Going on with the 60-year old tradition set by a rich boat-racer Achille Castoldi, the creator of Arno XI hydroplane Ferrari-powered racing boat, we present you a little history of this impressive performance monument.
It is powered by a 4.5-liter 12-cylinder Ferrari motor, homonym to the engine that wrote “victory” on Jose Froilan Gonzalez’s forehead on the occasion of the 1951 Silverstone GP, the Type 375 grand prix car. It’s been modified, of course, to provide incredible performance over watery environment.
It runs on methanol for higher compression ratios for the twin superchargers, resulting in a whopping 500 HP.
Castoldi drove the Arno XI in 1951, averaging a 150 mph speed, afterwards breaking the “24 nautical miles” record in the 800kg category, achieving a 102.13 mph average. The categories were modified after the apparition of the Italian Federation Powerboat, but the records remained the same.
The best part of all these facts is that the boat can be acquired today, through the RM Auction during its sale in Monaco on May 11th and 12th. It comes with “and extensive history file” that includes notes from Ferrari engineer Gioacchino Colombo plus photos from its fabled past. The experts predict prices between $1.3 million and $1,9 million.
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