How Azimut Became the World Leader in Motoryachts
By Nick Walton
Today, Azimut is a byword for maritime luxury, but it’s been a long road for the brand first established in the 1960s
Not every university student has the ability – and the means – to seize an opportunity and turn it into one of the world’s premier yachting companies, but that’s precisely what Paolo Vitelli did with Azimut. In 1969, he established the company as a charter operation – all at the age of 20 and before graduating from university – and, over the years, executed a series of strategic moves that has seen the brand become a byword for stunning yachts at the forefront of innovation.
A passionate sailor in his youth, Vitelli (above) had long dreamed of establishing a yacht company in his hometown of Avigliana, near Turin. In the late 1960s, after selling a successful nightclub he’d owned with friends, Vitelli had the capital to start Azimut – though, within three months, he realized that brokerage would be more lucrative.
Vitelli established relationships with some of Europe’s most prestigious builders so that Azimut could begin importing their boats and selling them in Italy. At the Genoa Boat Show, he convinced the Dutch shipyard Amerglass to give Azimut their Italian sales concession. Soon, he was representing other renowned shipyards, including Powless, Camper & Nicholsons and Westerly.
Boatbuilding Success
Not content with charters and brokerage, Vitelli decided to go into boatbuilding, and in 1975, Azimut released its first proprietary yacht. Built-in partnership with Amerglass – a shipyard known for its technical advancements – the sleek AZ 43’ Bali won widespread acclaim. One of the biggest boats to be mass-produced in fiberglass, it featured a pair of 300-horsepower Volvo Penta engines, luxurious cabins and a well-appointed salon. Azimut quickly began producing sought-after yachts.
In 1977, the company released the AZ32 Targa (above), a boat nicknamed the “Ford T” of yachting, which featured a raised wheelhouse and opening sunroof that attracted a new market of yacht owners. But it was the release of the Falaika 105, a spacious 30-meter yacht, in 1982 that really impressed. At the time, this was the largest fiberglass yacht in history and was built in just 100 days.
It was created for Kuwaiti Sheikh Al Salem Al Sabali, but Greek businesswoman and socialite Christina Onassis ordered her own version to celebrate her daughter’s baptism. It was the appearance of the Failaka 105 at the 1982 Miami Boat Show that led to Azimut becoming the Italian concessionaire for Winthrop Rockefeller’s Allied Marine.
Luxury Yachts
But Vitelli was still driven to realize his dream of producing luxury yachts in Italy, and in 1985, he got his chance. Benetti, a legendary shipyard in Viareggio, produced in-demand boats popular with the international jet set and royalty, including Prince Rainier III of Monaco, David Bowie and The Beatles.
In 1980, Benetti delivered its most ambitious project yet, the Nabila, a luxurious 86-meter superyacht commissioned by Saudi businessman Adnan Khashoggi that appeared in the 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again and was immortalized in the song Khashoggi’s Boat by British band Queen. But building the Nabila nearly bankrupted Benetti, and in 1985, Vitelli acquired the shipyard and with it, the ability to build Azimut yachts in Italy.
In the following years, the company set new benchmarks for technical and design innovations in yachting. Leading the charge was a talented young designer, Stefano Righini, who created new features which are standard on today’s yachts, including leakproof frameless windows, covered flying bridges, tender garages and hulls that sit above the waterline. Over the following decades, the company built a reputation for excellence as the Azimut Benetti Group.
More recently, Azimut expanded its capacity by acquiring more shipyards, including Gobbi, in Piacenza, which paved the way for the Atlantis series of open boats; Fraser Yachts in 2004; and Brazil’s Intermarine, with its 20,000-sqm production facility, in 2009. All of this paved the way for Azimut to create its lineup of technologically driven superyachts infused with sumptuous Italian elegance.
Continuing its tradition of innovation, Azimut has produced three Atlantis models that blend sportiness and adventure, and the award-winning Magellano series of long-range boats characterized by spacious lounges, huge windows and extensive storage. Sustainability is the focus for the future, with Azimut implementing innovative solutions to reach its goal of reducing its environmental impact, including hybrid propulsion motors that reduce noise levels to nearly zero and environmentally compatible materials.
Now, with nine shipyards across the world, Azimut isn’t just producing design-forward yachts on the cutting-edge of technology, they’re also the leading manufacturer of yachts over 24 meters, with 168 projects developed in 2023, and kicked off 2024 with the release of its new Seadeck series, the first model of which, the groundbreaking Seadeck 6, has already been officially launched.