One of the most famous collaborations in the history of motor racing sponsorship is set to be revived with the previewing of a brand-new racing boat in association with the Italian drinks manufacturer. Fiat Powertrain Technologies is responsible for the heart of the new contender, which is powered by two FPT N67 560 turbodiesel engines featuring electronic common-rail direct injection. The announcement revives an association between Lancia, Martini and powerboat racing. ‘Martini Bianco’ was designed and built for the Class One Offshore Powerboat Championship by Renato Molinari.

One of the most famous collaborations in the history of motor sports sponsorship, between Lancia and Martini, is set to be revived after 17 years, with Lancia today unveiling the first image that previews a brand-new racing boat in association with the Italian drinks manufacturer.

Fiat Powertrain Technologies, heir of the glorious motorboating enterprises of the Aifo – Iveco engines, is responsible for the heart of the new powerboat contender, which is powered by two FPT N67 560 turbodiesel engines featuring electronic common-rail direct injection. Each unit, a leader in its category for specific power, weights and compactness, boasts an in-line six-cylinder configuration displacing 6.7 litres, and generates 560 CV, giving the boat a total output of 1120 CV.

The announcement revives an association between Lancia, Martini and the world of powerboat racing. ‘Martini Bianco’ was designed and built for the Class One Offshore Powerboat Championship by Renato Molinari, an eighteen-time World Champion and eleven-time European Champion. The boat was of Falcon 46 type, a 46-footer and containing eight fuel supply tanks (2000 litre capacity total) in its wood and carbon-kevlar hull.

However, it was the power units of Martini Bianco which would raise most eyebrows – four twin-turbo V8s, borrowed from those of the Thema 8.32 saloon and very similar to those used in the Lancia Martini LC2 Group C endurance racer. The four engines in Martini Bianco gave it a total power output of no less than 2300 bhp, with a capacity of 11,700 cc, providing an equivalent land speed of around 200 km/h. This matched up against other automotive-engined boats in the 1987 series, including runners with twin-turbo Porsche units and one utilising three five-litre Lamborghini V12s.

Molinari served as the throttle man on Martini Bianco, alongside driver Cesare Fiorio, better-known as Lancia’s long-serving Competition Director. Fiorio began racing in offshore events in 1964 as a throttle man, and competed with Molinari on the same boat in the 1979 World Championship Final. After this they went their separate ways until 1986, when they started the Martini Bianco project to tackle the World and European Championships. The crew was completed by Carlo Bodega, whose responsibility was to monitor the mechanical operation of the four V8 engines and course navigation.