Barchetta: Jaguar designer creates the Andare Attivo electric boat
Keith Helfet will forever be remembered for his masterpiece, the Jaguar XJ220 – one of the first supercars capable of 200-mph speeds and an elegant super-cat worthy of the Jaguar badge if ever there was one (to make no mention of the aborted Jaguar F-type concept.) But now the automotive designer has grown some sea legs and ventured out to the waves.
The Andare Attivo is a three-and-a-half meter (11.4 foot) runabout boat. As you can see from the image, the boat features a catamaran-style twin-keel hull that makes it more stable and quicker across the water's surface. Power comes from an electric motor fueled by two 12-volt batteries, which means no noise, no gasonline, no fumes. Just an easy-to-operate fun little boat.
The top of the boat can be expanded to accommodate two people sleeping inside, with fresh running water and electrical power. The target price is £10,000, making it far more affordable than most boats on the water, which, combined with its ease-of-use, means more people will get to enjoy quality time riding the waves, all with a lower impact on the environment. While it's certainly not the XJ220 of water borne travel, it does have the style of a much more expensive ship.
[Source: Auto Express and Cowes Online]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
filtar 11:43AM (10/23/2006)
The photo loks sweet, but the chars are a bit wicked... is it diesel for shure?
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Howard Kerr 11:40AM (10/23/2006)
HEY, LADY PENELOPE, your new car is here.
(am I the only one who remembers that puppet show from the 50's-60's...The Thunderbirds?)
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Dr. Woo 11:54AM (10/23/2006)
Ah, the XJ220, the supercar which fell short of its claimed 220 mph top-speed, fell short of customer expectations, and fell short of its concept's promised engineering feats. I call a supercar whose manufacturer offered buyouts to its customers rather than face lawsuits a near-failure at least.
Still, 217 mph was pretty impressive back in 1991.
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Bill P. 2:09PM (10/23/2006)
As a professional yacht designer myself, I can tell you that car designers always think they know how to design anything. In this case, as usual, the automobile stylist ought to have spared himself the riducle he'll endure from those who've spent years earning naval architecture or marine engineering degrees.
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ws 4:55PM (10/23/2006)
Would love to see an electric Jet Ski next. An electric motor solves the 2 problems that get them banned: noise and pollution.
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Paul Davies 4:16PM (11/30/2006)
For gods sake it`s Sincler C5 ,Wet version.
Be interesting to see if any sell.
I suppose you could always play with it in the bath..
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