Bugatti commissions luxury yachts, starting at $2.2M

Bugatti owners soon will be able to experience the brand’s luxury lifestyle at sea, but only if they have a few extra million to spend on a floating vessel co-developed by the French marque and yacht builder Palmer Johnson.

The companies worked together to conceptualize exclusive motor yachts featuring Bugatti design elements and advanced materials. Naturally, the first example will be built upon a carbon-fiber hull.

The series will bear the name ‘Niniette,’ paying homage to founder Ettore Bugatti’s racing boats and yachts of the 1930s. He is said to have originally coined the term as a pet name for his daughter Lidia.

The modern yachts will be based upon Palmer Johnson’s SuperSport-series hull shape, chosen to evoke the Bugatti Type 57 C Atalante’s shoulder line and the Type 41 Royale’s proportions. A combination of carbon fiber and titanium structure is visible from the side, while the deck is clad in a combination of bubinga, maple or blue bog oak.

The series centers around the 63-foot PJ63 Niniette, featuring a 678-square-foot salon on deck and a 462-square-foot salon below. The primary cabin layout is configured for up to four guests, with a separate cabin for crew.

The namesake yacht is said to reach a top speed of approximately 38 knots (44 mph), not quite as exhilarating as Bugatti’s Veyron but not bad for a 63-foot monohull vessel.

Three different lengths will be offered, starting with a 42-foot variant that fetches $2.2 million USD. The 63-foot package commands $3.5 million, while an 88-foot model sits at the top of the lineup.

The co-branded vessels are certainly a far cry from the handbags and jackets that fill the Lifestyle Bugatti merchandise collection, however the company seems to have no trouble finding enthusiastic buyers for its exclusive supercars. More than 100 customers have already placed $200,000 deposits for the upcoming Chiron — expected to start at $2.5 million — without even taking a test drive.