One man’s Universe becomes another man’s Casino Royale! Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s alleged luxury vessel has found a new owner in an ardent James Bond fan. No points for guessing, the 243-foot yacht Universe has been rechristened Casino Royale by American businessman John Staluppi.
A seasoned yacht enthusiast, he chose this sleek and stealthy vessel, which famously avoided sanctions by sailing from Italy to Russia and then Turkey, staying just out of reach of authorities.
Still, a veteran like Staluppi knows a good yacht when he sees one. After years of inactivity, the vessel is finally moving again. According to The Yacht Report, Universe is heading toward the Mediterranean, now bearing a new name, Casino Royale, confirming its change in ownership.
The car connoisseur recently sold his previous luxury yacht of the same name and replaced it with this fast and lavish cruiser, built by Amels in 2018. The $100 million vessel, designed by Tim Heywood Design, recently departed Tunisia en route to the United States, with a planned refueling stop in Gibraltar during its transatlantic journey.
That’s the thing about ships, circumstances change, owners change, but the vessel stays true to its nature and sails on, sabbaticals and all.
Universe, fast and fabulous-
Built to take 12 guests around the globe at a maximum speed of 17 knots, this four-deck beauty features a distinctive sand-colored hull and interiors by Winch Design. It houses a 6.5-meter infinity pool, a dance floor, and multiple lounging spaces. Images reveal expansive al fresco dining areas, and considering the $100 million price tag, there’s no doubt the yacht is dripping with opulence in every corner.
With a range of 5,000 nautical miles and a tangled past, Universe is now ready for a complication-free future, unlike 007, who always seems to find trouble.
John Staluppi, the man who loves James Bond and yachts –
Serial yacht owner John Staluppi, founder of the Atlantic Auto Group, started off working 9-to-5 as a mechanic at a Brooklyn-based Chevrolet dealership, building and racing cars on the side. A true car enthusiast, he once begged his father to take out a mortgage so he could buy his dream car, a black ’62 Corvette. “It was $3,100, and the house was only worth $18,000. I got the Corvette, and it was the first really new Corvette I had,” he recalled.
With a little help from his working-class parents, he purchased a small gas station and soon surrounded himself with even more cars, opening a Honda dealership. Though he has since sold off his car collection, over 140 meticulously restored American classics, from vintage Corvettes and Cadillacs to muscle cars like Mustangs, Chevelles, and Plymouth Superbirds, his passion has simply shifted from fast cars to fast yachts.
Now 76, Staluppi decided in the early 1980s that he wanted to own the fastest superyacht in the world, and went on to commission several of them. Every single one has been named after a James Bond film. His impressive fleet has included Moonraker, Octopussy, The World Is Not Enough, For Your Eyes Only, Spectre, and of course, Casino Royale.
