Pretty much every premium car brand has taken the plunge in recent years and revealed a high-profile yachting collaboration. We round up some of the most prominent examples from around the world starting with the Axopar Brabus Shadow 800.

Launched at the 2018 Düsseldorf boat show, this fresh collaboration sees the Finnish dayboat specialist team up with the German car tuning brand that has worked with Mercedes-Benz for more than 40 years. The result is an 11.2 metre speed machine that is being limited to an initial run of 20 hulls, with the first one due to serve as a chase boat for a 40 metre superyacht.

Brabus founder Bodo Buschmann explained that this project is the borne of a lifelong passion for yachting: "I'm a boat owner at heart, my family has always been boat owners. Driving a big yacht today is like driving a big house — there's no thrill in it. We want to reinvent luxury dayboating."

The superyacht ethos has certainly influenced this project as each Axopar Brabus Shadow 800 will be fitted with a 45-inch LG TV, leather seats made by Brabus and lashings of carbon fibre to finish off the look. Best of all, owners can expect exhilarating performance at speeds in excess of 50 knots thanks to a pair of 400hp Mercury Racing outboard engines.

The 9.92 metre Riva Ferrari 32 is another great example of an automotive brand teaming up with a yachting expert. The two Italian icons joined forces in the early 1990s to build a limited-edition run of 40 speedboats capable of speeds in excess of 50 knots, powered by a pair of 390hp V8 engines. This design seems to have enduring appeal too, as a 1990 Riva Ferrari 32 was valued at €180,000 for a Sotheby's auction in Monaco last year.

The 11.1 metre Aston Martin AM37 has been created in partnership with Quintessence Yachts. Following years of research and development, the first powerboat to bear the famous Aston Martin wings was given a public debut at the 2016 Monaco Yacht Show.

From a company that has provided cars for James Bond, it is only fitting that the AM37 is both state-of-the-art and super fast. Twin 520hp Mercury Racing petrol engines propel the S version to a top speed in excess of 50 knots.

The Aston Martin speedboat features an innovative sliding hardtop made from carbon fibre and a host of on-board computer technologies. The air-conditioning, fridge and espresso machine can all be turned on remotely, while a 15-inch touchscreen panel and an interactive voice control system run the boat's navigation and entertainment systems.

Configurable yacht specialist Dynamiq made no secret of its automotive inspiration when the yard launched its debut superyacht, Jetsetter in 2016. The innovative company allows buyers to pick and choose fixtures and fittings from an online configuration, as you would when speccing out a luxury car. So for its sophomore superyacht, it should come as little surprise that Dynamiq has teamed up with one of the biggest names in the automotive industry — Porsche.

The result is the 35 metre Dynamiq GTT 115, a sporty 21 knot all-aluminium cruiser that boasts a 3,400 nautical mile range that will see you across the Atlantic on one tank of fuel. Roland Heiler, managing director of Studio F.A. Porsche, said: "Taking the spirit of high-performance sportscar styling to the high seas, the Dynamiq GTT 115 is designed to appeal to car lovers and forward-thinking yacht owners who appreciate the advantages of speed, style and our philosophy of intelligent performance."

Recently showcased at the Monaco Yacht Show 2017, the Dynamiq GTT 115 is hull number 1 in a limited edition of seven Porsche Design yachts.

One of the earliest yacht and luxury car collaborations, 31.24 metre Motali was launched in 1993 by Turkish yard Yonca. Her designer Alfonso Albaisa has worked on several high-profile automotive projects, such as the Infiniti Q60 and Nissan Juke, but the brief from the Turkish client was challenging nonetheless, as he wanted "a vessel like no other".

Speaking after a recent encounter with Motali, Albaisa explained his inspiration: "It was clear from the beginning that the most important thing was to create something truly beautiful. That’s why I designed it with a bullet-like expression and with romantic tapering at the stern that tumbles inwards, similar to the classic vessels of the 1950s.”

Built from a GRP hull and superstructure, Motali has the performance to back up her sporty styling, with twin 1,400hp MTU diesel engines delivering a top speed of 35 knots. Meanwhile her interior by Art-Line and Rincklake Van Endert, can accommodate up to eight guests and six crewmembers.

