I can remember the days when a Porsche enthusiast could never imagine the marque to manufacture anything other than a two door, high performance sports cars.
Well things certainly changed in 2002 when they released what was termed at the time, a mid-size luxury crossover or to the layman – an expensive high-performance SUV.
The Porsche Cayenne really broke some ground for the German manufacturer. It was the first V8 vehicle built since the Porsche 928 was discontinued in 1995, was the first off-road variant vehicle since they built the Super and Junior tractors in the 1950’s, and (shock horror), it was the first four door vehicle manufactured by Porsche.
Although the release of the Cayenne was hard for some in the Porsche community to fathom at the time, it can be argued that it saved the Porsche company from becoming non-existent. Today more than 80% of new Porsche’s sold around the world are four door and most of them are SUV’s.
So, lets really rattle the establishment cage a little more and build a sports boat, and make it electric …. what the!!!!!!!
Porsche recently announced a collaboration with Austrian Frauscher Shipyard to develop an exclusive electric sports boat. Equipped with the drive technology of the future Porsche Macan electric, the 8.67-metre-long day cruiser based on the Frauscher 858 Fantom Air which offers excellent driving characteristics, and it’s expected that the first run of 25 units will be for sale in 2024.
Although much is known about Porsche, Frauscher Boats doesn’t have quite the same profile, however their latest collaboration may change that. Engelbert Frauscher founded the boat-building firm in Vienna in 1927. Nearly a century later, the company has grown to become recognised as the most innovative family-run boatyard in Europe, specialising in premium motorboats, electric boats and yachts that set new standards in international boat building. In 2012, they moved to a new shipyard in Ohlsdorf in Upper Austria and have sales locations in Mallorca, and on the Côte d’Azur as well as in Miami, Florida.
If you love boats, you’ll love this website: www.frauscherboats.com
To some this would seem a strange collaboration, however Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman and Member of the Executive Board for Finance and IT at Porsche AG, believes it’s a very exciting opportunity for Porsche. “We stand for state-of-the-art, high-performance and sustainable luxury – and we are redefining this concept. Our goal is to inspire our customers and make their dreams come true. The Frauscher X Porsche 850 Fantom Air, like our sports cars, offers exceptional performance and luxury experiences.”
This article in the Marine Business News investigates the new Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air and especially how the Porsche Macan all-electric drive technology will make it a very special boat.