Fearless 28

By Shandana A. Durrani

You zoom from Monte Carlo to Cap Ferrat to Cannes, effortlessly evading the paparazzi and sycophants who hang on your every suave utterance. But you're not doing it in the latest Porsche 911 or Aston Martin DB9. Your transport of choice is the Fearless 28, a mini-yacht that lets you cruise the seas in lavish comfort, while flashing the look of a super sports car.

Miami-based Fearless has teamed with Austria's Porsche Design Studio to create a line of luxury boats and yachts that seamlessly blend performance and style. Slated to launch at the Miami International Boat Show in mid-February, the Fearless 28 takes nautical design to new heights. The Porsche Design Studio used computers and laser technology to design and construct the 28-foot vessel, the first in a line that will eventually feature four larger models.

The 5,000-pound Fearless 28 looks like a sports car on water. Its sleek and streamlined style evokes James Bond fantasies. Imagine cutting through the water in the silver, V- bottom boat as you evade your pursuers. You'll look good doing it. And your ride will be fast and smooth.

"There haven't been innovative approaches [in the boating world] with regards to style and performance," says Jeff I. Binder, CEO of Fearless Yachts. "Porsche is known worldwide for designing stylish products, but the primary driver was function and performance."

The Fearless 28 seats as many as five people and features a seamless fiberglass and reinforced carbon hull. Most hulls are bulky and designed in one piece, but Porsche's army of engineers used a five-step process to make a thinner hull. The leatherette sport bucket seats adjust and have ergonomic bolster support so that the driver is cradled in safety, even as the boat reaches 80 mph. The MTU 10V2000, 1550-horsepower engine ensures a smooth ride and optimum maneuverability at high speeds.

The boat comes fully loaded, with an electric hardtop sunroof, Livorsi instruments and an XM radio, as well as a CD/DVD player and iPod docking system, all of which can be used in transit or while anchored.

Only 50 to 60 models will be made this year, with production to increase to 70 to 80 in 2008. The Fearless 28 costs $299,000.

Visit www.fearlessyachts.com.

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