With Poseidon’s trident on the nose and more chrome portals than a marina full of mega yachts, the link between Maserati and boats isn’t imaginary. In fact, its engines have propelled racing boats to a number of powerboat championships in Italy and around the world. But now the Modenese automaker is embarking on a different kind of voyage with the sailboat you see here.

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Rechristened under the name Maserati, this 70-foot VOR carbon-fiber mono-hull racing yacht previously competed in a round-the-world race in 2008-2009. Now unburdened by some 10% of its mass, Maserati will be sailed by world-renowned skipper Giovanni Soldini and his nine-man crew in an attempt to break the records for the three ocean routes: Cadiz to San Salvador, Miami to New York, and New York to Lizard Point, UK.

Maserati’s participation doesn’t appear to extend beyond lending its name, but it isn’t the only automaker to have done so: the Volvo Ocean race is named by the Swedish automaker that sponsors it, much as Audi sponsors the MedCup sailing race and BMW once sponsored the USA-17 racing trimaran.
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