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What do you build if you’re Maserati? It’s hard to go toe-to-toe with Ferrari and Lamborghini at the top of the market. But building a BMW competitor threatens to water down your image. Maserati’s company brass has struggled finding the perfect niche for this hallowed luxury marque. But they might have finally be on to something with electric speedboats. Hear me out.

You could call Maserati one of the world’s last “unblemished” exotic car brands. Its name conjures up the image of cruising around Italy’s Lake Como in a classic grand tourer as much as some celebrity in a modern supercar with a gaudy wrap. And in the world of supercars, that’s rare.

What would be the ultimate way for such a brand to demonstrate the raw speed and power an electric future will unlock–in a classy way? Obviously launch a flagship electric wooden speedboat. And being able to slap its trident logo on the deck doesn’t hurt.

Maserati Tridente electric yacht on the open ocean.
Maserati Tridente | Stellantis

Maserati’s new Tridente motorboat will cost Bugatti prices ($2.68 million a hull). But for that price, you get a carbon fiber craft with twin electric motors capable of 600 horsepower hooked up to a 252 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It can go 43 miles on a single charge or hit a top speed of 46 mph. Obviously, for an EV these numbers would be lackluster. But for a day boat, they should be sufficient.

It also has two bucket seats behind the windshield and a forward-facing couch that should fit six to eight more in the cabin. At the back of the boat are a few more seats, but they face backward. Really only suitable for a quick run from one lakeside bar to another. Up front it has a small cabin with a bed, bathroom, and sink where you can escape the sun and keep ice for your negronis.

This boat is far from a true Maserati product. It was built by Hodgdon Yachts in Maine around a powertrain from Vita Power. So it’s about as “Maserati” as a bottle of Carbon Champagne that costs $450 because it has a “Bugatti” logo, or a Walmart trucker hat that costs $45 because it has a “Ferrari” logo.

That is unfortunate. Maserati’s parent company, Stellantis, makes electric drive units. The new Alfa Romeo Quadrafoglio will make 1,000 horsepower with three of those. So this boat could at least have 600 horsepower of electric “Maserati” engines to demonstrate the automaker’s engineering prowess.

A fancy electric Italian yacht could be the ultimate way to demonstrate Maserati’s EV technology. And it would be the perfect fit for the automaker. Unfortunately, this is not that boat.

You can see the Maserati Tridente reviewed in the video below:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.