Mercedes-Benz Style and Silver Arrows Marine create 14-metre motor yacht: Mercedes-Benz Style to present the looks for first ‘Silver Arrows’ motor yacht in Monaco

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More than 125 years after Gottlieb Daimler built the first motorised boat and cruised up the River Neckar, Mercedes-Benz Style and Silver Arrows Marine are presenting designs for a luxury motor yacht against the backdrop of the 2012 Monaco Yacht Show. The 14-metre-long seagoing Granturismo combines design elements typical of Mercedes-Benz automobiles with innovations hitherto unknown in the boat industry. The result is a progressive and emotionally appealing luxury yacht featuring the passionate design language of Mercedes-Benz. The yacht also represents the next stage in Daimler's vision of all-encompassing mobility: along with Mercedes-Benz vehicles on land and the Eurocopter EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style in the air, mobility on water under the aegis of the three-pointed star will also soon now be possible.

The motor yacht is being developed and will be built by UK-registered boat-building company Silver Arrows Marine whose team includes world renowned marine architects Martin Francis and Tommaso Spadolini, between them responsible for some of the most capable and luxurious craft in the world today. The ‘Silver Arrow of the seas’ is due to come on to the market in 2013.

“Giving shape to a boat was an exciting challenge for automotive designers like we are,” said Gorden Wagener, Head of Design Mercedes-Benz Cars, at the presentation of the yacht's design in Monaco. “Our task was to explore how to apply the Mercedes-Benz design language to the particular proportions and specific requirements of a boat. We wanted to create something special and what we have come up with is indeed unique. The ‘Silver Arrow of the seas’ embodies pure emotion and stands for luxury, style and pleasure.”

The crème de la crème of designers and boatbuilders

The new yacht, styled by Mercedes-Benz designers, is being engineered by the project partner, Silver Arrows Marine. “Silver Arrows Marine is a new brand with the best team of experts for extremely high-end maritime products,” Gorden Wagener said. As well as Martin Francis and Tommaso Spadolini, the Silver Arrows Marine team consists of specialists in all areas of luxury yacht development and construction.

Mercedes-Benz Style and Silver Arrows Marine have been working closely together to implement the designers’ interior and exterior style concepts in line with their precise specifications. The Mercedes-Benz Style team has been involved in the project from the beginning, collaborating with Silver Arrows Marine on the yacht’s innovative layout and use of space, shaping the exterior and interior and choosing materials and colour combinations. Silver Arrows Marine is responsible for the boat's technical equipment and construction, with the first yacht expected to be launched within a year of the presentation of its design.

On the design collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Style, Silver Arrows Marine Chairman Ron Gibbs said: “It has been a privilege to work with professionals as passionate about design as we are passionate about boats and the sea. I am confident that together we can deliver innovation and elegance in a motor yacht that changes the way people see boats in this class.”

Granturismo in its finest form

At 14 metres in length, the new yacht's design makes it suitable for a wide range of uses. The innovative versatility and intelligent use of space are particularly impressive. While ideal for a day on the water with friends, the motor yacht can also offer overnight accommodation. The elegant and timeless interior appointments offer a level of comfort and luxury commensurate with the Mercedes-Benz name.

About Mercedes-Benz Style

In addition to their work in the field of automotive design, the designers at Mercedes-Benz have been working since 2010 on a range of designs for other products, in cooperation with selected partners. The first product to come onto the market, in 2011, was the Eurocopter EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style helicopter, the first of which have now been delivered to customers. This was followed in 2012 by an exclusive furniture collection, produced in cooperation with the Formitalia Luxury Group, one of Italy's leading manufacturers of designer furniture. The Mercedes-Benz Style label encompasses transport-related products as well as furniture and lifestyle products.

About Silver Arrows Marine

Silver Arrows Marine is a collective of internationally renowned marine architects and engineers who are behind some of the greatest luxury motor yachts currently in service. Registered in the UK, Silver Arrows Marine works on an exclusive basis with leading specialists in all fields of luxury motor yacht design, development and construction to build high-end boats that make no compromises in their elegance, functionality and sheer usability.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Princely visit to Stuttgart: H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and H.S.H. Princess Charlène visit Mercedes-Benz Museum

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As part of their two-day visit to Germany, H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco and H.S.H. Princess Charlène today toured the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. During an exclusive guided tour of the exhibition the princely couple was able to experience a unique journey through time, from the very beginnings of automotive industry and on into the future. H.S.H Prince Albert II, himself the owner of a superb collection of classic and young classic cars, was clearly delighted to see the Museum's unique and comprehensive display of more than 125 years of automotive history. As well as admiring the fascinating collection of classic cars bearing the three-pointed star, the Prince showed a particular interest in the research and development work undertaken by Mercedes-Benz in the field of sustainable mobility.

