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Bugatti’s $4 million yacht has a Jacuzzi and fire pit, because being rich means having no shame

Bugatti’s $4 million yacht has a Jacuzzi and fire pit, because being rich means having no shame

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When owning a Bugatti Chiron isn’t enough

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I am not a rich person, nor do I hold rich people in particularly high regard. That said, I do occasionally enjoy examining and critiquing the things that rich people choose to buy. It helps put things in perspective, like giving the top 1 percent a $275 billion tax cut and calling it health care reform.

Take the Bugatti Chiron, a $2.6 million masterpiece in design and luxury. Only in the world of the superrich would a supercar this fast and this beautiful be an inadequate means of transportation. And yet now we also have the $4 million Bugatti superyacht to compliment the Chiron.

We’ll get to the Jacuzzi and fire pit in a second. First, let’s talk about how this thing came into existence. Two years ago, Bugatti announced that it would produce a series of three luxe boats in collaboration yacht builder Palmer Johnson. The series would be called "Niniette,” which was the nickname of Lidia Bugatti, daughter of company founder Ettore. As you might expect with a Bugatti-branded boat, all three are covered in titanium and carbon fiber, accented by Bugatti's trademark blue.

The Niniette 66 is the first in the series, ranging from 50 to 80 feet in length. It retains many of Bugatti’s signature engineering traits, such as the accentuated center line, symmetry, and a sweeping signature curve. It’s not exactly a speed demon, though, with the ability to reach a top speed of 44 knots (50 mph). But the real clincher with this yacht was its absurd number of ultra-luxury accessories.

The spacious deck is tricked out in leather and blue morta oak, also known as bog-wood which is known for its ability to remain free of decay for thousands of years. The lower deck as a sun pad (whatever that is), a champagne bar (yep), and a freaking Jacuzzi. I won’t pretend to understand the impulse that leads someone to design a yacht with a built-in Jacuzzi, but I imagine it’s the same impulse that would lead that same person to also include a fire pit on said yacht. Which is to say, a deep and abiding desire to manufacture something that even the richest people in the world would look at and say, “Damn, that’s pretty silly, but I must have it.”

Excuse me, I’m feeling a little seasick.