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Renato “Sonny” Levi, Design Genius. |
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From race winning powerboats to
Trans Atlantic record breakers,
Luxury fast dayboats and cruisers to
speedboats, sailing boats and light
aircraft, all have received the Levi
“touch”. |
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Born in Karachi in 1926 |
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Educated in India and France |
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Served in the RAF during WW2
demobbed in 1948 |
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Studied Aeronautics in England |
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Returned to India in 1950 as
designer and yard manager in the
family boat building business, left
for Europe and America in 1960
arriving in Italy in 1961 to set up
with Cmdr Atillio Petroni , Canav
Navaltechnica. |
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Maybe it is deemed by nature, that 2
geniuses are born half a world apart
yet follow the same lateral thinking
that propels them into the history
books. |
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In the case of Ray Hunt and Sonny
Levi their impact on the design of
small, fast, yet safe sea going
craft using the Deep V principle,
was influenced by of all things
Sailing! Ray Hunt in America, was
already renown for his Yacht
designs, Sonny in Bombay, working in
his father’s boatyard already had a
love of yachts and sailing, loved
observing the Arab Dhows that
ploughed through the Arabian Sea
carrying the trade between India and
the Middle East, were they, with
their graceful bows implanting the
seeds of that instantly recognisable
Levi line?….. |
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He was born in Karachi before the
partition of India then moved with
his family to Bombay, after
travelling the world he eventually
arrived in Italy in 1961 where the
Canav Navaltechnica yard in Anzio
was set up and it was from here in
August 1961 that the name of Renato
Levi was launched onto an
unsuspecting world with a powerboat
by the name of ‘A Speranziella. |
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Through the revived sport of
powerboat racing Sonny was to
establish his name in the world as
an innovative forward thinking Naval
Architect and designer who has
collaborated with most of the famous
names in the marine industry
producing a portfolio of designs
that has not to date been rivalled
in its range and complexity. |
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The one aspect of Sir Max Aitken’s
legendary Cowes Torquay was to
improve the breed! To stimulate
advancement in the design, safety
and seaworthiness of everyday craft
,the designs that flowed from Mr
Levi’s hand after his escapade in
that first race, were to leave
others floundering. |
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‘A Speranziella was designed and
built within three and a half months
after Sonny was enticed to enter the
first Cowes Torquay at the Earls
Court Boat Show in January 1961. She
was built with the proceeds of the
sale of his fathers boat Speranza
Mia (plus his and wife Ann’s
savings), Speranza had been shipped
back to Italy prior to his fathers
retirement and return, she had been
Sonny’s first complete design of a
fast cruising vessel and utilised
several unique building techniques
in the day including use of epoxy
resins, glass matting and exotic
woods. |
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‘A Speranziella was to be the
prototype for a new range of
cruisers hence the race entry as a
proving ground, she was also the
first Deep V design built in Italy,
a 30 footer powered by 2x 300hp
Crusaders with a speed of
approximately 40 knots. The story of
the race is well documented with
Levi leading at one point till the
gremlins set in, eventually
finishing sixth. |
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The battle scars were many including
split and collapsed fuel tanks, an
electrical fire, failed fuel pump
and serious fractures in the
structure of the hull and cabin, in
Sonny’s words “I learned a lot from
that race”. |
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She was repaired with some
modifications and won the 62
Viareggio Bastia race, then entered
in the Cowes Torquay where again
Gremlins hit home, this time with
the engines. Rebuilt and redesigned
for the 63 race with 2 new Ford
Interceptors she won and the path
was set……. |
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1962 brought an order from soon to
be noted designer Don Shead, the
little “Trident” a 23 footer,
Spumante similar to A Speranziella
but powered by GM diesels for Mr A
Hubbard plus the mighty Maserati
powered Ultima Dea for Fiat boss
Gianni (Jonny )Agnelli. IOW builders
Bob and Wally Clarke were soon
building the Trident range and then
followed the glassfibre, Corsairs. |
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1963 was the year of the big win,
then came the request for a circuit
racer from Don Shead for the Paris 6
hours, the result was the 17ft
needle nosed FiFi. This was quickly
followed by Melly and Merryfield’s
16 ft Thunderbolt X, (the precursors
to the Delta shape) which brought
victories for their owner/drivers. |
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It was during a visit to Italy in
1964, by none other than Vosper
designer Peter Du Cane, that he and
Renato discussed preliminary
drawings of a 36 ft design. Peter
offered to tank test a model of, the
model showed considerable promise
and in January 65 the drawings
matured into the most famous Levi
design of all when the Gardner Bros
commissioned the world renowned
“Surfury” and the Delta line was
born. |
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Never one to rest on his laurels the
designs and innovations flowed
endlessly, the beautiful fast
commuter boats for the Mediterranean
jet set, Barbarina for Count Mario
Augusta, Robert Olivetti’s Hildago
and Agnelli’s G. Cinquanta.
The powerboats, Delta’s, Synthesis
and Blu, Hydrosonic Special, Merry
Go Round. |
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Then came the work boats based on
the powerboat hulls and the Naval
patrol vessels rapidly followed by
the experimentals , the ram wing Fat
Cat for Lady Aitken , Golden Griffin
a catamaran , the Delta experimental
extended prow , the winged Monohull
“Dart” and the futuristic
Arcidiavolo. |
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The Blue Ribbon winner, Virgin
Atlantic 2, which used the patented
Levi Surface Drive, Alto Volante and
the unique Nazca , then the love of
his life the yachts. |
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Sonny has had countless imitators,
his designs have been produced
worldwide, he also has thousands of
“fans” including myself ever since
1961 when I saw the blood red
Italian craft enter Torbay and then
the first sight of Surfury in ’66.
Whenever the talk is of the early
years of modern day powerboat racing
there are two names which are always
forever linked to its history and
spoken of in god like esteem, Levi
and Surfury. |
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It would be impossible to list the
all the craft that were born from
Sonny Levi’s hand but you only have
to scan the world’s harbours where
they will stand out from the crowd,
unfussy, gentle curves and like all
good designs totally distinctive,
all bearing the Levi touch, the mark
of a genius. |
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