John Staluppi has a problem with his wife’s silverware. Not because it’s poorly designed, or hard to clean, or even particularly expensive (there are few things a billionaire auto magnate can’t afford). Quite the opposite, in fact. Jeanette Staluppi has a habit of choosing forks and knives that are so beautiful that her husband hesitates to use them.
“I told my wife, Jeanette, ‘I’m scared to eat with this,’” he tells me, mimicking the motion of waving a fork with his right hand. He’s sitting at his desk in his Miami office, while his friend and yacht broker Simon Graham bustles about in the background. “It’s crazy, but it’s beautiful.”
This seems like the best place to start when discussing Project Bond. It is the latest (and potentially the final) chapter in Staluppi’s unusually long relationship with superyachts. He has owned 18 over the years (20 if you count his smaller boats), all named after James Bond movies. He insists this will be the last one.
At 269 feet, it will also be the largest, and the lucky shipyard building it is Bilgin Yachts. Unique Yacht Design is handling the exterior design and naval architecture, while H2 Yacht Design (a British exception in an otherwise entirely Turkish design team) is responsible for the interiors (along with Jeanette, of course). The renderings, recently released to the public, perfectly match Staluppi’s description of the living spaces: “unusual glasswork, statues, Versace, and plenty of excitement.”
Staluppi says there’s no strict rule about when he decides to build another yacht. It’s more a matter of instinct—or a whim. “I like instant gratification,” he says. “One day I think, ‘I forgot to do this on the new boat. Maybe I should have made that change.’ And suddenly I say, ‘You know what? I’m going to build a new one.’”
The motivation behind the Project Bond was somewhat more existential. “I’m getting older,” he explains. “So I think the time has come to build exactly what I want—something that’s exciting in every way.”
Born in Brooklyn in 1947, Staluppi grew up in a working-class family (his father was an electrician) and began working as a mechanic at age 16. He eventually turned Atlantic Auto Group into a major U.S. automotive dealership group, but as a teenager he raced dragsters, and decades later, he had the capital to give free rein to those teenage thrills on a wild scale.
Among its superyachts of colossal power are the 143-foot Octopussy, the 155-foot Moonraker, and The World Is Not Enough, a yacht built entirely in the Netherlands (Mulder Design and Heesen) that, with a top speed of 69 knots, remains—more than 20 years later—the third-fastest yacht in the world.
Staluppi tells me that the goal for *The World Is Not Enough* was 70 knots, but at that speed the yacht was difficult to control. “I never had enough money to build the world’s largest yacht,” he says. “But I knew I could build the fastest one.”
That competitive spirit extended to the way he worked with shipyards. In a previous project, he says, he offered the shipyard a $200,000 penalty if it failed to reach the desired speed and a $200,000 bonus if it exceeded it. The yacht ended up exceeding the target, which earned the shipyard a “quite substantial” bonus of more than $400,000.
The Project Bond is designed to go where other superyachts cannot
The Project Bond is certainly not the fastest yacht on the water (it is expected to exceed 17 knots). Staluppi explains to me that his priorities have shifted to comfort, range, and, above all, accessibility. The yacht has a draft of just under 11 feet (considerably less than that of many yachts of comparable size) and is designed to sail in waters where vessels with deeper drafts might struggle.
Staluppi spends “a lot” of time in the Bahamas, where he says the largest yacht that can actually fit into his favorite harbors is about 279 feet long. Project Bond, therefore, gives him a little leeway.
“I want to give my captain at least two feet so he can look around,” he jokes.
He clarifies that he isn’t much of a “sun worshipper” (he does it to please his family) and that, in reality, he’d prefer to take the Project Bond to Monaco.
“Monaco is my favorite place,” he says. “There are wonderful restaurants and plenty to do, including gambling. The casino is right next to the harbor, so if I start losing too much, I can run right back to the boat.”
Staluppi does say he is eager to explore; specifically, he wants to visit places he “has never been to,” including Tahiti. The yacht will also feature large tenders, a helipad, and a propulsion and maneuvering system designed to facilitate its operation in confined spaces.
“There’s no place we won’t go,” he says.
The biggest secrets of Project Bond remain under wraps
There are, however, parts of the yacht that he is keeping secret. Staluppi remains tight-lipped about certain design “tricks” he has planned for Project Bond, though he clarifies that they will affect the engineering and electrical systems, as well as some “theatrical” touches that he hopes will make Project Bond unlike any other superyacht.
“Theatrical” is one way of putting it. The Project Bond is the latest incarnation of Staluppi’s decidedly glamorous lifestyle, inspired by the Bond movies he loves so much.
“I’ve seen all the original James Bond movies, and ever since I was a kid, I’ve always thought they were really cool,” he says. “I hope they release a new movie soon so I’ll have a name for this one. If not, I’ll call it *For Your Eyes Only*, like my favorite yacht.”
Taking over the mantle of Staluppi’s favorite yacht brings high expectations for Project Bond. Staluppi says he wants it to measure up to the industry’s most established names, and he is striving to make it “as good as or better than” yachts from builders such as Feadship and Lürssen, as well as any superyacht he has owned before.
“I’m a real pain in the neck,” he admits. “I call the shipyard and the designers every day, or they come up with a design and I tell them, ‘We don’t like that. Let’s change this. Let’s try that.'”
His relationship with Simon Graham dates back to 2008, when Graham joined one of Staluppi’s yachts as a 20-year-old, inexperienced junior deckhand. He eventually worked his way up to captain before moving into yacht brokerage and sales at FGI Yacht Group, a firm based in Fort Lauderdale.
Two decades later, their relationship has evolved into something more like a partnership. Graham says that Staluppi has continued to serve as his mentor and has passed on to him what he has learned about yachts, cars, and business.
“He hasn’t changed as an owner or as a friend after all these years,” says Graham. “The only thing that’s changed is that the ships are getting bigger and bigger.”
Graham explains that he introduced Staluppi to Bilgin Yachts, which led to him becoming the broker in charge of the sale (and the owner’s representative during the construction process). At the time, they were flying on a jet headed for Wyoming; a few quick calls were made, and by the time the plane landed, Staluppi had already received the preliminary drawings and had a face-to-face meeting scheduled with the shipyard.
“That’s how fast Mr. Staluppi moves, and that’s also what has made this project so rewarding,” says Graham. “From there, it was 6 a.m. calls asking about the air conditioning system or 10:30 p.m. calls asking me to look into a new stern drive he’d read about.”
“Whatever we want, we’re going to put it on this boat.”
Staluppi explains that, in the past, he might have hesitated over whether something was worth the expense. Now, with the possibility that this might truly be his last yacht, he has stopped worrying about it entirely. “I don’t care anymore,” he says. “Whatever we want, we’re going to put it on this boat.”
This attitude extends to Buddy, Staluppi’s seven-year-old dog. “We have a little dog who’s the boss, and he likes to sleep between us,” he says. “So we’ve had to make the bed absolutely huge, so there’s room for all three of us.”
Buddy will also have natural grass on all the yacht’s decks where he can relieve himself, including outside the owners’ bedroom. If he wakes up at night, Staluppi says, all you have to do is let him out, and then he’ll go back to bed.
“It’s easy for me, though maybe not so much for the crew,” he laughs. “They have to mow and water the lawn every week.”
It’s, in miniature, a good illustration of Staluppi’s approach to the Project Bond. If something makes life more enjoyable, why make concessions?
