BIG PICTURE

Pay attention, Bond!

The first customer-ready Aston Martin AM37 gets the Q treatment
We may have been the first magazine to test launchers and an ejector seat but in reality,
the prototype AM37, but this is the first it’s all about the luxurious finishing touches
production-ready boat being put through its like the Mako Blue hull and carbon-fibre
paces off the Needles. Hull number one is a champagne cooler. Either way, we’re sure
top-of-the-range AM37 good for over 50 knots, James Bond would approve, and now that
and has been customised further using the Daniel Craig has been signed up for the next
Q by Aston Martin personalisation service. 007 movie, we’re hoping the AM37’s builders
We’d love to say this involved adding rocket Quintessence Yachts get the nod too.

13
LATESTNEWS
The key boating stories you need to read
Edited by
Nick Burnham
Email: mbynews@timeinc.com

Blind water speed record broken

Fastest blind man on land and water tops 100mph
Mike Newman has shattered the record for the fastest blind person
on water with a two-way average top speed of 105mph.
The new record was set in Torbay using Silverline, a closed-cockpit 43ft Outer
Limits SV43. It’s powered by two Mercury Racing 9.5-litre super- charged V8s
producing 1,075hp each.
Experienced powerboat racer Drew Langdon co-piloted Mike during the record
attempt. Drew operated the throttles to help get the boat planing properly while
Mike took charge of
the helm. However, once up to speed, the throttles were handed over to Mike for
the timed runs, with Drew giving nothing more than verbal guidance on helm and
throttle inputs.
“Conditions were not ideal,” says Drew. “We had a Force 5 wind so we had to run
parallel with the waves and pick our moment. Mike is incredibly sensitive to the
balance of the boat,
he has very impressive reactions and the ability to feel what is happening. We had
no particularly big issues,
but it got quite busy in there!” Mike also holds the record for
the fastest blind man on land after driving a tuned Nissan GTR at
200mph, allowing him to join Donald Campbell as one of only two people to
simultaneously hold world speed
records on both land and water.

Volvo Penta buys

Swedish company buys Seven Marine
into outboard market S
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powerful outboards
Volvo Penta has signed an agreement
to become the majority owner of American outboard engine manufacturer Seven Marine.
The deal gives Volvo its first proper foothold in the lucrative market for outboard engines since its ill-fated attempt to muscle in
on the sector during the 1970s.
Far from starting small and growing big, Seven Marine exploded on to
the scene in 2010 by announcing the most powerful production outboard engine in the world. Both its current models are based
on General Motors’
6.2-litre V8 engine and are rated
at 557hp and 627hp respectively.
Volvo Penta already produces engines
for all kinds of inboard installations as well as sterndrive
legs, IPS pod drives and forward- drive systems for ski boats.
This deal enables Volvo Penta to branch into powerful outboard motors, as well as allowing Seven Marine to develop its
existing technology and take advantage
of Volvo’s extensive service and dealer network.
“With Seven Marine, we are on a journey to expand the scope of supply with our customers and invest in
the growth of a platform to shape
the future of the outboard industry,”
said Volvo Penta president Björn
Ingemanson.
Seven Marine will continue to operate as a stand-alone entity,