When a billionaire loves not sports but cars and boats, he treats himself to a floating head-turner after making it big in the business world. At least, that’s what American tycoon Herb Chambers did. He commissioned a stellar 263-footer, aptly christened the Excellence Yacht, to look as spectacular as his favorite Caribbean destination, St. Barths. Is there a better way to enjoy the scenery than on a Winch Design motoryacht?
The yacht’s name stems from a bestseller by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, ‘In Search of Excellence.’ Let’s take a closer look at what makes the new Excellence (he owned another five Excellences) a cut above its successor.
Sensational and invigorating, Excellence Motoryacht-
Excellence, a $120 million boat, comes with a certain futuristic aesthetic, perhaps owing to the topsides made almost entirely of glass. The 60-metre Abeking Excellence V boasted a more run-of-the-mill exterior in comparison, with more classic lines. Chambers shared with Boat International, “I kept thinking about how I could have bigger windows, more glass. And when I saw Andrew Winch’s rendering, I thought that could be the answer, but with some modifications to it.”
The real cynosure aboard is the triple-height glass atrium and full-height windows. The entire upper deck is dedicated to the owner and includes a master suite and lounge, a private deck with a Jacuzzi.
To make the most of stunning vistas, there is provision for a sun lounging area aft and a terrace area forward. Guests can enjoy an enviable vantage point at the sun deck with a lounge area and Jacuzzi.
The main deck is home to a salon, swim-up bar, and six suites for 12 guests. Life on Excellence is certainly excellent, with amenities like a spacious lounge, dining area, cinema room, spa, sauna, and a gym.
Spending a whopping $1.1 million a week is indeed justified on a superyacht that has every ingredient to live the good life. From a sprawling beach club with terrace, a plethora of water toys, and a large main deck swimming pool, there is plenty of fun, adrenaline, and luxury packed in the 2,115-ton ship built by Abeking & Rasmussen.
Chambers correctly stated, “There is no greater luxury than being on a yacht where you get personalized service, and you don’t have to wait for anything,” he says. “When you have a yacht with a crew, you can pretty much have whatever it is you want 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Who is the owner of $120 million Excellence superyacht?
Herb Chambers, the billionaire worth $2.7 billion, owns 59 dealerships selling brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lexus, and Porsche. He has certainly come a long way from his first job as a cart collector at the local supermarket. From there, he went on to drop out of school and later borrowed $500 from his mother to start his first company, a copy distributor, which he sold for $80 million in 1983, according to Forbes. He got into the car business in 1985, buying an Oldsmobile-Cadillac dealership. Success and superyachts followed soon enough.
“My company continued to do well, so I got a bigger boat, and a bigger boat, and a bigger boat, and in between all those boats, I probably owned half a dozen Cigarette boats, two or three Magnums, and a Formula boat. I’ve always had this passion for boats. I love them,” shared the 82-year-old. Today, with more than 17,000 employees, the Herb Chambers car dealerships produce annual sales of over 1.5 billion dollars.
