Lancia Aprea 52: a project by the new generation of Cantieri Aprea family in Sorrento, heirs of a long tradition that elevated to art the world- famous Gozzo Sorrentino, will be revealed to the international audience in a worldwide première at next Cannes Yachting Festival, scheduled from Tuesday 12th to Sunday 17th September.
For centuries Sorrento has been known as the ‘Land of the Sirens’: a world-famous destination with a renowned experience in the construction of iconic boats of extraordinary elegance. Outstanding among these is the refined Lancia Sorrentina, a work of seafaring art characterized by a wide, load-bearing transom that stands out for its load capacity, sailing speed and majestic, slender prow, designed to challenge even formed seas with maneuverability and boldness.
Lancia Sorrentina was an iconic boat of the 1950s, a yacht that was popular among VIP movie stars in transit between Sorrento and Capri. The sight of a row of impeccable white Lancias on the quayside of Capri was the charming greeting for anyone landing on the island. The Lancia, in fact, was the only way to get from Marina Grande to the entrance of the Grotta Azzurra.
The project lead by the new generation of Cantieri Aprea – heirs of a long seafaring tradition, handed down from father to son since 1890 – had the aim of reinventing the concept of Lancia, enhancing the noble Sorrento naval expertise, through the use of the most modern design technologies. The result is undoubtedly a contemporary work of art.
Antonino Aprea: “We had a dream: make the most of traditions and culture of our land in order to sail the seas with a new glance towards the future. We are proud of this challenge undertaken by the new generation of our family who gave life to Lancia 52, the progenitor of a new dynasty of modern motor yachts. The engine of our enthusiasm is driven by our passion, handed down from 130 years of seafaring tradition and by the desire to innovate, with the creation of a new range of yachts with a strong appeal, beautiful design and high performance, built together with excellent partners who believed in this project.”
Cantieri Aprea brings back the “Lancia Sorrentina” a symbol of the Italian “Golden Age”, an ideal bridge between the shipbuilding art of the Sorrentine shipwrights and the most modern technologies at the service of pleasure boating. It is not just a range of luxurious, elegant and performing yachts, but a history of the sea full of art, passion and refined technique.
A project with an authentic soul forged by an expert shipyard, in which attention to detail is obsessive: in fact, the artisan tradition of the Sorrentine shipwrights has risen to excellence through the most advanced design techniques and the selection of the best construction materials.
Lancia 52 is the first in a range that will be made up of boats from 32 to 72 feet.
In the creation of this new range of vessel, Cantieri Aprea of Sorrento have a significant competitive advantage thanks to their expertise in the sector and to the choice of excellent partners such as Brunello Acampora, founder of the famous naval architecture, marine engineering and design studio: Victory Design. The highly innovative vision of this project is boosted by a young team of under 35s: skilled entrepreneurs and modern craftsmen who found the winning match between a “hands- on” approach and an avant-garde gaze, driven by the unmistakable Brunello Acampora “Total Design” philosophy.
“Reinventing the noble naval tradition of the Lancia Sorrentina was an exciting and engaging challenge. Thanks to my origins, I had the chance to admire and study in detail these wonderful boats, symbol of the Italian Way of Life. At first, I had the opportunity to redesign Gozzo – a project that won the prestigious European Powerboat of the Year 2018 award – and now it is a great honor for me to reinvent the Lancia Sorrentina. As in all my projects, also in Lancia 52, aesthetics and style had a precise function: to meet and stimulate the Owner’s sensibility. This project has an important innovative charge: when passion, tradition and new technologies meet, something unique is born. Lancia Aprea is versatile, elegant and performing. A boat with many souls and infinite configurations in balance between tradition and innovation” – Brunello Acampora, founder of Victory Design.
Lancia 52 has two versions: one for the Mediterranean market and one for the American one.
The differences primarily concern the main deck, which in the Mediterranean version has a large sundeck at the stern, while in the US configuration the sundeck disappears to make room for a piece of furniture designed for fishing activities, with a fish tank and a large sofa. Another difference is the engine, which in the American market version is equipped with 4 outboard engines while for the Mediterranean market has two MAN i6800 engines.
