ON BOARD / WILD WATER
affordable.It’sverymuchthesameasacar
companyutilisingcommonplatformsforarange
of differentmodels.”
The 500inthenamereferstothepowerprovided
by the twin250hpMercuryXSProV8engines,
which givetheboattrulyspine-tinglingacceleration
from theoff(justlikeatorque-ladenBrabuscar)and
can swiftlypushittoanexhilaratingtopspeedof
more than 60 knots.
As is thewaywithBrabuscars,itis
availableasaveryspecial,limitededitionof
28 examples– a number chosen to
correspondwiththewaterlinelengthinfeet
oftheboat’shull.Eachofthe 28 BlackOps
modelswillbepaintedthatdistinctive
gunmetalgrey,withthoseredinteriors
trimmedinwaterproofSilvertexfabric
that’sdeepquiltedinthetuninghouse’s
signaturestyle.
Brabus’sautomotivethemeis
reflectedinthecar-likesteering
wheel,carbonfibretrimand
minimalistswitchgearfoundin
thecockpit,whilethe“Shadow”
signals its ambitions to
accompanyasuperyacht.
“The Shadow range is
intendedasanultra-exclusive
dayboatorluxurytenderthatisfunandexhilarating
todrive;aboatthatownersandguestsalikecan
getbehindthewheelofanddrivejustlikeasports
car,”saysViitala.
Conditionsforourseatrialmaybelessthan
perfect,buttheyprovideagreatopportunityto
discoverwhatthistrulyspectacularcraftcan
handle.Itdoesn’tletusdown,provingsufficientto
giveusanideaofbothhowmuchfunitmustbeto
driveflat-outonacalmsea
- andhowpracticalitisasa
day or overnight boat
equippedwithcookingand
bathroomfacilitiesanda
cosysleepingarea.Allit
needstogowithitisa
Brabus Smart car for
collectingthegroceries
whenbackonland...B
TheBrabusShqdow 500
hasastepped
hull,enhancingits
stabilityathighspeeds
onthewater
The aluminium footplate
(left) and red upholstery
(below left) are typical
Brabus touches
61
boatinternational.com
I