Automakers and boat builders don?t often mix, unless we?re talking about Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing, which have been working together since 2007. Indeed, AMG and CR mix it up to bring some form of floating fantasy inspired by an AMG-branded product?real or imagined?to the annual Miami International Boat Show each February. Past efforts include an SLS-inspired 46-foot speedboat in 2010, a G63-inspired Huntress, a Cigarette AMG Electric Drive concept in 2013, and last year?s incredible 3100-hp Mercedes-AMG GT R?inspired 50-foot GT R Marauder that celebrated AMG?s 50th anniversary. How to top that" With this year?s marine masterpiece: the Cigarette Racing 515 Project One.
As its name implies, the 515 Project One was inspired by Mercedes-AMG?s recently revealed $2.7 million Project One hypercar, essentially a Formula 1 car with fenders. Like the GT R Marauder, the 515 Project One is not powered by AMG-built engines but by a pair of Mercury Racing V-8s churning out 1550 horsepower apiece, mounted in a staggered arrangement in the engine bay. The speedboat is 51 feet, five inches in length, about the same as last year?s beastly five-seat GT R Marauder, but with its nine-and-a-half-foot beam, it?s nearly two feet wider, allowing it to seat six.
In spite of the additional breadth, the intensive use of Kevlar, carbon fiber, and ?E-glass? from stem to stern helped keep weight below 14,000 pounds, according to Mercedes-AMG, compared with 14,200 pounds for last ye...