Princess Yachts R35 - Pininfarina Penned Excellence
The Princess Yachts R35 is the opening statement of a new performance sports yacht line, designed by Pininfarina and co-developed with Ben Ainslie Technologies. Debuting at the Cannes Yachting Festival, the R35 merges Italian design mastery with British marine engineering to produce a 10-metre day boat that reaches 50 knots.
Pininfarina's First Yacht Design
Pininfarina is best known for shaping some of the most celebrated Ferraris in automotive history. The R35 marks the studio's entry into marine design, and the DNA is unmistakably Italian: the exterior is defined by sharp, aerodynamic intakes cut into the yacht's flanks. These intakes serve a dual purpose: functionally, they channel air to the twin V8 engines and act as air-ejector systems that dissipate tail vortices to improve handling at speed. Aesthetically, they give the R35 a fighter jet quality, a design signature that immediately distinguishes it from every other boat on the water. The studio applied the same Computational Fluid Dynamics methodology used on its car bodies to optimise every surface for minimum drag.
Performance and Collaboration with Ben Ainslie Technologies
The R35 is powered by twin V8 engines delivering speeds up to 50 knots, making it one of the fastest 10-metre production sports boats available. Princess Yachts chose to partner with Ben Ainslie Technologies, the team behind Great Britain's America's Cup campaign, to validate the hydrodynamics and handling. This collaboration brings genuine offshore racing expertise into the design process, ensuring the R35 performs as dramatically as it looks. Despite its performance focus, the 10-metre hull is designed to be handled by a small crew, with a reconfigurable cabin that converts for daytime entertaining or overnight sleeping.
The R Series Future: Princess X95 and Beyond
The R35 is the first vessel in Princess Yachts' new R Class performance line, with the upcoming Princess X95 already teased as part of the ongoing Pininfarina collaboration. If the R35 is the opening chapter, a larger, faster, and even more dramatic series of boats is promised to follow.
Explore the world of premium yachts and watercraft at TheArsenale, including the Canados Gladiator luxury yacht and the SAY29 Runabout Yacht. Browse the complete boat collection for the finest vessels available today. For the full design story, visit Pininfarina's official R35 project page and DriveMag Boats' detailed review.
