Gallery Of The Week: Cigarette 52 Thunder Center Console Reveal

An invitation to last Thursday’s night’s unveiling of the new Cigarette Racing Team 52 Thunder center console that arrived earlier this month left me wondering how to be in two places at once. Much as I wanted to be in Coconut Grove, Fla., to watch the Cigarette crew pull the sheet of the striking 52-footer powered by six Mercury Racing 500R outboard engines,I needed to be elsewhere for a family obligation.

That decision was easy.

Unveiled this week, the 52 Thunder center console is the newest model from Cigarette Racing Team.

As was resolving the schedule conflict, thanks to Jared Powell of Wave To Wave digital magazine, who covered the event for speedonthewater.com.

Powell, who lives in Miami, and I bumped into each other at the Mercury Racing 50th Anniversary Gala and 500R outboard introduction last week in Charleston, S.C. We’ve worked together before and it’s always been a pleasure. I offered him the 52 Thunder debut assignment—”go check it out and write what you see” were my very precise instructions—and he accepted it.

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The moment of truth.

Powell’s story went live yesterday. The rather large but entirely predictable traffic spike it created made me that much more grateful I bumped into him Charleston and offered him the assignment. Regardless of their wide-ranging opinions on the brand, performance-boat enthusiasts want to read about Cigarette. The numbers don’t lie.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what’s next.