---
title: "Mercedes-AMG’s Cigarette Racing 515 Project One is Here Just in Time for Summer"
description: "The hypercar-inspired 3,100-horsepower cigarette boat is clad in Kevlar and carbon fiber."
date: "2018-02-15"
modified: "2018-02-15"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/18510/mercedes-amgs-cigarette-racing-515-project-one-is-just-in-time-for-summer"
categories:
  - "Mercedes-Benz News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "boating"
  - "boats"
  - "Cigarette Racing Team"
  - "Mercedes-AMG"
  - "Mercedes-AMG"
  - "Mercedes-Benz"
  - "Miami"
  - "Project One"
---

# Mercedes-AMG’s Cigarette Racing 515 Project One is Here Just in Time for Summer

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/02/amg18113_sx003_grp_comp_v003_sc_hr-source.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

[Mercedes-AMG](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/18394/mercedes-amg-gt-four-door-coupe-teased-ahead-of-geneva-motor-show-debut>) and the Cigarette Racing team have pulled the wraps off their newest creation, the Cigarette Racing 515 Project One, a 51.5-foot-long racing boat inspired by the Affalterbach automaker’s Formula 1-derived hypercar.

The unveiling took place at Cigarette Racing's headquarters in Miami, Florida, in the midst of the allure and glamour of the 2018 Miami Boat Show. The new iteration of Mercedes-AMG's yearly watercraft project is based on a 50-foot Marauder high-speed boat, but essentially, that's where the similarities end. The 515 Project One offers 30 percent greater surface area than its stock counterpart which allows six passengers to comfortably occupy the Dinamica-wrapped seats held in place by carbon fiber shells.

![message-editor%2F1518718130510-amg18113\_sx005\_grp\_comp\_v003\_sc\_hr-1200x800.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1518718130510-amg18113_sx005_grp_comp_v003_sc_hr-1200x800.jpg>)
*MBUSA*

![message-editor%2F1518718144557-515projectonepress5\_korr-1200x800.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1518718144557-515projectonepress5_korr-1200x800.jpg>)
*MBUSA*

![message-editor%2F1518718154341-515projectonepress6\_korr-1200x800.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1518718154341-515projectonepress6_korr-1200x800.jpg>)
*MBUSA*

While the 11-year partnership between the two performance powerhouses has delivered equally powerful watercraft, the 515 Project One is among the lightest they've ever produced, weighing over 5,000-pounds less than a longer/wider cigarette boat. For example, the engine's air intakes, which are seven foot long and 14 inches wide, weigh a staggering 4.4 pounds. Most of the weight savings were accomplished by utilizing Kevlar and carbon fiber in areas like the bulkheads, cabin liner, engine hatch, consoles and storage hatches.

"For 11 years, Cigarette Racing has been our trusted partner that has allowed us to extend our likeminded core performance principles from the land to the water," said Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes AMG GmbH. "By directly translating [Formula 1](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/18405/this-is-how-the-2018-mercedes-amg-formula-1-car-sounds>) technology from the track to the street, the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE is our most ambitious and awe-inspiring vehicle yet. It is incredible to see our vision reimagined for the water in such an impressive and highly compelling form."

![message-editor%2F1518718204447-515projectonepress7\_korr-1200x800.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1518718204447-515projectonepress7_korr-1200x800.jpg>)
*MBUSA*

![message-editor%2F1518718210748-515projectonepress8\_korr-1200x800.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1518718210748-515projectonepress8_korr-1200x800.jpg>)
*MBUSA*

![message-editor%2F1518718218004-amg18113\_sx004\_grp\_comp\_v002\_sc\_hr-1200x800.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1518718218004-amg18113_sx004_grp_comp_v002_sc_hr-1200x800.jpg>)
*MBUSA*

Just because it isn't the [most powerful boat](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/7707/mercedes-amg-built-a-3100-horsepower-cigarette-boat>) the two companies have created doesn't mean it's underpowered by any means. The 515 Project One is propelled by two Mercury Racing 1,550-horsepower quad-cam engines and M8 stern drives, which produce a total of 3,100 horsepower and deliver a top speed of 140 miles per hour. In comparison, the [Mercedes-AMG Project One](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/14011/behold-the-face-of-mercedes-amgs-218-mph-project-one-hypercar>) road car will produce over 1,000 horsepower and reach a top speed of 217 miles per hour.

Although [Mercedes-AMG](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/16881/2018-mercedes-amg-s65-test-drive-review-when-too-much-s-class-is-just-enough>) and the Cigarette Racing team have released pricing of their custom creations in years past, this one will adhere to "If you have to ask, you probably can't afford it."

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)