Mercedes-Benz and Cigarette Racing hit the water with 2,250-hp Nighthawk speedboat
Debuting alongside a matching Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, the 41-foot Cigarette boat can seat 10 people and hit 90 mph on the open water.
Every year, we at Roadshow do our best Boatshow cosplay when we get to talk about Mercedes-Benz's annual collaboration with Cigarette Racing. For 13 years now, the companies have partnered to create a seriously cool Cigarette boat, and the latest one -- the Nighthawk AMG Edition -- made its debut in Miami on Thursday alongside Mercedes' new AMG GT Black Series coupe.
The 41-foot Nighthawk is powered by five outboard engines, all 4.6-liter Mercury Racing V8s each making 450 horsepower. That means there's a combined 2,250 hp, which is enough to get this big boy up to 90 mph while carrying 10 people. Interestingly, that's 10 mph faster than last year's AMG Cigarette boat, the Tirranna, which was 51 feet long and had six engines producing a combined 2,700 hp.
Meanwhile, the AMG GT Black Series uses Mercedes' awesome twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, with 720 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful AMG model ever. The coupe can accelerate to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and top out at 202 mph. And thanks to its insane aerodynamics (its wing has a wing!) the GT Black Series currently holds the production car lap record on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, having lapped the German track in 6 minutes, 43.616 seconds.
Five engines!
To match the AMG GT Black Series, the Nighthawk is painted in Magmabeam orange, which looks rad on the iconic shape of a Cigarette boat. Inside, the 41-footer has a central console and helm, as well as open bow for front seating. The black-and-gray interior has orange detailing to match the exterior, and customers can order it with Cigarette Cool upholstery, which is breathable and dissipates heat to keep the fabric from burning your sun-soaked hiney.
Speaking of which, Mercedes-Benz took members of the media for a spin on the Nighthawk following its debut in Miami, and not only can I confirm that the breathable fabric is a godsend on an insanely hot Florida day, but that 90 mph (OK, we only hit 85 mph) on one of these boats is no joke. I couldn't stop laughing. What a rush.
Obviously, none of this maritime performance comes cheap, with the boat you see here carrying a seven-figure price tag (neither Mercedes-Benz or Cigarette Racing would confirm the actual number). That makes the AMG GT Black Series coupe seem like a relative bargain, at $326,050, including $1,050 for destination. Here's hoping whoever picked up the Nighthawk got a Magmabeam GT to match.
Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series and Cigarette Racing Nighthawk are bright orange beasts
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Editors' note: Travel costs related to this story were covered by the manufacturer, which is common in the auto industry. The judgments and opinions of Roadshow's staff are our own and we do not accept paid editorial content.