Making waves
Posted by Pat Devereux at 10:20AM on Tuesday 06 February, 2007 11 Comments
Get a load of this. It's a speedboat that's been designed to replicate on water the thrills of driving a supercar on the road.
The XSR 48 is the brainchild of several salty Englishmen who wanted to recreate the drama and performance of a Bugatti Veyron on the sea.
Capable of 109 wave-slicing miles per hour - that's Dover to Calais in just under 12 minutes - this fabulous-looking craft is powered by two 800bhp six-litre Isotta Fraschini diesel engines. It can also cruise at over 60mph for up to 300 miles.
And it's completely gorgeous. But then so it should be - it costs over £1m, or more than £190,000 more than the Veyron.
For that kind of money you'd expect to get some proper kit thrown in, and the XSR 48, which even looks like a supercar from the rear, doesn't disappoint.
Whereas the Veyron stiffs you with just two seats, the 48 has room for four, plus a sun deck. The Bugatti doesn't even have a sunroof.
The XSR spec also includes a bathroom with hot and cold running water, an integral shower - and a lightweight exposed carbon fibre crapper too. A little further back there's two beds, a fridge and even a microwave.
But perhaps the ultimate luxury is being able to use all of its performance without having to worry about being clocked and nicked by the cops.
You'd need a racetrack to do that in the Veyron, which would bring the total price to way beyond the cost of an XSR48.
Maybe that's why 80 filthy rich people have already signed up to own one of these: at £1m it's a bargain to them.
Maybe we should find out: XSR 48 vs Veyron to the tip of Spain. Be an interesting race, wouldn't it?
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11 Comments for "Making waves"
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Where can I get one from?
Wow that's amazing, but I think I'll stick to the four wheels of the Bugatti Veyron - it's way better-looking and cheaper!
800bhp from a diesel? Suddenly a Veyron does not seem so impressive.
Well, I never imagined saying the words 'Veyron' and 'cheap' in the same sentence... but hey, there's a first time for everything. Anyway, I'd rather have this than a Veyron. I mean, where on Earth are you gonna be able to push the Veyron to its limits? Legally speaking, of course. With this you can choose from about, uhm, let's round it off at about five million places. Not to mention that you can sleep, eat, shower and have a toilet onboard...
Well, I never imagined saying the words 'Veyron' and 'cheap' in the same sentence... but hey, there's a first time for everything. Anyway, I'd rather have this than a Veyron. I mean, where on Earth are you gonna be able to push the Veyron to its limits? Legally speaking, of course. With this you can choose from about, uhm, let's round it off at about five million places. Not to mention that you can sleep, eat, shower and have a toilet onboard...
Raz, if you could actually afford one, you wouldn't need to ask where to get one from. :)
Awesome boat, great article. Is the last paragraph a hint of something to come in this series of Top Gear, or the next one?
PS: Did a Google search for more images, none available.
Awesome boat, great article. Is the last paragraph a hint of something to come in this series of Top Gear, or the next one?
PS: Did a Google search for more images, none available.
A £1 million slice of extreme pie? It has to be worth it.
If the lottery jackpot comes my way, or I get a job cleaning Bill Gates's shoes, then I would be pushed to buy one. Until then, I'll stick with my Astra VXR.
That would be an interesting race. Need to have the Stig driving the boat. You could glue a captain's cap at a jaunty angle to the top of his helmet.
Saw her running on the Solent this weekend. Just the most awesomely beautiful thing I have ever seen on water. Clarkson recently said he said he wanted one so much it hurt, and when has the big man ever been wrong? Check out the company's website (www.xsmgworld.com), you certainly won't be disappointed.