Benzes and Boats

After receiving a regal unveiling at the recent Miami Beach 2010 Boat Show, the Cigarette 46’ Rider is accelerating heart rates around the globe as the latest luxurious, technologically innovative, and powerfully imposing masterpiece born out of the inspired collaboration between Cigarette Racing and Mercedes-Benz AMG. Featuring the most mechanically advanced high-performance marine power engine ever built, the 46’ Rider is a revolutionary vessel that serves as the technological showcase for Cigarette, with an estimated top speed in excess of 130 mph. Its exceedingly sleek design was inspired by Mercedes’ new SLS AMG automobile.

Based on an unrivaled reputation for quality and performance, Cigarette Racing boats are a mind-boggling marvel in their own rights, but when the company’s president and CEO, Skip Braver, began plans for an innovative and groundbreaking model, he knew exactly where to look for that inspiration. At the time, AMG was also in the midst of developing a new model for its luxury line of vehicles, with the aspiration of building the ultimate super sports car, the SLS AMG. Thus, Braver easily found the inspiration he was searching for.

The remarkable collaboration that resulted in the 46’ Rider was born out of a long-term professional relationship and mutual product admiration between Mercedes AMG and Cigarette Racing. These two legendary performance brands came together to engineer a boat that unequivocally demonstrates that excellence.

While the SLS AMG inspired the overall design concept of the 46’ Rider, the Cigarette Racing Team wanted to ensure that they built a boat that used the AMG inspirations to push them forward while still maintaining the admired Cigarette heritage. To achieve this, the two brands worked closely together, but the minds behind the masterpiece never forgot the careful calculations needed to make the vessel undeniably a Cigarette creation.

The AMG influence can most readily be found in the 46’ Rider’s exclusive hand-applied AMG Alubeam Silver paintwork, which is also featured on the SLS AMG. Used exclusively by AMG, the paintwork covers the body of the vessel like a metallic skin, with imbedded light reflectors emphasizing the clean lines and design details. To contrast the run of silver on the side of the hull, the designers opted for a hue called “AMG Designo Mystic White” to create a bold emblem that mirrors the Mercedes-AMG logo.

What is more important to boating enthusiasts, however, is what you do not necessarily see at first glance. Setting a new bar for high performance, the 46’ Rider features AMG-inspired components that revolutionize the experience of power boating. Manufactured with a propulsion system and rigging resembling the same system that powers the SLS AMG, and a clean-sheet approach in addition to the extraordinary use of a pair of revolutionary twin-turbocharged 552 ci, 1350 horsepower Mercury Racing engines, the 46’ Rider is the culmination of advanced design and technology. In order to accommodate the direct air-induction and achieve the strong horsepower produced by each engine, a number of engineering revisions and innovations were required to create a specifically designed engine hatch. With more than 100 innovations on display, the boat is a commanding reminder of the true capability of a Cigarette.

Cigarette Racing boats have been leaving their legendary marks on waterways since 1969. With a globally recognized logo and iconic designs, Cigarette boats continue to set the standard for powerboating. Renowned for a custom approach to manufacturing, Cigarette Racing finishes each boat with the individual customer’s personal touch. Equally devoted to its drivers, Mercedes-AMG provides incomparable customer support for its superior-quality luxury vehicles. With a philosophy based on handcrafted precision, dynamic performance, luxury and style, and classic lines with just a hint of aggression, AMG zealously outdoes itself as it steadily increases the number of passionate and dedicated admirers.

Acknowledging that “each brand’s playground is as different as asphalt and water,” both AMG and Cigarette use their individual racing proficiency to immaculately develop high-performance machines suited for passionate aficionados who not only appreciate quality and luxury, but who also experience it on a daily basis, regardless of the surface below.