MTI AT 25—The Lambo Days

Mostly absent from the high-performance powerboating scene these days since the death of his best boat-wrangling buddy Larry Goldman in 2017, New York’s Gino Gargiulo made a big splash with exotic automobile-themed MTI catamarans. That isn’t to say that the Wentzville, Mo., company didn’t build outrageous theme-boats for other clients during the years, but Gargiulo’s two Lamborghini-themed cats grabbed attention wherever he took them. (His first automobile-themed MTI cat was a 42-footer celebrating the Mercedes brand.)

Inspired by the Lamborghini’s LP720-4 50° ANNIVERSARIO Aventador built to commemorate the famed Italian sportscar builder’s 50th anniversary, Gargiulo’s first Lambo-themed MTI catamaran was a 48-footer showcased during the 2014 Miami International Boat Show. Of course, it was displayed alongside its four-wheel Lamborghini counterpart—also owned by Gargiulo—in the MTI exhibit.

A passionate fan of Lamborghini sportscars, Gino Gargiulo commissioned a pair of stunners to celebrate the brand from MTI. Photo by Kevin Johns copyright Instant Memories.

Gargiulo called the cat Raging Bull.

Though the cat was “display ready” it wasn’t ready enough for Gargiulo to enjoy it with Goldman in the Florida Powerboat Club Miami Boat Show Poker Run the weekend after the show. Instead, the cat went back to MTI where its for-display only Mercury Racing 1350 engines were replaced with 1650s. Disappointed as he was not to be able to make the run in his new prize, Gargiulo was delighted with the finished product.

“I’ve wanted to do a Lambo boat for years and getting this new special edition car was the inspiration,” Gargiulo said during the opening morning of the 2014 event. “It’s really cool to have the car on display with it. There wasn’t room for the car and the boat, so MYCO built that crazy lift for us—it’s a cool feature for sure. You can pretty much see the boat from everywhere in the convention center.

“There’s no mistaking what the boat is with the headlights and taillights,” he added. “Mark Morris of Visual Imagination did a beautiful job with the paint. From the crazy amount of blue LEDs to the leather-wrapped dash and amazing interior, I’m blown away by MTI’s attention to detail.”

Gino Gargiulo and his longtime friend Larry Goldman didn’t have much time to enjoy the 52-footer before Goldman died in 2017. Photo by Pete Boden copyright right Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

By the end of 2015, Gargiulo no longer owned the 48-footer—a Russian buyer took it off his hands. But he didn’t have to wait long for another Lamborghini-inspired MTI catamaran. In late 2016, he took delivery of a 52-footer powered by Mercury Racing 1550/1350 engines, and this one took theme authenticity to another level. The cat was even equipped with genuine marinized Lamborghini parts such as its headlights, taillights, power mirrors, steering wheel and the shells for the six bucket seats in the cockpit.

Once again, the cat’s owner was ecstatic with the finished product celebrating his Super Veloce G7 Lamborghini automobile.

“The last boat was made to look like a Lamborghini,” Gargiulo said after taking deliver. “This one is all real Lamborghini. The dash, which has four Garmin screens and two SmartCraft screens, is just like the dash in my Lamborghini. The seats have real Lamborghini bases and are patterned after the seats in my car.”

Not long after the Goldman’s passing, Gargiulo sold the 52-footer. Since then, he has purchased an MTI-V 42 center console and 390X catamaran from the company.

But his Lamborghini-inspired MTI creations won’t be forgotten.