In the Mediterranean version there is also a crew cabin, which transforms into a storage compartment in the US one.
Both the Mediterranean and the US versions are highly customizable, allowing different combinations of colors, internal layouts, engines, materials and luxurious internal finishes with the result of making each boat unique in its kind.
Different layouts are offered for both versions: Cruise, Family and Lounge Cruise.
MEDITERRANEAN VERSION
1) “CRUISE”: Owner’s cabin + 1 guest cabin + dinette with a main bathroom and a toilet
2) “FAMILY”: 3 cabins. Owner’s cabin + 2 twin cabins + 2 bathrooms – for greater comfort on board for the whole family.
USA VERSION
1) “CRUISE”: Owner’s cabin + 1 guest cabin with a double bed and a single bed + dinette with galley + one bathroom.
2) “LOUNGE CRUISE”: Dinette lounge + 2 twin cabins + galley + one bathroom.
The Lancia exterior color palette includes 11 color options which take their names from famous coastal sites of the Sorrento peninsula and Capri.
“Lancia 52 leaves its Owners space for their inspiration. In fact, they can fully express themselves through infinite combinations of layout, materials, colors, fabrics and details that make each boat a perfect example of modern customization.” – Francesco Aprea, Lancia Aprea Technical manager.
For the interior design, the Aprea family made use of the precious collaboration of the style office within Victory Design and the successful partnership with the architect Stefano Faggioni from La Spezia.
“Lancia’s style is sober and fresh; the choice of light colors in the wood essences as well as in the fabrics with a Mediterranean touch, aims at a sporty simplicity that recalls the typical elegance of a Made in Italy product” – Arch. Stefano Faggioni
Lancia bulkheads are covered with precious essences and with the best Italian fabrics. In the bathrooms, the fabric is replaced by lacquered panels and the sink tops are in Corian, as are the kitchen tops in the US versions.
The boat shown in Cannes is in Blu Vervece color, from the name of a wonderful islet located near Massa Lubrense in Campania and is equipped with two MAN i6800 hp engines.
The exteriors of Lancia 52 give to the eye sinuous and captivating lines. The deck runs seamlessly from the wide stern to the bow, offering deep, well-protected walkways: a clear invitation to explore the boat in total safety and comfort.
The main deck is designed to boost open-air navigation, offering two large sunbeds, one located aft and the other forward, a fully equipped bar and galley, together with a sofa to enjoy lunches outdoors. This area is well sheltered by the large roof connected to the windshield, which guarantees shelter from the winds, not only when sailing but also when stopped at anchor. On the hard top there are air intakes that guarantee optimal ventilation inside the engine room, reducing noise on board and ensuring superior comfort for guests.
The interiors of the model presented in Cannes are those of the Family version, with three large cabins and two bathrooms plus a crew cabin. The bulkheads are covered with a milky white herringbone warp fabric by Loro Piana Interiors. The comfortable entrance staircase on the port side leads to a distribution hallway with access to the three cabins and one of the two bathrooms. The distribution is symmetrical, with two guest cabins aft, with a large wardrobe and two single beds, two bathrooms in the central area (one of which for the Owner’s exclusive use) both equipped with a comfortable shower cabin complete with seat, and finally the owner’s cabin with central double bed, two wardrobes and private bathroom.
Lancia Aprea is a high-performance boat. The Victory Design-style hull is from the “Wide” Series, wide and deep V-shaped, it is powerful and sporty and guarantees maximum seaworthiness, stability and reduced fuel consumption. The flaring of the bow sections gives a sturdy appeal to the Lancia and makes navigation particularly soft and dry.
In terms of engines, Lancia Aprea can be equipped with straight-line diesel engines, Volvo Penta IPS pods that allow it to travel at a top speed of 34 knots, or even four Mercury Verado XS600 outboard engines with which it reaches an impressive 50 top speed knots. For each type of propulsion, Victory developed a specific optimization, in search of low consumption.
Lancia Aprea and its team are waiting for You at Cannes Yachting Festival 2023, from 12 to 18 of September, at berth: PAN 049 inside Vieux Port.
