German tuner ABT has unveiled an electric sports boat with 603bhp

Before Porsche unveiled its all-electric Macan, it decided to release some powertrain details by plugging the bits into an electric boat. It was called the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air – a very cool name for a very cool boat. At the time we thought the creation was rather niche, but now the Porsche has a proper rival.

Because German tuner ABT has decided it wants to get in on the floating EV game, and its new ABT Marian M 800-R has remarkably similar stats to the Porsche. So, where the Porsche gets a 100kWh battery, 563bhp, a top speed of 53mph and a range of 28 miles, the ABT deploys a larger 121.5kWh battery and a more powerful 603bhp e-motor for 50 miles of range and the same 53mph top speed when in the full-fat ‘ABT mode’.

The Porsche wins in the charging stakes, though. Its 800-volt architecture from the Macan means it can rapid charge at speeds of over 250kW. The ABT – which is based on the Marian M 800 Spyder – is limited to 150kW charging.

We’re told ABT was mainly responsible for the trim, which includes Alcantara seats, red leather, ‘ambient and underwater lighting’ and an air intake design that’s based on the “characteristic wheel arch vents of the ABT Sportsline special models”. Right.

Anyway, there’s a 12in multifunction display, plus an ABT-branded steering wheel and the option of anthracite or white paint.

We’re told that the M 800-R can be used in fresh or salt water, and it’ll be limited to just 20 units, with each one being built at the Marian shipyard in Austria and costing around £465,000 once you’ve included tax. Worth remembering that Porsche is building 25 examples of the 850 Fantom Air (well, Austrian boat builder Frauscher is building them for Porsche), with each one of those costing quiet boat buyers £485,000.

ABT vs Porsche, then: who gets your half a million?