Porsche has built an electric sports boat. Properly built it, too. And Frauscher, a company that knows its way around water in the same way Porsche knows tarmac, provided the hull and immense maritime experience for this project.
The result is the stunning Frauscher x Porsche 790 Spectre, a boat that sits at the sensible end of futuristic ideas. Quiet. Precise. Slightly obsessive.
This thing exists because Porsche now treats electricity as a starting point rather than a compromise. The Taycan did it first, the Macan Electric followed, and now that same thinking has floated off the shore. Frauscher took the entire electric spine of the Macan Turbo — battery, motor, electronics — and built a boat around it, rather than forcing it into something pre-existing. That decision shows in the proportions straight away.
At 7.97 metres long, the 790 Spectre looks compact but serious, like it knows exactly what sort of day it plans to have. The hull is brand new, a bit shorter and narrower than Frauscher’s earlier boats, and it’s tuned for balance rather than speed. The boat comes with a 100 kWh battery and a 400 kW electric motor, which sounds powerful until you realise how calmly it delivers its performance. Everything feels measured. Deliberate.
Electric propulsion suits boats far better than people usually admit. Torque arrives smoothly, there’s very little fuss, and the whole experience feels civilised in a way petrol boats rarely manage. You glide away from the dock rather than announce your departure to the entire postcode. After a few minutes, the absence of vibration becomes the main point.
Visually, the Porsche influence lands gently rather than shouting. The Düsseldorf show boat wore Darkteal Metallic, lifted straight from Porsche’s Paint to Sample catalogue. It’s the sort of colour that looks expensive even when parked in shade. Frauscher applies it using an 11-layer paint process at the yard, which explains the depth. Owners can choose their own shades, and judging by the finish here, many will.
Details matter. They always do with Porsche, and they always should with boats. The boat’s graphics feel intentional rather than decorative. Even the “electric” script on the side looks like it had a design meeting rather than an afterthought.
Climb aboard and the joke continues. The start button sits to the left of the wheel, exactly where years of muscle memory expect it. The steering wheel will also feel familiar in your hands, wrapped in Porsche leatherette. The seats wear Porsche crests and proper sports-seat stitching. The instruments come as five round dials, classic in layout, clear at a glance, and oddly reassuring when you’re surrounded by water.
Someone had fun here, though never in a childish way. The rear bench echoes Porsche seat design, right down to the vertical stitching. It feels like a conversation between Stuttgart and the shipyard, conducted over coffee rather than contracts.
That conversation runs both ways. Parked alongside the boat in Düsseldorf sat the Macan Turbo Concept Lago, a one-off show car dressed to match. Inside, Porsche leaned heavily into nautical cues. The luggage compartments wear real wood. The same wood flows into the cabin trim and floor mats, so the whole thing smells faintly like a well-kept marina. A compass replaces the usual dashboard clock, which feels charming rather than kitsch.
The seats mix marine fabric with Crayon leather bolsters, stitched in Night Green by Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur. Even the air vents received leather wrapping, which feels like the sort of detail Porsche designers add late in the evening, once everyone sensible has gone home. The keys match too, finished in Darkteal Metallic, shared between boat and car like a private handshake.
The Macan remains a concept, an exercise in lifestyle alignment. The boat, though, exists in the real world and accepts orders today. Customisation runs deep, as expected, and owners inclined toward harmony will find suitable towing options nearby.
Porsche also used Düsseldorf to present the Cayenne Electric, which in Turbo form offers vast power and the ability to tow 3.5 tonnes with calm confidence. A silent SUV towing a silent sports boat feels like a small glimpse of the future. A quieter one. A more thoughtful one.
