Give or treat yourself to a subscription to Boats in Motion print + digital and for only 39 euros a year you get the magazine at home plus read it on your PC, smartphone and tablet. With a sea of advantages.
A superyacht, a prince and a thoroughbred: they are the protagonists of Shergar’s story. It is the 1980s and the Karim Aga Khan (the prince), obsessed with the idea of speed, had the boat built that was to become the fastest in the world but he was also the breeder and owner of the horse that many even called the fastest horse in history. Both were given the same name: Shergar, and the latter was the protagonist of an incredible and dark story that animated gossip and tabloids of the time…
View this post on Instagram
This is 1983, the year Shergar was born, the yacht, wanted by the Aga Khan to be the fastest in the world, built by German shipyards Lürssen, 46 meters long and designed by Gerard Gilgenast and Pinifarina. Completely refurbished in 2005, but true to the original, propelled by three waterjets she exceeded 45 knots of speed. Fascinating and state-of-the-art boat for those times.
But his story is almost overshadowed by that of his four-legged namesake. The Thoroughbred Balkan Shergar, bred by the Aga Khan’s stable, won the most important of derbies, at Epsom, by an unprecedented margin, and that very feat earned him the name of fastest horse ever. But his fame came from more than just that.
In 1983 Shergar was indeed kidnapped, immediately a ransom of 2 Million Pounds was demanded. The case became an incredible media sensation; the IRA was held primarily responsible for the crime, but there was also talk of Geddafi and even the Italian-American Mafia (and of Lord Lucan, another protagonist of gossip at the time: an English nobleman who disappeared into thin air after apparently killing his wife).
The affair certainly did not end well. Only the remains of the horse were found, not far from the place of abduction. The story greatly affected the imagination of the public at the time and was also the inspiration for the publication of a plethora of books, pamphlets, essays, documentaries and even a cartoon and a film (admittedly not unforgettable) starring Mickey Rourke.
Sign up for our Newsletter
Powerboats, its stories, from small open to motoryachts. Sign up now for our free newsletter and receive the best news selected by the editorial staff each week. Enter your email below, agree to the Privacy Policy and click the “sign me up” button.
Costiera Yacht was born in Fano, Marche, in 2024, from the initiative of two young entrepreneurs: builder Luciano Savelli and designer Giorgio Santello. Both have solid experience in the nautical sector and share a vision: to combine traditional Italian craftsmanship
Welcome to the special section “BAM 35 Years.” We are presenting “cult” articles from the Motor Boats archive, starting in 1990. A journey through time among stories unobtainable today, even in the great sea of the internet! A dive into
Welcome to the special section “BAM 35 Years.” We are presenting “cult” articles from the Motor Boats archive, starting in 1990. A journey through time among stories unobtainable today, even in the great sea of the internet! A dive into
Mark it in your diary: the fourth edition of the National Summit on the Sea Economy “Blue Forum,” entitled “Creating Value – the Sea in the Year of Jubilee, “ is scheduled to take place in Rome July 9-11, 2025.
Send us your sea photos and enter history with us! Your pictures will be featured on our “bulletin board” immediately.
