Torque of the town: Superyacht engine rooms that wow

Feadship's 46.6-metre yacht Mystique was built in 2001 by Formula One racing car driver and automobile entrepreneur Roger Penske. He named her Detroit Eagle – a reference to his company, Detroit Diesel, which made diesel engines for boats (he was also involved with a company that built turbine engines). The brief? Very fast. The result? A Dutch pedigree yacht with Penske's own Detroit Diesel-branded 3,650hp engines and a Lycoming TF-50 gas turbine for an additional 5,600 horsepower. Of course, a need for speed demands a racerboy colour – and, as the picture shows, the diesels were painted in fire-engine Ferrari red, bringing the polished-chrome engine room to life. 

Marilyn Monroe wasn’t wrong when she sang Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend – but on board Tankoa Yachts' 58-metre Diamond Binta, the sparkle isn’t confined to jewellery or interiors. Instead, it’s found in the most unexpected place: the engine room. Far from being the oily, utilitarian space it's often perceived to be, Diamond Binta’s engine room is a gleaming showpiece at the heart of the yacht – an owner’s request brought brilliantly to life. A glass-enclosed corridor cuts through its centre, connecting the lower deck guest cabins to the aft beach club, offering guests a rare walk-through view of the yacht’s engineering. More than just a technical space, this engine room is a bold design statement that seamlessly blends aesthetics, innovation, and functionality – proof that true brilliance can be found below deck.

Introducing the TRON experience: a glass-lined and cinematically lit corridor leading to Kismet’s superb engine room. At 122 metres, Lürssen's all-singing, all-dancing superyacht doesn't skimp on any detail – so it’s only fitting that the owner chose to spotlight the yacht’s impressive hybrid propulsion system. Featuring a PTI (power take-in electric motor) and PTO (power take-off generator), the setup is as technically advanced as it is visually striking. That may sound like a bit of a mouthful, but as BOAT's US editor in chief Cecile Gauert puts it in her 2024 yacht report, the "TRON" corridor is simply "like taking a wormhole to another dimension". And if the digital display of stats and systems becomes a bit much, there’s always the 1920s-style Art Deco cinema just beyond – for a very different kind of spectacle.

The iconic 78.6-metre Great Lakes Ew yacht SS Delphine boasts many accolades. From celebrating over 100 years on the water to hosting heads of states while they brokered peace treaties, she has undoubtedly earned herself legendary status. Arguably most impressive of all is how she still runs on her original steam engines to this day. Emmanuel R Buetss, SS Delphine’s Manager told BOAT in 2022 how "she is the only superyacht in the world still operating today with her quadruple expansion steam engines". She was originally equipped with triple Babcock & Wilcoz boilers, supplying power for her two 1,500-horsepower steam engines, and in 2003 the engine room received an update during a refit. She is now outfitted with two modern water-tube boilers, which power the original engines.

Commissioned by the late Aga Khan IV, Alamshar is a true outlier in the world of superyachts – and her engine room tells you exactly why. Delivered in 2014 after an extraordinary 13-year build, the 50-metre yacht is the only all-gas-turbine-powered yacht in the world. Designed for speed, Alamshar can hit top speeds of over 45 knots, with some reports suggesting she once reached up to 60 knots in her prime. Beneath the sleek exterior lies a propulsion system more akin to a fighter jet than a floating palace. Naval architecture by Donald L. Blount and interiors by British studio RWD complete the package, but it’s the high-octane heart of this yacht that truly sets her apart.

German-born Tom Schröder – owner of the 44.3-metre yacht Maverick – adopts a do-it-yourself attitude when it comes to life on board. As he put it to BOAT in its 2025 yacht report, "we can put our underwear in the washing machine or load a few glasses in the dishwasher, can’t we?". His interest in Italian yard Cantiere delle Marche (CDM) was piqued several years ago when he stepped on board another of its models at the Cannes Yachting Festival. But it was the large, well-laid-out engine room that won over the owner, a space so thoughtfully laid-out and well-equipped "that [it] had no equal on the market, even on much larger yachts," explained Schröder.

As the first methanol fuel-cell superyacht, Sanlorenzo's 50-metre yacht Almax is a true trailblazer. But beyond her green credentials, it’s the clever layout that deserves attention – especially when it comes to the engine room. Dubbed the "Hidden Engine Room" (or HER) by the yard, the compact, single-level configuration frees up valuable space on the lower deck. The result? Room not just for tech, but for a full lower deck saloon, proving that innovation below deck can shape the experience above it.