28 CLASSIC BOAT OCTOBER 2016
MARCEL BICH
the jetset – and Brigitte Bardot. But, from 1957, it was
rather in the crystal-clear, blue waters of Hyères and
Brégançon that the stunning Liuzzi runabout, as
muscular as a beach lifeguard and cute as an American
convertible car, drew its trail for years of family days
out waterskiing, interrupted occasionally by the
odd inevitable mechanical breakdowns and some
gentler day cruising.
Then, in 1965, fate knocked on the hull of Laurence
II, when its engine broke down within sight of Captain
Jo, who was cruising nearby on a yacht. The skipper and
local legend was to point the Baron Bich in the direction
of the 12-M Sovereign, the English challenger in the
America’s Cup the previous year, and then towards the
glorious three-masted schooner Shenandoah. Buying
Sovereign was the prelude to a series of French
challenges between 1967 and 1980, from France 1 to
France 3. The New York Yacht Club would often
acknowledge the sportsmanship and the elegance of
Marcel Bich and his yachts. But that is another story...
The runabout Laurence II has never left the Bich
family. These days, the boat is being cared for and
maintained immaculately, as a reminder of the good old
days when Baron Bich in his swimsuit would sit proudly
at the wheel with a young son on his knee.Above: the design of the
Luizzi is influenced by the
automotive style of
Maserati or Ferrari.
Below left: engineer Pasti
has been at BPM since the
end of 1960s and he likes
to test every engine
at the bench.
Below right: BPM’s V6
Super Atlantic of 5.2L and
more than 250hp is
a classic.Frantz Liuzzi was an atypical boatbuilder
in many respects. He began to make his
name from 1937 with nicely crafted light
dinghies and canoes before dashing into
the runabout field after the Second
World War.
The first successful model, named
France-Craft, was a clear reference to the
world-famous Chris-Craft range. But,
unlike the hulls of his Michigan mentor,
Liuzzi built his wooden hulls on a mould
in double layers, referring to the method
as a ‘monocoque’. Liuzzi promised to
make no less than “the most luxurious,
the fastest and the strongest speedboat
hulls in the world”.
A hot-headed racing driver and
builder, he claimed multiple race wins
and world records.
From 1950 on, he established himself
as an exceptional builder of semi-
bespoke boats for a demanding clientele.
From the stern of one his canoes in the
1930s to the disctinctive wings like those
on a Cadillac during the ‘space race’ 50s,
the design of many of his craft became
icons of their era, much loved by the
movie stars and industrialists of the age.
The French automobile magazine
Moteurs in 1958 described Frantz Liuzzi
as being a mix of Amedeo Gordini and
Christian Dior in the boating business.
Today, only a few examples of his work
are still in existence, lovingly preserved
by their owners, sometimes a legacy to
the next generations as is the case with
Laurence II, a new boat that has
remained in the same family since 1957.Boatyard for the
movie starsLuizzi maintained friendly relations
with another big fan of boats, Hawk
of the Seas, Errol Flynn