots.
July 9, 2020
An exceptionally spacious 61 m luxury motor yacht, Lady Kathryn V was built by famous German shipyard Lurssen and delivered in 2011. The yacht with a defining racing-red stripe along her hull has the exterior design by the renowned Espen Øino. Her classical and elegant interiors were created by Adam Lay Studio to a unique nautical theme: stripes in blue and whites, complemented by rich woods, give her a classic look and feel.Most impressive areas on Lady Kathryn V include the sunbathing area, enabling views far out to the sea from the sunpads. There’s even a private golf driving range. Additionally, she features a full gym and a water toy box. Lady Kathryn V has two sea kayaks, two stand up paddleboards, two jet ski’s, two seabobs, inflatable tubes, water skis, wakeboards, and two 23′ tenders.With a beam of 11.4 m and a draft of 3.6 m, she has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. She is powered by Caterpillar engines of 1980 hp each giving her a maximum speed of 15.5 knots and a cruising speed of 12 knots. Lady Kathryn V's maximum range is estimated at 7000 nautical miles.The motor yacht can accommodate 12 guests in 6 cabins including a forward owner's suite complete with a sea terrace, with a crew of 14 members.
July 8, 2020
Aquila is a 85.6 m luxury motor yacht. Launched by Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2010, she has recently undergone an extensive 12-month refit program. Aquila is designed by Tim Heywood with the traditional interior by Elizabeth Dalton of Dalton Designs. Now her original interiors were replaced by a new design courtesy of Redman Whitely Dixon. Tony Dixon, director at Redman Whitely Dixon, commented: We selected a mix of dark wood finishes, pale leather panels with nickel trim and many new special surface materials all interplaying together to offer subtle style variations throughout the interior.The interior was remodeled to ensure a smooth flow between each area, the installation has been carried out by German interior specialists Metrica.She is currently the largest private yacht ever constructed in the United States by volume and in 2016 she became the largest yacht ever refitted in the UK. The refit consisted of a complete revitalization of all five deck levels. Aquila was definitely reborn after such massive recondition at Falmouth-based shipyard Pendennis. The project team refurbished all of the social spaces, overhauling the technical systems, and renewing the interior of over 750 square metres.The yacht, owned by Charles and Diane Gallagher, has a beam of 14.3 m and a draft of 4.2 m. has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. This adds up to a gross tonnage of 2998 tons. She is powered by MTU engines of 3306 hp each giving her a maximum speed of 18 knots and a cruising speed of 15 knots. During the refit, her four generators were completely rebuilt and other upgrades included new radar equipment, AV and IT systems, air conditioning, fresh air handling systems.The motor yacht, which can accommodate 14 guests in 7 cabins, how has got a brand new glass chandelier by Susan Young. With more than 850 pieces of hand-blown glass, this masterpiece centerpieces cascades 11.2 metres through four of Aquila’s five decks.Other improvements include a reconfiguration of the owner's suite together with a 60m2 private deck area and repositioning of the Jacuzzi to the forward deck. Their guests can also enjoy a movie on a 98-inch widescreen cinema store into a floating box to prevent sound and vibration emissions.For this expensive refit, Aquila has already won the Neptune for Best Refit at the World Superyacht Awards in 2017.
July 8, 2020