SANLORENZO SHE BRINGS THE SPIRIT OF 1960S ITALIAN YACHTING INTO A NEW ERA

Sanlorenzo has introduced SHE, a 25.5-metre yacht created as a contemporary interpretation of the Italian navetta tradition of the 1960s. Revealed at the shipyard in Ameglia ahead of its world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2026, the project brings together two seemingly different moments in yachting history: the visual language of an earlier era and a technological platform designed for present-day cruising.

SHE is part of Sanlorenzo’s Heritage approach, a space within the brand’s portfolio dedicated to drawing from its own history and from the broader traditions of Italian yacht design. Rather than reproducing a historical yacht, the new model interprets the characteristics associated with 1960s navette through cleaner proportions, contemporary architecture and updated onboard technology.

The exterior design comes from Zuccon International Project, while the interiors and layout are by Piero Lissoni and Lissoni & Partners. Their respective contributions give the yacht a carefully balanced visual identity: the exterior retains the gentle, composed character of classic Italian motor yachts, while the interior adopts a more architectural interpretation of contemporary living.

At 25.5 metres overall, with a 22.9-metre hull and a 6.5-metre beam, SHE occupies a scale that allows generous onboard volumes without losing the visual restraint that defines the project. Accommodation is arranged for six guests, with space for three crew members. The proportions are deliberately measured, reinforcing the idea that SHE is intended to be experienced as a complete environment rather than simply as a high-performance vessel.

Its exterior lines are among the clearest expressions of the yacht’s historical reference. Sanlorenzo describes the design as drawing on the elegance of 1960s Italian yachting, with pure and minimalist forms that recall the period without becoming an exercise in reproduction. The result is a silhouette shaped by proportion and simplicity rather than ornament.

That restraint continues inside. Lissoni’s approach to the interior establishes a modern interpretation of the classic yacht, using coordinated architectural elements to connect the spaces. Sanlorenzo describes the interior as balancing a sense of continuity with contemporary living, allowing the historical reference to remain present without determining every aspect of the design.

Technology provides the strongest contrast with the yacht’s historical inspiration. SHE is the first Sanlorenzo project to use Volvo Penta’s IPS hybrid system, combining conventional and electric propulsion. The yacht is equipped with two IPS30 PHEV units, each rated at 1,000 horsepower, alongside two 160kW electric motors.

The system gives SHE several operating modes. Sanlorenzo lists a maximum speed of 20 knots and a cruising speed of 17 knots, while full-electric operation can reach up to 11 knots at maximum speed and approximately 7 knots at electric cruising speed. Hybrid cruising can reach up to 20 knots. The system is intended to allow quieter electric navigation and more flexible energy management while retaining the performance expected of a modern motor yacht.

This combination of heritage design and hybrid technology is central to SHE’s character. The yacht does not attempt to make the past technologically relevant by simply reproducing it. Instead, it uses the visual vocabulary of the past as a starting point for a different kind of contemporary experience.

The approach reflects Sanlorenzo’s broader design philosophy. The company has increasingly positioned technology, sustainability and design development alongside its long-established emphasis on customisation and craftsmanship. Its current product strategy includes research into lower-impact propulsion and materials, while maintaining the individualised character associated with its yachts.

Sanlorenzo’s own history provides an important context for SHE. The shipyard was founded in 1958 in Limite sull’Arno, near Florence, by shipwrights Gianfranco Cecchi and Giuliano Pecchia. Its earliest motor boats were built in Viareggio, and by the late 1960s the company had expanded into wooden yachts measuring between 36 and 60 feet. That period is particularly relevant to SHE, which draws its visual inspiration from the same broader era of Italian yacht building.

The company changed hands in 1972 when Giovanni Jannetti acquired Sanlorenzo. Under his ownership, the shipyard expanded its production and introduced new approaches to customisation. In 1985, Sanlorenzo presented its first fibreglass model, the SL57, before entering the superyacht sector with the Sanlorenzo 100 in 1995. Its headquarters moved to Ameglia in 1999, where the company remains based within the Montemarcello-Magra natural reserve.

Massimo Perotti acquired a majority stake in the company in 2005, beginning a further phase of international development. Today, Sanlorenzo operates facilities in Ameglia, La Spezia, Viareggio and Massa, with production spanning yachts, superyachts and the Bluegame brand. Its model remains closely associated with made-to-measure construction and a limited-production philosophy.

That heritage makes SHE more than an isolated exercise in retro-inspired design. The yacht sits within a history in which Sanlorenzo has repeatedly adapted its construction methods, materials and technologies while maintaining a recognisable approach to proportion, craftsmanship and individualisation.

The decision to revive the visual character of the 1960s is therefore carefully aligned with that history. The navetta reference recalls a period when Italian motor yachts were developing a distinctive language of their own: practical enough for extended cruising, yet increasingly shaped by ideas of comfort, proportion and domesticity.

SHE translates those qualities into a contemporary setting. Its spacious proportions, minimalist exterior and considered interior create a yacht intended for relaxed living, while its hybrid propulsion introduces a technological dimension that could not have existed in the era that inspired its appearance.

The timing is also significant. The yacht was launched in Ameglia before its public world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2026, giving Sanlorenzo an opportunity to present the model first within its own design and manufacturing environment before placing it on the international boat-show circuit. The first five units had reportedly already been sold before the official debut, indicating early market interest in the new concept.

SHE’s importance ultimately rests in the tension between familiarity and progression. Its silhouette looks backwards to the elegant simplicity of 1960s Italian yachting, while its propulsion system and contemporary interior point firmly forwards.

Sanlorenzo’s Heritage model suggests that preserving a design tradition does not necessarily require repeating it. Sometimes the more compelling approach is to understand the principles behind an earlier language—its proportions, restraint and relationship with the sea—and give those principles room to evolve. In SHE, the past provides the vocabulary, but the future determines how it is spoken.

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