Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 39

High-tech dining area in
the “118 WallyPower”:
carbon fibre Foster table
and Vitra chairs.
The “118 WallyPower”
ranks as the fastest
motor yacht in the world.
Elegant and luxurious:
Wally yachts are
extensively equipped
below deck, too.
Wally yachts are easy
to control even in
challenging conditions.
Peter Hannemann was a writer at Die Welt
for 25 years and at Handelsblatt for six years.
Today he is a freelance author, writing for
the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung amongst
other publications.
PHOTOS: WALLY
37AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
This 36 metre long stealth boat has drive
turbines worthy of a jet plane. Three of them, to-
gether mustering 16,800 horsepower, propel it at
a speed of more than 60 knots. The equivalent of
110 km/h on the water feels like about 300 km/h
on a road. This is another world to relaxed cruis-
ing, and more like riding on the edge of a razor
blade when the 118 WallyPower crashes through
the hissing waves. The dominant materials on
board this powerboat, with its iridescent grey-
olive military colour scheme, are wood and dark-
tinted glass that surround the rhombic bridge.
When cruising at a casual speed, the dining table
with sun sail can be extended at the push of a
button. Below deck there is the master bedroom,
as well as bathrooms and cabins for four guests
and six crew members. But the focal point is a
high-tech kitchen made from superlative stain-
less steel, with a Foster dining table and chairs
by Vitra. Those wishing to join the very exclusive
club of owners of this seagoing bullet will have
to pay Luca Bassani 18 million euros. To put that
in perspective, the same money could buy about
80 Lamborghini models. Wally has thus defini-
tively become the prestige address among boat-
builders, even for people who already have
everything. Innovative design, embodied by a
boat structure that is both stylish and puristic,
makes a very special statement. This is the state
of the art in contemporary yacht-building, Luca
Bassani-style.