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In partnership with Marquis Yachts and Nuvolari Lenard, Lexus gets its sea legs with the LY 650 Yacht. BY R I C H M O N E T T I In partnership with Marquis Yachts and Nuvolari Lenard, Lexus gets its sea legs with the LY 650 Yacht. I t's no doubt that we've seen James Bond at the controls of a luxury sports car that plunges from a bridge and momentarily puts the end of the franchise in view. Of course, in the most iconic of these moments, 007 (played by Roger Moore) suddenly flips a switch and turns the otherwise oceanic grave into an improbable escape by sea. While we haven't quite gotten to sports cars transforming into a full-out submersible, Lexus has now teamed with Marquis Yachts to give us the next best thing—the LY 650. Making its debut in late 2019, the success- ful collaboration between Marquis, Lexus, and its parent company Toyota, meant finding the right company to give Lexus its sea legs. Marquis knew just where to go to deliver an interior that could both calm the waters and excite the senses—endeavoring to create a superior luxury vessel for discern- ing clientele. e renowned Italian studio Nuvolari Lenard eagerly came on board to convert the Lexus ethos into a maritime vision. "e re- alization of the LY 650 has been an exciting and challenging process—unlike anything we have experienced in 27 years of yacht building," said Carlo Nuvolari, Director and Senior Partner at Nuvolari Lenard. But the triumvirate of talent and dedica- tion didn't just stick to their corners of the world and wait for a centralized voice to sign off on the specs. "With stakeholders based on three different continents and from three very distinct cultures, it was a true melting pot of influences and styles—a genuinely global project," Nuvolari said of the 65-foot- long vessel. The Road is Not Enough V U E N J . C O M 159

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