MBY can reveal exclusive video footage of the new Princess R Class superboat undergoing testing
A video of the new Princess R Class superboat undergoing sea trials has prompted the company to divulge further information about the project.
Sources have confirmed to MBY that the high performance concept will be constructed entirely of carbon fibre and will be ‘the fastest Princess ever’.
SEE THE VIDEO OF THE PRINCESS R CLASS ON SEA TRIAL ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE
That bar is currently set by the 1988 Princess 266 Riviera which, with its largest engine option of twin Volvo Penta AQ431/dp 4.3 litre V6 205hp petrol engines, would attain 44 knots.
Speculation that this will therefore be a 50 knot vessel is bolstered by confirmation that the LOA is set at 35ft and power will come from two Volvo Penta 6.2 litre 430hp V8 engines running duoprop sterndrives.
Princess has also confirmed that the boat will have overnight accommodation, and that the entire production run for 2018, due to start late August, has already been sold to select clients who have been given advance access to design renderings.
UPDATE: New photos of the mystery Ben Ainslie Racing boat
Sea trials of secret new sportsboat begin at Ben Ainslie Racing
Spyshots reveal secret Princess superboat!
Princess admits photos of a heavily camouflaged performance boat seen leaving BAR is a prototype for a radical new sportsboat
MBY broke the news that a headily disguised revolutionary new sports boat was being tested at Ben Ainslie Racing in January, after spy shots were captured of the boat leaving the premises.
At first both BAR and Princess declined to comment on rumours that Motor Boat & Yachting had picked up about a possible collaboration between the two companies.
After more photos of the boat emerged showing it undergoing sea trials, Princess’s Marketing Director, Kiran Haslam, finally broke the silence saying, “Many people have been speculating about photos circulating this week of a camouflaged yacht spotted in Plymouth and Portsmouth. We confirm that this is indeed a special project we are currently working on at Princess Yachts.”