"We are very honoured that Prince Albert II and his wife visited the Mercedes-Benz Museum during their first official visit to Germany and have taken the opportunity to find out more about our road to emission-free mobility", commented Dr Joachim Schmidt, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Sales and Marketing.

The Prince and the Princess have a keen interest in issues around environmental protection, sustainability and renewable forms of energy. The exhibition at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, as a place of innovation, not only demonstrates the fascinating history of the Mercedes-Benz brand, but also offers some revealing glimpses into future mobility. The newly designed exhibition room Legend 6 "New Start - The Road to Emission-free Mobility" presents the different drive-system variants - from the optimised internal combustion engine through electric and hybrid drive systems to the fuel cell.

In late 2009 Prince Albert II was able to test the fuel cell-powered Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL and the smart fortwo electric drive for himself on the streets of Monaco.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2012: Race Report - Lewis Hamilton 5th, Jenson Button retired

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LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-27A-03
- Started: 3rd
- Finished: 5th
- Fastest lap: 1m18.806s (+1.510s, 4th)
- Pitstops: One: lap 29 [Opt-Pri]
- 2012 Points: 63 (4th)

“I had a pretty poor start - I didn’t understand why that happened - and I was lucky not to get caught up in the first-corner crash.

“During the race, I struggled in the low-speed corners and found looking after the rear tyres tough. To make them last as long as we did, while trying to keep up with the pace of the guys in front, was one of the trickiest things I’ve had to do in a race.

I lost time at my pitstop and gave away a place to Fernando, and then Sebastian was able to get past me after he made his own stop. After that, it was impossible to overtake. Today wasn’t the best result for me - I really dislike going backwards in a race - but I think I got everything I could out of the car.

We came away with some points, and there are many more races ahead, but we’ve definitely got some work to do because, race by race, we’re struggling to keep up with the leaders. The other teams are picking up serious pace, too. 

We can’t let them pull away from us - but we’re a fantastic team, we’ll knuckle down together, and we’ll really push on now.”

JENSON BUTTON
- MP4-27A-02
- Started: 12th
- Finished: Retired (lap 70, puncture)
- Fastest lap: 1m19.923s (+2.627s, 18th)
- Pitstops: One: lap 39 [Pri-Opt]
- 2012 Points: 45 (7th)

“At the start, Kamui almost landed on top of me because he’d been launched off someone else. Then I almost got stuck at the exit of Sainte Devote, but I just managed to squeeze through.

After my stop, I got caught behind Heikki - we weren’t really fighting, but if you position your car in the right place around here then it’s impossible to overtake. That’s quite frustrating when you’re so much quicker than the guy in front.

Finally, I had a look up the inside of Turn 15, we touched, and I had a puncture. Game over.

Today’s result stems from a poor qualifying performance and being unlucky at the start. Also, when you start from the mid-grid, you’re more prone to incidents.

It wasn’t my day today - but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.”

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

“This year’s Monaco Grand Prix won’t go down as one of the most triumphant in McLaren’s glorious Monte-Carlo history - since, although Lewis finished just four seconds behind Mark today, in truth the smallness of that deficit was partly occasioned by the unique combination of the drivers’ need to drive with tyre conservation in mind and a circuit on which overtaking is well-nigh impossible.

As a consequence, Mark was able to back the field up in the closing stages, without risking his lead. Still, Lewis scored a useful 10 points, and lies only 13 points off the drivers’ world championship lead.

Jenson had a frustrating afternoon, striving to make up ground from 12th on the grid, the result of which was ultimately a lap-71 DNF. Our next stop will be Montreal, another non-purpose-built racetrack, but one on which overtaking is at least feasible.

Jenson won brilliantly there last year, and Lewis won superbly there the year before - so, although we weren’t able to add to our unrivalled record of 15 wins here at Monaco this afternoon, you can rest assured that in two weeks’ time we’ll be aiming to score a hat-trick of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Canadian Grand Prix victories.”

~ Official photos and report courtesy of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ~

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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