“I never imagined I would see a Cupra Formentor riding the waves, yet we did it,” says Francesca Sangalli, Cupra’s Colour&Trim Concept&Strategy manager with some pride as she crosses Barcelona harbour aboard the De Antonio Yachts Formentor D28. Tarmac has turned to water for the Cupra Formentor VZ5-inspired showboat, developed in collaboration with Barcelona-based shipbuilder De Antonio Yachts by transferring all of the model’s design to the high-performance hull.
A challenge that combines two worlds. The Cupra design team had a challenge ahead of them: “We wanted to bring the essence of the Formentor VZ5 to the yacht, but we had to take into account some aspects that we don’t deal with when designing a car, such as salt, water and the effects of the sun, so we couldn’t use the same materials that we use in a car interior,” explains Sangalli. So a vegan leather that is resistant to the effects of ultraviolet rays was specially created for the yacht, and the more sophisticated materials, such as hardwoods, carbon fiber and metal elements found on the Formentor VZ5, were tested. “It was great to learn from each other while designing this yacht. There are many surfaces and details on this boat and, through the combination of materials, we achieved the perfect balance between the two worlds,” said Mariano Suñé, designer at De Antonio Yachts.
On the road as well as at sea, with the same spirit. This showboat is a unique design exercise that sets the stage for the launch of a special limited edition of the D28 in Cupra’s iconic colors and finishes, which will go on sale in late 2021. The De Antonio Yachts D28 Formentor, inspired by the Formentor VZ5, is just the first project from the two brands, both of which are also committed to sustainability.
