Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli AC75 has the style, does it have the pace?

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April 13, 2024

As expected the latest Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli AC75 ‘B3’ has already claimed the plaudits as the best-looking boat of this cycle.

With retro-cool style everywhere . . . the silver sheen hull resonating in the early Spring sunshine, kicking off its heavily arched forms and its deep nod to deck aero.

The see-through, naked, carbon deck moulding is next level, a rather concave deck surface developing from the flat bow to aft of the mast, arcing up to the four-man pods either side with the helms just behind the trim team and the cyclors positioned aft.

imageAC37 Luna Rossa AC75 Bow on
” data-medium-file=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Bow-on-13042024-300×300.jpg” data-large-file=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Bow-on-13042024.jpg” class=”wp-image-42695 size-full” src=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Bow-on-13042024.jpg” alt=”AC37 Luna Rossa AC75 Bow on” width=”1024″ height=”662″ srcset=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Bow-on-13042024.jpg 1024w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Bow-on-13042024-768×497.jpg 768w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Bow-on-13042024-770×498.jpg 770w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Bow-on-13042024-20×13.jpg 20w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Bow-on-13042024-385×249.jpg 385w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>
AC37 Luna Rossa AC75

The foils, that are clearly legacy AC36, are forward of the mast and the ram exquisitely indented and shaped into the hull.

Every centimetre has been properly, pain-stakingly designed, the haute couture ‘weapon’ masks innovation and detail that is utterly exquisite.

The hull form is atypical of the new breed of AC75’s with a slender bustle running the full length as is ‘de riguer’ for the Barcelona sea state and tapering off the bow in a sweeping curve into a  sharp edged, shallow(er) flat-bottomed transom – unique to the AC75 hulls revealed so far.

imageAC37 – Luna Rossa AC75 Stern
” data-medium-file=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Stern-13042024-300×300.jpg” data-large-file=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Stern-13042024.jpg” class=”wp-image-42692 size-full” src=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Stern-13042024.jpg” alt=”AC37 – Luna Rossa AC75 Stern” width=”1022″ height=”601″ srcset=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Stern-13042024.jpg 1022w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Stern-13042024-768×452.jpg 768w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Stern-13042024-770×453.jpg 770w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Stern-13042024-385×226.jpg 385w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Stern-13042024-20×12.jpg 20w” sizes=”(max-width: 1022px) 100vw, 1022px”>
AC37 – Luna Rossa AC75 Stern

Perhaps slightly less volume than we’ve seen on Emirates Team New Zealand and certainly less voluminous than Alinghi Red Bull Racing.

The bow profile is sharp, kicking off the immediate flaring underneath but without any chines, whilst on top it is sculpted, tapering forward as low-profile as possible within the volume rule.

The pods are deep with the cyclors able to tuck in, almost unseen, behind the helm and trim teams.

imageAC37 – Luna Rossa AC75 Deck View
” data-medium-file=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Deck-View-13042024-300×300.jpg” data-large-file=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Deck-View-13042024.jpg” class=”wp-image-42697 size-full” src=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Deck-View-13042024.jpg” alt=”AC37 – Luna Rossa AC75 Deck View” width=”1024″ height=”600″ srcset=”https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Deck-View-13042024.jpg 1024w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Deck-View-13042024-768×450.jpg 768w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Deck-View-13042024-770×451.jpg 770w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Deck-View-13042024-385×226.jpg 385w, https://www.sailweb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AC37-Luna-Rossa-AC75-Deck-View-13042024-20×12.jpg 20w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>
AC37 – Luna Rossa AC75 Launch Deck View

The mast, without most fittings, and the foils and rudder were legacy components of previous boat iteration.

The Italians are, without a shadow of doubt, all out to win this Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup and they might just have the vessel to do it.

(Magnus Wheatley, Michele Melis, AC Recon)

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LUNA ROSSA AC75 – Launch Live from Cagliari

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