Donald Joel Aronow (March 3, 1927 – February 3, 1987) was an American designer, builder, and racer of Formula, Donzi, Magnum Marine, Cary, and Cigarette Racing Team speedboats. Aronow built speedboats for the Shah of Iran, Charles Keating, Robert Vesco, Malcolm Forbes, George H. W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Mar 20, 2013 · The life of speed-demon boatbuilder Don Aronow was cut short in a hail of bullets, but he left a lasting impression on the people in his life. Senior Editor Kevin Koenig spoke to those who knew him best, the key players of Thunderboat Row.

Oct 20, 2022 · When Cigarette founder and powerboat racing champion Don Aronow was shot dead on 3 February 1987 in Miami, the boating world was convulsed, but not everybody was surprised. Emblematic of both the American dream and a particularly magnetic kind of American masculinity, Aronow was a frontiersman, a real-life Marlboro Man and a fearless racer.

Feb 21, 2025 · Don Aronow, a name synonymous with powerboat racing, left an indelible mark on the world of high-speed boating. Known as the visionary behind iconic brands like Cigarette, Donzi, Formula, and Magnum Marine, Aronow’s legacy blends engineering brilliance with a …

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Aug 28, 2024 · For those that don’t know already, Don Aronow was the king of the Miami powerboat scene in the ’70s and ’80s. He didn’t just build boats; he built icons—Magnum Marine, Cigarette, Donzi, Formula.

In 1966 Don Aronow, now offshore champion and boat builder, built himself a new 27′ race boat, which he named “Maltese Magnum”. The boat became World Champion and Don Aronow built a small factory to build more boats just like it: Magnum Marine was founded.

Jun 22, 2022 · In 1987, hit man Robert ‘Bobby’ Young shot powerboat mogul Don Aronow in his Mercedes sports car. Young, paid $60,000 for the contract murder, achieved such notoriety for the gangland-style killing that he secured a place in the pantheon of South Florida assassins.

Characterized by shipmates as an aggressive, fearless pilot who did not make mistakes, Johnson became American Power Boat Association's World Champion of the Offshore World Cup in 1988. [81]

Oct 12, 2021 · Don Aronow was a dead set legend. He designed, built and raced the famous Magnum Marine, Cary, Cigarette, Donzi and Formula speedboats. In his spare time, he built speedboats for the Shah of Iran and American presidents George Bush Sr and Lyndon Johnson, among others and he hung out with the Beatles.