Lexus is at an immediate advantage as its parent company Toyota is already a big player in the Japanese motor yacht market. The 12.7 metre Lexus Sport Yacht is every inch as stylish, athletic and luxurious as you’d expect from the premium motoring brand, with its flowing lines evoking the Lexus LFA supercar.

Power comes from a pair of 440hp Lexus V8 engines for a top speed of 43 knots while there is enough seating space for eight guests to enjoy the ride. The proof-of-concept prototype (pictured above) was built by the Marquis-Carver Yacht Group in Wisconsin, however, Lexus sadly has no plans to put the Sport Yacht into mass production.

As the brains behind the Fisker Automotive luxury electric car brand, Henrik Fisker is no stranger to innovation, as his 50 metre superyacht concept for Italian yard Benetti shows. The dramatic Benetti Fisker 50 design was unveiled earlier this year to widespread industry acclaim, with strong feature lines on all three decks that take the shape of a regressing wave. The innovation continues inside with a fireplace in the owner's cabin and a cinema room that can be easily converted into a superyacht gym.

The 14 metre Arrow 460 Granturismo is modelled on the legendary Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows racing cars that dominated motorsport in the 1930s.

Silver Arrows Marine joined forces with Mercedes-Benz Style to create this unique boat that hit the water in spring 2016. It proved to be such a bit hit that Finnish carbon fibre specialist Baltic Yachts has been signed up to put the Mercedes-Benz speedboat into mass production.

The 13.1 metre Lancia di Lancia powerboat was the result of a collaboration between four Italian companies: luxury rib builder Sacs, Fiat Powertrain Technologies, Martini, and Lancia. It was designed to offer the comfort and style of a sports coupe in a boat, can carry up to 11 people, and even has an air-conditioned cabin for two.

The fibreglass hull is made from a mould, but then assembled by hand so that each one is personalised to customer specifications. The folding, electric-powered hood can be raised to protect the occupants from the elements, while the twin Fiat FPT N67-560 engines give the boat a top speed of 55 knots.

Speed, luxury, advanced engineering, symbols of status — the crossover between the boating industry and the car industry is closer than ever. Key examples include the yacht-friendly BAC Mono supercar and Adrian Newey, the F1 designer helping BAR's America's Cup bid. And now several luxury car brands have turned their expertise to designing luxury boats.

Bugatti is famous for making the world's fastest production sports car, the Veyron, but the French manufacturer has also teamed up with yacht builder Palmer Johnson to present a series of Niniette carbon fibre day boats, all of which are named after the daughter of Bugatti founder Ettore Bugatti.

The latest design in the series is the 20 metre Niniette 66 (pictured above), which has been designed to bear a close resemblance to Bugatti's latest model, the Chiron, while retaining the lightweight carbon fibre construction and stabilising sponsons that give Palmer Johnson yachts their exceptional stability and seakeeping.

Key features include a fire pit and a spa pool in the spacious main deck seating area and a double cabin below decks. A range of engine options will allow for top speeds of up to 44 knots.

Etienne Salomé, head of interior design at Bugatti, is delighted with the result, adding, "The Niniette is a genuine member of the Bugatti family. Even from a large distance when entering a port, the Niniette will always be recognised as a true Bugatti."

British car manufacturer Jaguar teamed up with Canadian yacht designer Ivan Erdevicki to create this 6.1 metre speedboat concept, which was designed to compliment the Jaguar XF Sportbrake.

"The Concept Speedboat looks powerful," said Jaguar's director of design, Ian Callum. "It follows, in so many ways, the idea of a traditional speedboat but with the sleek and fast characteristics that you would expect from a Jaguar Car."

The boat is built from fibreglass but has a carbon fibre fin on the deck, inspired by the iconic Jaguar D-Type.

"I have always had a passion to create such an object and it seemed fitting that we relate this to a lifestyle vehicle such as the Jaguar XF Sportbrake," added Callum.

Porsche Design collaborated with the Singapore based Royal Falcon Fleet to design the 41.4 metre RFF135 catamaran. The president of the yard was looking for a "spaceship on the water," and the only design parameter was that it had to be a catamaran.

"The two hulls create a completely different stance impression, almost resembling the track of a sports car," Porsche Design said.

The round bilge aluminium catamaran hull form, combined with twin MTU 16V 4000 M93L engines and two water jets, mean the RFF135 is capable of speeds of more than 30 knots. Although construction of the first hull began several years ago in Sweden it is unknown when it will be revealed.