A German tuner best known for strapping absurd horsepower to Mercedes sedans just launched a 55.8-foot carbon fiber catamaran that rides on underwater foils. The Brabus Ultima 55, developed with Poland-based Sunreef Yachts, packs twin six-cylinder engines making 725 horsepower each and a claimed top speed north of 40 knots. That is roughly 46 mph on a vessel nearly the length of a bowling lane.
Brabus has been in the boat business since 2018, partnering with Finnish builder Axopar on a range of sporty day cruisers and offshore runners between 22 and 45 feet. Those were fast, flashy toys. The Ultima 55 is a different animal entirely.
It is the first catamaran in the Brabus Marine lineup and the first to use hydrofoil technology, which lifts the hulls partially out of the water at speed to cut drag and smooth the ride. CEO Constantin Buschmann clearly sees this as a new chapter. The twin-hull design gives the boat a vastly different character from anything Brabus has put on the water before, built for people who actually want to sleep aboard rather than just blast across a harbor and tie up at a restaurant dock.
The interior reads like a Brabus car cabin scaled up by a factor of ten. Moonstone leather with triangle quilting, Alcantara surfaces, carbon fiber trim, a central widescreen for navigation, a retractable 43-inch television, and a Bowers & Wilkins sound system. Depending on layout, the boat sleeps four or six guests, plus crew in a separate cabin.
Fold-out platforms at the stern expand the beam from 18.4 feet to nearly 25 feet, creating a waterside lounge that would make a Mykonos beach club jealous.
Exterior styling borrows heavily from Brabus road cars. Exposed carbon fiber dominates the bow and stern, with more carbon on the roof, air outlets, and lighting elements. Color options include Graphite Black and Phantom Gray, because apparently nobody buying a Brabus anything wants it in white.
The hydrofoil system is the technical centerpiece. At speed, foils mounted beneath the hulls generate lift, raising the boat and reducing wetted surface area. Less hull in the water means less resistance, better fuel efficiency at cruise, and a ride quality that traditional catamarans cannot match in rough conditions.
It is the same principle being used by the America’s Cup boats and a growing number of high-end yacht builders, but applying it to a 56-foot luxury cruiser with full accommodations is ambitious.
Brabus did not announce pricing, which in this segment typically means if you have to ask, you already know the answer. Comparable foiling catamarans from builders like Sunreef tend to start well north of two million dollars. Brabus has never been known for restraint on its margins.
The broader picture here is a tuning house that started by bolting bigger turbos onto AMG engines now selling supercars based on the Aston Martin Vanquish, upgrading Porsches and Lamborghinis, and building luxury yachts with hydrofoil technology. The Bottrop-based company has quietly turned itself into a lifestyle brand with an engineering backbone.
Whether the boating world embraces a car tuner’s take on foiling catamaran design the way it embraced the Shadow 900 remains an open question. Sunreef brings serious hull expertise to the partnership, but the Ultima 55 will compete against established names with decades of multihull pedigree. Production details and delivery timelines have not been disclosed.
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