This year marks four decades since Pershing was founded in 1985 and it’s a landmark that marks the evolution of a brand synonymous with speed, style and luxury, as evidenced in the brand’s recent 40th-anniversary celebrations in Capri.
Actually, the Pershing story started in the early 1980s when Tilli Antonelli, Fausto Filippetti and Giuliano Onori founded Cantiere Navale dell’Adriatico in a small shed in Mondolfo, a slightly inland town on Italy’s Adriatic coast that’s better known for farming and wine than high-tech yacht production.
Focused initially on sailing boats and refits, the shipyard’s breakthrough came in 1985 when its founders began working with Italian designer Fulvio De Simoni on a line of powerboats they called ‘Pershing’. Yes, that’s Pershing as in the US Army’s former nuclear-capable ballistic missile, named after General John J Pershing. The brand implies performance, power and cutting-edge technology.
“Pershing boats have never been classic or conservative, that’s not their target,” says De Simoni, who has designed most Pershing yachts over the past four decades. “They are fast and aggressive, and are created for people who want to stand out from the crowd in what they do and what they own.”
Pershing yacht owners agree. Edi Orioli, who owns a Pershing 70, says: “Pershing makes you feel like a star, even when you’re alone, anchored in a bay. It has a sporty spirit, but at the same time is comfortable and safe.”
Michele Giacometti, owner of a Pershing 9X, adds: “Pershing isn’t just a brand. It’s a status symbol, a synonym of design, elegance, sportiness and attention to detail, as well as pure adrenaline for lovers of speed.”
Today, Pershing’s X and GTX ranges are built in GRP at the brand’s 84,500sqm Mondolfo shipyard, which opened in 2004 and is located just a stone’s throw from where the brand began building over four decades ago.
Designed by architect Sandro Sartini, the shipyard includes a glass-fronted office building, four construction sheds, two painting booths and an 8m-wide test pool, which is big enough to fit the GTX116. Highlights of the office building include internal access to a suspended walkway that offers a dramatic internal view over one of the sheds.
A total of 27 work stations are used to build as many yachts in parallel and the shipyard can handle highly specialised processes such as PPG-certified dry painting, which gives Pershing yachts a level of finish comparable to luxury cars. The test pool is then used to ensure maximum reliability before yachts are put on a truck and transported to Fano, 20km northwest up the coast, where the yachts are launched in the water.
GAME CHANGERS
De Simoni’s first design for Antonelli, Filippetti and Onori was the Pershing 45. With the speed of a powerboat combined with comfortable and spacious interiors, this boat marked the beginning of the Pershing era. Its success put a spotlight on a brand that was quickly becoming synonymous with innovation, performance and design.
Since the unveiling of the Pershing 45 in 1985, the shipyard has continuously introduced game-changing technologies that enhance safety, comfort and performance. The Pershing 54 and 70 models were created in the 1990s, while the early 2000s saw the launch of the first Pershing 88, the 72 and the 50.
Pershing is a world leader in using surface-piercing propeller systems for recreational boats and has been using waterjets with gas turbine propulsion since the first Pershing 115 was launched in 2004. The model was the shipyard’s first 30m-plus yacht and had a sleek, aggressive and aerodynamic profile.
Power was provided by twin 3,700hp MTU 16V4000 engines and Kamewa waterjets that pushed the 115 up to 41 knots, while the addition of the optional 5,100hp Textron Lycoming turbine enabled the 189GT yacht to top 55 knots.
The Pershing 108 launched in 2011 offered truly fasten-your-seatbelts speed due to the combo of three engines and three surface-piercing propellers, with the performance enhanced by construction solutions that optimised weight, seakeeping and cruising comfort.
Pershing innovations have also extended to design and on-board technology. From the outset the brand has blended aesthetics and functionality with solutions that have since become industry standards, such as the hydraulic gangway first used on the Pershing 45 and the concealed sliding glass door pioneered on the Pershing 72. Both innovations were developed in partnership with Besenzoni.
Design-wise, Pershing introduced sleek, sporty shapes with features such as the pillar-free windscreen and the ‘Pershing wing’ introduced on the Pershing 70 (2014 version).
The yachts’ interiors are spacious, light-filled and carefully crafted thanks to collaborations with top brands including Poltrona Frau, which is also based in the Marche region and has been a partner of Pershing since working on the Pershing 72 – the company’s first yacht project – unveiled in 2007.
In terms of ownership, Pershing became part of the Ferretti Group in 1998 and in 2012 the arrival of the Weichai Group strengthened the brand’s appeal in Asia, America and Europe. Through it all, Pershing has continued to work with De Simoni and to anticipate trends to meet the expectations of the most demanding owners in terms of performance, design and luxury.
MODERN GENERATION
Pershing’s current production models are led by the X and GTX series. The ‘X Generation’ includes the 5X, 6X, 7X, 8X and 9X models, where the use of ultra-lightweight materials and integrated control systems meet sleek lines.
The newer GTX ‘sport utility’ series includes the GTX116 (2023), GTX80 (2024) and GTX70 (2025) models that offer comfort and liveability without compromising on Pershing’s style and performance.
However, the brand’s biggest yacht to date is the Pershing 140, which is built at the Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard in Ancona, about 35km southeast down the coast. Packing four engines, the 140 is the brand’s first yacht to be built in aluminium.
The first hull in this series, Chorusline, was bought by an Asian owner and handed over in 2019. Output has since been steady, with the Ancona shipyard currently completing hull five of this technological marvel.
Pershing has created a spectacular story to date, yet a key part of its evolution has been its yacht owners. Franco Uzzeni has had multiple Pershing yachts and is currently among the privileged few to
own a flagship 140. “For many years, Pershing has been a life journey for us,” he says.
“We started with a 54, then an 88, followed by the 115, which we kept for over 10 years. For the last four years, we’ve had a wonderful 140. I used to race cars as a hobby, so in boats I’ve always looked for comfort combined with excellent performance.”
Much as its yachts stand out from the crowd for their looks and performance, Pershing stands out – and has stood out for four decades now – for its bold vision and openness to innovation. This is a brand that’s celebrating being 40 years young, not 40 years old.
For more information Visit, pershing-yacht.com, ferrettigroupasiapacific.com
This article was first seen on YACHT STYLE.
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