LEXUS SPORT YACHT CONCEPT

ORIGIN

A few years ago, Lexus Chief Branding Officer and Master Driver, Akio Toyoda spent several days on the water driving a range of premium yachts. As a master driver, he was inspired by the power of the turbodiesel powertrains, and the handling and stability of the advanced hull designs. It was around this time that Akio recognized the potential of a stylish premium performance yacht to complement the Lexus lifestyle.

This led Lexus and their partners to envision how a premium performance yacht might expand the Lexus brand into new areas of lifestyle and recreation. On 12 January 2017, Lexus revealed a running proof-of-concept for a Lexus Sport Yacht, at Di Lido Island on Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach FL.

DESIGN

A brief for an open sport yacht for recreational day-touring with six to eight guests, powered by twin high-performance Lexus V8s, and with advanced styling and handling was given to the Lexus Design Center in Japan. In the summer of 2015, concepts from the design team were evaluated by Senior Managing Officer Tokuo Fukuichi, Chief Officer of Global Design and President of Lexus International Co., and Akio Toyoda.

“This concept for a Lexus Sport Yacht allowed us to explore how Lexus design language could be applied to a maritime lifestyle,” said Yoshihiro Sawa, executive vice president of Lexus International.

“For the Lexus Design Center, this project has been very exciting. The effort is valuable to us as it stirs our creative energies and pushes our imagination to design and lifestyle possibilities outside of the automotive realm we know well.”

As a concept, the Lexus Sport Yacht revealed at Miami is a bespoke one-off project with no production intent.

This single example was produced together with the Marquis-Carver Yacht Group of Pulaski, Wisconsin, USA, who were selected based on their in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and their skill in large handlaid composite structures.

FEATURES

The design of the Lexus Sport Yacht concept has the upper deck and outer hull seamlessly bonded around the inner structure. Each piece is a single massive hand-laid composite of two-part polyurethane epoxy resin reinforced with hand-laid woven carbon fiber cloth, a composite material called carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, or CFRP. CFRP is the technology used in the structure of race cars and supercars, like the 202 mile per hour (325 kmh) 553 horsepower Lexus LFA, high-performance military and civilian aircraft, competition skis and bicycles, and world-class racing sailboats.

The Lexus Sport Yacht concept’s unique CFRP construction saves nearly 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg) compared to a similar yacht in fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP). The underwater hull design is stepped to reduce resistance or drag and improve handling balance at high speeds.

The concept is powered by twin 5.0-liter V8 gasoline engines based on the 2UR-GSE high-performance engine of the Lexus RC F coupe, the GS F sport sedan and the new LC 500 grand tourer. Each engine produces 440 horsepower, driving the yacht at speeds up to 49 miles per hour (43 knots) through a pair of hydraulically controlled inboard/outboard stern-drives. A bow-thruster with joystick control aids in docking.

The captain controls and monitors onboard systems from a color touchscreen panel at the helm; screens show GPS navigation, digital charts, surface radar, underwater sonar, lighting and entertainment systems. The captain’s seat is power adjustable while the armrests fold out to become jump seats on each side for special guests.

The forward passenger cabin is inviting in luxurious Lexus leather with wood and glass details. A standing height, sofa seating for six with a table, and air conditioning create a comfortable environment for intimate entertaining. The galley features a two-burner stove, sink and under-counter refrigerator; a beautifully finished head includes a shower.

An integrated audio-video entertainment system is fully networked, with 4G WiFi & WAN. Sound reproduction is by Revolution Acoustics surface-mounted drivers using the ceiling panel as a transducer, powered by a Mark Levinson^® Reference digital amplifier.

SPECIFICATIONS

Preliminary values:

BACKGROUND

The Lexus Sport Yacht concept was made possible with the combined efforts of the following partners.

Marquis Yachts, LLC, is an independent privately-owned company in Pulaski, Wisconsin, that designs, engineers and manufactures the brands of Marquis Yachts and Carver Yachts. The pinnacle of the Marquis line is a 73 foot, three-level, luxury yacht with fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) hull, deck and superstructure. For more information, go to www.marquisyachts.com or www.carveryachts.com.

Mark Levinson^®, the premiere audio division of Harman International, has meticulously crafted high-end Reference Audio source components, amplifiers and loudspeakers dedicated to audio purity in home systems since 1972. Mark Levinson^® engineers, designs, tunes and supplies premium high-performance, high-efficiency surround audio systems specific to each Lexus model. For more information, go to www.MarkLevinson.com.