36 YACHTINGAUGUST2 0 1 9There were its trademark short fi ns. A
hardtop with porthole windows, and a
soft top. Electric seats and power win-
dows, both features almost unheard of
in 1956. Whitewall tires. And chrome—
every where. ¶ The look was so aligned
with the Thunderbird brand, and so
ingrained in the psyche of American
motorheads, everyone knew her the
minute they saw her cruising down
the road, and the car always got a
thumbs-up when people passed by.¶ The same sensation those drivers
got seeing my dad’s car hit me when I
saw the Monte Carlo Yachts 66 sitting
quayside in Portopiccolo, Italy. Taking
in her profile, it was immediatelyevident that Monte Carlo Yachts’
brand DNA is strong. And purposeful.
¶ For example, the yacht’s porthole win-
dows amidships, fl anking the full-beam
master stateroom, are an MCY hallmark.
My eyes moved from there to the carbon-
fi ber retractable hardtop shading almost
the entire fl ybridge. There was the me-
tallic hull paint. Finally, I gazed at the
sweeping superstructure that fl owed
in the shape of a curious brow from the
fl ybridge down toward the teak cockpit.
¶ It’s because of these DNA traits,
among others, that when MCY created
its three 2019 models—a 70-footer
has also launched, and a 76-footer
is on its way—the builder chose notto make radical design changes but
rather take an evolutionary approach.
¶ So what are the changes to the MCY 66
compared with her 65-foot predecessor?
An extra foot of length, for sure. But
there is more: The amidships portholes
maintain the same shape as those on the
65, but they increased in size by about
20 percent, letting in more light and
enhancing views. There is also about a
foot of additional fl oor space in the new
master. The builder repositioned the
entrance to the stateroom and reposi-
tioned the shower to get those 12 inches.
¶ Additionally, there are 45-inch-long
rectangular windows with inset portholes
fl anking the forepeak VIP stateroom,REVIEWED> MONTE CARLO YACHTS 66When I fi rst saw the Monte
Carlo Yachts 66, I thought back
to my dad’s 1956 Thunderbird.
He spent the better part of
a decade restoring his beloved
two-seat convertible. The look
of the ‘56 was unmistakable.
FAMI LY T I E S
The Monte Carlo Yachts 66 is the entry-level vessel in a seven-model line stretching up to 105 feet length overall. Other models include 70-,
76-, 80-, 86- and 96-footers. The 66 is the smallest sister in this family, and the builder uses the same components to build her as
those used to construct the larger siblings. MCY will also customize the 66 to an owner’s desires, just like it would on its largest mega-yacht.