Last week brought some interesting news coming out of the Monaco Yacht Show, which anyone who is anyone knows is the most important see-and-be-seen event since the Catalina Wine Mixer.
Luckily, for those of us who weren’t able to make it this year, we’ve got the details.
Aston Martin, the luxury British auto brand well known for being adorned with weird gadgets in many a James Bond movie, has unveiled its first submersible vehicle – something you can really picture 007 getting down with.
“Project Neptune” is a 3-person submarine that’s actually more than a concept – the company says it will likely be available sometime next year, for a paltry $4 million. Blade-like pontoons are said to protrude off an air-conditioned “acrylic bubble” cabin for underwater viewing at depths of up to 1650 feet.
Designed specifically for super yachts, Neptune claims to be the smallest, lightest three-person sub in production worldwide, and it was built in collaboration with luxury submaker Triton Submarines of Vero Beach, Florida.
Aston Martin said that they had done a lot of research into luxury toys – specifically what those with a massive net worth wanted to buy besides cars – and determined that rich people aren’t satisfied with their boring old yachts either, but want to find other ways of entertaining their guests on the high seas.
And if you’re in the market for this but worried about exclusivity, don’t be. The company has made assurances that you won’t be running into these things all over the place, telling Bloomberg that they plan to build no more than a dozen per year.