SUNSEEKER SUPERHAWK 55

After a 14-year hiatus the Superhawk is back this time tapping into the trend for luxury open dayboats. But does the go-fast spirit of the original live on? Editor Hugo gives his verdict

- Hugo Andreae

They say the best things come to those who wait and boy have we waited. It’s been 14 years since the last Sunseeker Superhawk 43 rolled off the production line in Poole, killed off by a combination of the 2008 financial crisis and changing consumer tastes. But while the economy eventually returned to business as usual, boat-buying habits did not. The demand for pure performance boats with big engines, skinny hulls and limited creature comforts continued to ebb away (in Europe at least), leaving Sunseeker temporarily stumped as to how to replace its iconic Superhawk range.

After a number of speculative computer renderings and changes of direction, it finally settled on this boat, the new Superhawk 55. Tapping into the current trend for big, open dayboats with as much focus on style and luxury as performance, it is described by Sunseeker’s sales and marketing director, Sean Robertson, as having “the spirit of Sunseeker’s original Superhawk... but re-imagined for the owners of today.”

SIZE MATTERS

Clearly, today’s owners are a demanding lot because the new 55 is a vastly bigger, heavier, more powerful machine than any previous Superhawk. Even the last of the mighty triple-engined Superhawk 50s from 2005 weighed less than 12 tonnes and packed a total of 1,320hp, whereas the new Superhawk 55 weighs over 26 tonnes and boasts 1,450hp. But perhaps the most telling measurement is the beam; the old Superhawk 50 measured 10ft 10in across, the new one comes in 16ft 2in – 2in wider than a Manhattan 55.