Even for the legion of Lürssen fans worldwide, Quattroelle is something special. From her name—translated to “Four Ls” from Italian, meaning Love, Life, Liberty, and Luxury—to her Italian flair, when combined with German engineering prowess, she is a family yacht built for pleasure. Complemented by a top-notch crew under the command of Paul Bell, and with an enthusiastic, experienced owner involved in every aspect of the build, the 282’5” (86.11-meter) Quattroelle will surely deliver on the promise.
A knowledgeable, involved owner produces a better yacht. Quattroelle is a perfect example. The team involved in her design and build reads like a who’s who of yachting. The owner is a previous Lürssen client. Having chartered extensively, he became a second-hand owner of the 197-foot (60-meter) Capri. Working together with Moran Yacht & Ship, he and his wife were involved in every aspect of the specification of Quattroelle, called Bellissima during build. When choosing designers, they went to Nuvolari-Lenard, which supplied both exterior and interior design. The result is a megayacht which is not only typically Lürssen in the quality of her finish and engineering, but also has the elegant, streamlined yet aggressive look associated with the finest of Italian design.
Still more talent on the build team included Capt. Paul Bell. He explains, “The yacht is an overall amazing unison of engineering and design perfection molded with crew input, which created the ultimate experience for our boss.” He and the chief engineer, Robert Millar, were involved from the earliest days of planning. Their myriad practical suggestions tremendously benefited Quattroelle. These particularly apply to the engine room. Quattroelle’s is truly a thing of beauty, both practical and aesthetically correct. The baby of Millar, who has been with the boss close to 10 years, is as shiny as a disco ball and perfectly laid out. In fact, Millar convinced the Lürssen engineers to move some machinery a few centimeters here and there. This makes for clean edges and level surfaces throughout. He then added curved stainless steel handrails around the sides, for decoration as well as secure handholds and a barrier against touching delicate machinery.
The twin Caterpillar engines are labeled with name plates of “Greta” and “Juliette” to honor Millar’s grandmother and his wife’s grandmother. No detail has been spared, from rubber-mounted, sound-insulated machinery, to tool drawers with custom-designed slots in rubber-lined drawers, similar to those most normally found in the pantry to protect delicate cutlery, glass, and dishware. Millar also suggested adding a workshop, a Lürssen first. Fitted with low-emission engine-exhaust systems and equipped with HUG particle filters and soot burners, Quattroelle is not only extremely fuel efficient, but surpasses IMO air pollution standards.
While every Lürssen is known for precision in engineering and design, the sheer number of new concepts brought to the design of Quattroelle by Nuvolari-Lenard takes this megayacht to whole new level. Having a long relationship with the owners, Nuvolari-Lenard understood from the beginning their brief for a yacht which would be “eclectic contemporary,” and this is evident throughout the interior and exterior. Seen from the water, despite her massive volume and 45’3” (13.8-meter) beam, Quattroelle looks “normal” due to the fluid lines of her hull and superstructure. Even the paint job, a subtle mix of three colors, helps this ship-sized vessel look like a yacht. The design flows seamlessly from the exterior to the interior, with such details as the “sugar scoop” windows making her highly distinctive for yacht spotters, but also offering a fascinating design element to the guest cabins on the main deck level.
Quattroelle’s interior is incredibly intricate, with each room, each deck level having a look of its own, yet joined together by what Dan Nuvolari described as the language of the design. “Yachts are extremely engineered products,” he says, and so to make them more human, he and his team chose to “speak an analogic language in a digital atmosphere,” drawing shapes on paper before putting them into 3-D computer designs, and building designs layer by layer so it wouldn’t look like a digital product.
From the five guest suites on the main deck to the owners’ suite on the upper deck (pictured), and even to the upper-deck lounge, where a self-playing Steinway piano and bar are located, Quattroelle has an enormous amount of detail that could be potentially overwhelming. However, the use of design themes keeps the interior flowing and utterly captivating. By using similar materials, including wood, glass, bronze, and leather, yet carving, molding, and otherwise shaping them into hundreds of different applications, Nuvolari-Lenard keeps Quattroelle’s design from being excessive or too busy. In fact, it is warm and logical at the same time.
Nuvolari-Lenard designed every bit of the megayacht, including the custom 33-foot (10-meter) Columbo tenders to the exterior fashion plate (carved, of course) to the magnificent Murano glass chandelier in the dining room for 16 (though it can be enlarged for 20 guests). Nuvolari-Lenard even designed Quattroelle’s crew uniforms. No matter what design element you see, all feature a modern approach based on classicism.
Quattroelle’s design will surprise and delight both her owners and the yacht world for years to come.
Norma Trease
Literally one of the most magnificent, yet totally cool, creatively modern yachts I’ve ever soon. The best of Italian flair and German precision. Wow – wait til she debuts at the Monaco Yacht Show, will be a sensation for sure!
Edmundo A. Eguiarte
Norma, no doubt about it, she is a Stunning piece of art and engineering!!!! I’ve seen her and undoubtedly it’s a gorgeous yacht!!!!