A yacht capable of 42 knots fitted with MTU engines plays a part as a setting for some exciting scenes in the new James Bond film "Casino Royale". Three MTU 16V 2000 engines are working in the engine room of the 33-meter Predator 108 from the British shipbuilder Sunseeker, each with a peak output of 2,028 horsepower (1,492 kW) and each driving its own surface propeller.

The new Bond film, which will be starting in the cinemas two weeks from now, was filmed at locations including the Bahamas, Prague, Venice and London. The parts of the film showing the exterior of the Sunseeker Predator were made in the Bahamas. For the scenes inside the yacht, the interior of the luxury yacht including the cockpit with instruments and control levers of MTU's Blue Line controls was reproduced true to the original and incorporated in the film set. In the studio, the entire set was mounted on an enormous hydraulic platform in order to simulate the yacht's movement for the cameras and actors.

Previous Bond films have featured a series of spectacular yachts in which the secret agent pursues eccentric villains on Her Majesty's service. Luxury and speed are part of 007's lifestyle - and of his opponent LeChiffre, who is the owner of the superyacht in "Casino Royale". So much power has never been seen in a James Bond film before. At full speed, the surface propellers churn up a characteristic trail of white spray, shooting up several meters high out of the yacht's wake. Surface propellers are only semi-submerged in the water; they operate at very high revolutions and are used in high-performance yachts. The British shipbuilder Sunseeker relies on MTU engines in its top-performance segment: At present, the most powerful Sunseeker yacht ever built is in production with three MTU 16V 2000 Common Rail engines.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 November 2006 )