The Ferrari that made waves: Motorboat built by Enzo to break world speed record on water.
Back in the early 1950s, a man named Achille Castoldi wanted to break the speed record for 800kg boats. Castoldi was a bit of a star on the ‘fastest boat in the world scene’, so he commissioned the Cantiere Timossi boatyard to make him a hardwood hydroplane shell.
He persuaded the great Enzo Ferrari to lend knowledge and technical assistance in building the ultimate powerboat. Enzo didn’t just send a work experience kid to slap a few stickers on though, he dispatched the full Scuderia F1 team along with a 4.5-litre V12 from the 375 F1 car.
In October 1953, ARNO XI travelled at 150.2mph on Lake Iseo in northern Italy, setting a world speed record for an 800kg boat that has still never been broken.
When Mr Castoldi was finished with ARNO XI, it was sold to Nando dell’Orto, a rich engineer, who went on to race it with great success for more than 10 years, securing numerous wins. The boat went through various aerodynamic improvements during that time, including a modified nose and the addition of a fin.
It finished its competitive racing career in 1960 with a European championship victory and numerous fastest laps, many of which still exist.
