Get ready to see a Prancing Horse on the high seas.
Ferrari is building a high-tech sailing yacht for ocean racing, according to a statement shared on Wednesday. The new Ferrari Hypersail will also be the first 100-foot yacht in the world to be entirely energy self-sufficient, according to Ferrari.
The Hypersail name is a nod, of course, to the marque’s lightning-fast hypercars and racing heritage, with the 100-footer taking cues from the three-time Le Mans-winning 499P. “Designing a yacht for offshore racing is perhaps the ultimate expression of endurance,” said Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
Sailor Giovanni Soldini is spearheading the project, with help from the Ferrari team and other experts in the marine industry. “Giovanni Soldini is a key pillar of this project, not only because of his achievements as a sailor but also his unmatched experience in yacht development and construction,” adds Elkann. French naval architect Guillaume Verdier designed the foiling yacht, drawing upon the design prowess and technical expertise of the Ferrari team while injecting his signature style. Verdier and his team design high-performance monohulls and multihulls for competition, meaning he knows how to create a speed machine for the high seas.
Ferrari
Elkann says the Hypersail will “fly across the oceans.” The existing foiling yachts on the water have already achieved this. The foils essentially lift hulls above the waves, allowing the vessels to “fly” over the water with less drag and more speed than a traditional planing yacht. The Hypersail may fly more smoothly than other foilers on the market, though. The monohull will stabilise its flight on three points of contact. Verdier’s innovative design will use a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, with the other two contact points being a foil on the rudder and the two lateral foils.
Ferrari says the yacht will sail with a flight control system shaped by technology from the automotive industry. Foiling yachts are typically equipped with software that adjusts the foils hundreds of times a second to maintain safe, level flight.
Ferrari claims the Hypersail will be able to soar across the ocean for extended periods, with “no stopovers, no pit stops, and no external support of any kind,” according to the automaker. The monohull is designed to run exclusively on renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, and kinetic energy. There will be no combustion engine on board—sorry, V-8 fans—with all the power required to run the control and motion systems for the foils, the keel and rudder, and the onboard computers and instruments generated autonomously while under sail.
Ferrari isn’t the first notable nameplate to dive into the marine industry. Porsche is making a 28-foot zero-emission day cruiser, BMW has unveiled a 43-foot electric foiling yacht, and Lamborghini has debuted a high-speed 63-foot motor yacht. Aston Martin, Bugatti, and Lexus have also previously collaborated with shipyards.
The yacht is currently under construction in Italy, with the launch expected in 2026. It will then undergo sea trials.
This story was previously published on Robb Report USA.
