Prada Debuts Luna Rossa Monohull Boat for America's Cup
Miuccia Prada was on hand to christen the “AC75” vessel in Italy.
Prada has unveiled its sparkling new AC75 Luna Rossa monohull that will represent Italy’s Circolo della Vela Sicilia yacht club at the 36th edition of America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in the sport of sailing. The Italian label — who is also sponsoring the event — sent its design lead and namesake Miuccia Prada to christen the boat yesterday in Cagliari, where she was joined by husband Patrizio Bertelli (President of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team), the town’s archbishop, Monsignor Arrigo Miglio, Agostino Randazzo (President of Circolo della Vela Sicilia) and Marco Tronchetti Provera (CEO of Pirelli).
It took a team of over 90 people and a total of 78,000 hours to complete the watercraft, which was built by luxury yacht maker Persico Marine. The makeup of the hull consists of 7,000 square meters of carbon fiber and 400 square meters of aluminum honeycomb, as well as two carbon-fiber “foil arms” that can support up to 27 tons. There’s also a “soft wing” rig that is key to the latest model, which features parallel sails for an innovative new detail.
“This is our sixth America’s Cup challenge, but launch day is as exciting as ever — it is the magical moment that brings together many months of work and dedication and the anticipation of finally seeing on the water what was until now only a design,” stated Bertelli.
The 36th America’s Cup presented by Prada is slated to take place in Auckland, New Zealand from January to March 2021. Scroll below to see a flick from the unveiling in Cagliari.
Elsewhere for the brand, the automotive world inspired one of its latest footwear releases, which have bulky soles reminiscent of car tires.
