You may have wondered what would have become of certain car manufacturers if they hadn’t devoted themselves to four-wheeled vehicles. At least, thanks to the recently unveiled Hypersail, we now know that Ferrari could have been a legendary name in the world of sports boats.
This sailing yacht project by naval architect Guillaume Verdier is not only the Maranello-based company’s first venture into this field, but also aims to revolutionise wind-powered sailing, as it is a competition boat that takes considerable inspiration from the latest racing cars from the cavallino.
Revolutionary, sporty and self-sufficient
However, if the Hypersail is already making history, it is because it is Ferrari’s very first creation without a combustion engine. As the Italian brand explains in its press release, this 100-foot monohull yacht obtains all the energy it needs to operate at sea from just three renewable sources: the sun, the wind and the kinetic energy generated by its own movement.
Not surprisingly, instead of an engine, a revolutionary three-keel system allows the boat to be steered and kept facing into the wind at all times, in order to maintain the movement that generates its energy self-sufficiency and gives it its chances of victory. A complex on-board computer system controls the position and orientation of each keel, significantly assisting the helmsman in steering.
And if we talk about victory, it is because, true to its racing essence, Ferrari has built the Hypersail to gain an official presence in maritime endurance competitions, extrapolating its superiority in the 24 Hours of Le Mans to the great regattas of this speciality. A group of sailors led by Giovanni Soldini and assisted by the brand’s engineers will be responsible for taking the Red Empire into waters that are hitherto unknown to them.
