Sonny Levi
Renato "Sonny" Levi RDI (3 September 1926 – 12 November 2016) was an English boat designer known for creating powerboats for the Aga Khan, the Shah of Iran, and Richard Branson.
Early life[edit]
Renato Levi was born in Karachi on 3 September 1926 into a family that had fled fascism in Italy, but he was educated in France and at Darjeeling in India.
Career[edit]
Levi learned about boat design in his uncle's boat-design business Afco in Bombay. He moved to England in 1944 and became a pilot in Spitfires with the Royal Air Force. After demobilisation he founded his own boatyard in Anzio in 1960. He invented a surface propulsion system which increased speed and reduced drag and was installed on Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Challenger II. In 1986 he was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Books[edit]
Levi wrote and published two books about high speed design on water, Dhows To Deltas[8] and Milestones In My Design.[9]
Awards[edit]
In 1987, Levi had his achievements recognised with his election as a Royal Designer for Industry, a distinction regarded as the highest honour obtainable in the field of design.
In September 2016, he was awarded with an honorary degree in boat design by the University of Genoa.[10]
Death[edit]
Levi died on 12 November 2016.
References[edit]
- ^ "home". Levi Boats. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ "The work of Sonny Levi — Levi Designs". Sonnylevi.com. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ "Sonny Levi | Register | The Times & The Sunday Times". Thetimes.co.uk. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ Lawrence, Charles (13 November 2016). "Renato "Sonny" Levi | Classic Offshore Powerboat Club – COPC". Classicoffshore.com. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ "Sonny Levi". Fastonwater.co.uk. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ John Moore. "Sonny Levi – 'The father of modern powerboat design' has passed away – Powerboat Racing World". Powerboatracingworld.com. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ "Dr Renato 'Sonny' Levi". Iwcp.co.uk. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ "Dhows To Deltas".
- ^ "Milestones In My Design".
- ^ "Sonny Levi – 'The father of modern powerboat design' has passed away". 13 November 2016.
External links[edit]
- "Cowes Torquay Cowes Powerboat Race: vintage boats Renato "Sonny" Levi". YouTube. 15 April 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- “Sonny” Renato Levi (AltoMareBlu.com)
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