There comes a moment when evolution is no longer enough. A moment when experience and innovation become the foundation for creating something entirely new. ICONA 70 is born in that moment.
Founded by the Balducci family and Stefano Arlunno, co-founders and partners, Effebi New Project is the new company behind “ICONA inspired by Mangusta,” an innovative yacht brand making its debut with ICONA 70, the inaugural model built to the standards of Overmarine Group.
Born from the founders’ shared vision that the future of yachting under 24 metres belongs to those willing to challenge convention, ICONA 70 takes shape from a simple but profound observation: a new generation of owners is reinventing what it means to live exclusivity.
They are not necessarily looking for more. They are looking for something different, precisely because they can afford to. Something more emotional. More personal. More distinctive. And, ultimately, more iconic. Capable of redefining the very meaning of luxury.
The question, then, was not how to create another successful yacht. It was: “What could generate genuinely new desire in a segment dominated by established formulas?” ICONA 70 became the answer: It is not the evolution of an existing platform. It is a new category. A new language. A new movement.
Unveiled “OUT OF THE BOX” for the first time at the Cannes Yachting Festival, ICONA 70 offers a radically different interpretation of the high-performance yacht, one in which emotion leads, technology follows, and every element exists for a reason.
For decades, yacht design has been guided by familiar formulas: More volume. More equipment. More complexity.
ICONA 70 asks a different question: “What happens when emotion comes first?” The answer is a yacht that behaves more like a hypercar than a traditional vessel.
Minimalist without appearing plain. Effortlessly elegant. A yacht defined by purity.
A sculpture in motion
The design challenge was entrusted to Igor Lobanov, already the author of the stylistic language of the Mangusta REV range. Over roughly 18 months, Lobanov developed the exterior, interior, ergonomics, and helm as a single, integrated project, seeking the most essential and precise expression for every surface. Every line has a function.
The result is a yacht conceived as a sculpture in motion, capable of combining timeless design with the performance attitude of a modern yacht. Powerful, never aggressive. Able to capture the eye without excess. The hull’s muscular lines remain uninterrupted, while a dramatic engine-room air intake — 3D-printed with a honeycomb structure — introduces a distinctive technical signature inspired by the automotive world.
The dark glazed superstructure appears to vanish beneath a sharply tapered hardtop, while the windshield, designed without conventional pillars, evokes the cockpit of a fighter jet.
From certain angles, ICONA 70 looks more like a 1960s roadster suspended on the water than a traditional yacht.
Even the most complex technical elements — including the bow mooring area, anchor housing, and the side tender bay, designed to accommodate a jet tender up to 3.45 metres — are integrated into the pure, uninterrupted architecture, remaining visually hidden. Everything superfluous has been eliminated. Everything essential has been perfected.
Space, natural light and sea
Light is not simply something ICONA 70 lets into its interiors. It becomes a material. A central corridor represents the heart of ICONA 70: it extends from the swim platform to the cockpit, unfolds across two levels, and continues into the bright glazed capsule.
On the lower deck, the central living area, featuring large skylights, creates a suspended architectural glass dome that establishes a visual connection between sea and sky. The three spacious cabins, with an interior height of 2.10 metres, benefit from exceptionally generous volumes and large continuous hull glazing.
While offering interior volumes never before associated with a 70-foot yacht — including a height reaching 2.85 metresin the yacht’s central section, where the maximum beam is 6.2 metres — ICONA 70 maintains harmonious proportions.
The full-beam owner’s cabin, with an en-suite bathroom in view, conveys a sense of space normally associated with much larger yachts. The result is an open, bright, and fluid environment, with no compromise on comfort and privacy.
The sea, reimagined
The stern section represents the innovation and, at the same time, the starting point of the entire project. Two immense stern wings open outward, extending the beam to over 9 metres and creating an extraordinary 40 m² platform on the water aboard a 70-foot yacht — a dimension normally associated with the beam of a yacht around 50 metres long.
An integrated, transformable staircase extends the path directly toward the sea, creating continuity between the yacht’s interior and the water: a sort of “stairway to Paradise.”
The entire stern area can transform to follow the rhythm of the day: Open. Sheltered. Social. Private. The L-shaped sun pads integrate transformable tables with automatic movement, while two sculptural, functional elements, inspired by vintage guitar amplifiers, become the beating heart of the space. One conceals an outdoor kitchen complete with refrigerator, ice maker, and barbecue, while the other houses a DJ console and storage compartments. Together, they create a place to gather and share emotions destined to become memories, with a premium audio system and multicolour LED lighting. The result is a stern deck designed around people and experiences.
The helm
Inside, the automotive influence reaches its fullest expression at the helm. The helm station is a minimalist dashboard, where ergonomics, technology, and emotion merge into a single environment. Four integrated 19″ touchscreen monitors, four dedicated helm seats, and a sculptural dashboard blend into an interior of extraordinary visual continuity. Multicolour ambient lighting defines the atmosphere, while every element has been designed to eliminate the superfluous and create an immersive, next-generation driving experience. There are no physical controls or unnecessary buttons. Technology amplifies the experience without becoming the experience itself.
This philosophy extends to the onboard systems, where advanced monitoring, joystick control, dynamic positioning, forward-facing live sonar, and docking-assistance technologies are designed to make a high-performance yacht surprisingly intuitive to handle.
The art of individuality
The ICONA 70 philosophy extends to the owner. Personalisation begins with colour, with exterior and interior colour combinations inspired by the automotive world, capable of turning every yacht into a highly personal expression while preserving the purity of the original design.
For owners seeking something truly unique, ICONA 70 introduces Commission. Commission goes beyond a traditional customisation programme. It is a direct creative collaboration between the owner and the design team, inspired by the philosophy of the most exclusive “Tailor Made” programmes. The goal is simple: create an ICONA 70 that cannot be replicated. Because true luxury is not about choosing from a catalogue. It is about creating something unmistakably one’s own.This is the art of individuality.
Performance without complexity
Overmarine Group’s technical department, led by Nicola Onori, took on the engineering challenge, applying the same construction methods used for larger yachts, while the hull design was developed in collaboration with Studio Arnaboldi.
ICONA 70 was developed starting from a precise owner requirement: to maximise space and onboard enjoyment within a 70-foot platform, allowing the owner to live aboard comfortably with family or with a minimal crew.
The propulsion system follows the same principle: three Volvo Penta engines provide the power, with two configurations available, up to the high-performance D13 IPS1350 version, capable of delivering 1,000 hp, equal to 735 kW, per engine.
In its most powerful configuration, ICONA 70 targets a top speed of around 36 knots, a cruising speed of around 30 knots, and a range of around 270 nautical miles, figures subject to final specifications and operating conditions.
The Volvo Penta IPS propulsion system combines performance, efficiency, and ease of handling, while the joystick, Dynamic Positioning system, and latest-generation Garmin technology with Easy Docking Advanced Assisted further simplify handling the yacht. Fibreglass construction combines structural efficiency, performance, and comfort.
The Icona movement
ICONA 70 was not created simply to compete within an established market. It was created to challenge the very definition of that market. Its independence from convention is deliberate. Its stylistic language is distinctive. Something rare. Unusual. Unrepeatable. A yacht designed not around excess, but around emotion, purity, and individuality. An object of desire.
