Performance boats attract a lot of characters. He gave the impression that he felt he could take whatever he wanted.. [Allegations ran wild in the aftermath of Aronows death. Bush a close friend.]. The boat coasted in fourth. You can talk to anybody [about that] [But] he was home every night. He pulled alongside a Lincoln car with tinted windows. Bobby Young was the person who did the killing, and he said that Ben Kramer hired him. He was larger than life. When his kids are teenagers, his first wife Kathy decides she cant stand him anymore after finding out about his other relationships. The story was also the basis for the 2009 documentary film Thunder Man: The Don Aronow Story and the 2018 movie Speed Kills with John Travolta. They had two sons, Gavin and Wylie. Hed bought a Formula and a Cigarette from him, describing Aronow as a joy to be around. At the east end of the street is now the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center; further east, across Biscayne Bay, on oceanside Sunny Isles Beach, stands the Porsche Design Tower. But they [blew] a clutch and had nothing left. To this day, he maintains his innocence. I dont think it ever ran again. But nothing compares with the go-fast scenes of the 1960s, 1970s and climatic 1980s. He was very young. Additionally, Travoltas earlier fame did not contribute to the films success. Aronow agreed to buy USA Racing Team back from Kramer, equally predictably for less than the consideration hed received. Six foot three, real good looking, lots of swagger. Speculation about who the killer might be ran from jilted lovers to jealous husbands to Meyer Lansky to the CIA. It was a big building and obscured the Donzi plant, and you couldnt see [Donzi] from Highway 1 anymore! The great speed of Cigarette boats also made them a popular choice among cocaine smugglers. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! He would build larger premises next door, on what was now known as Thunderboat Row, putting his erstwhile companies and new-found competitors in the shade. And when [then Vice President] Bush said We aint gonna buy boats from Ben Kramer. ), After Aronows brief visit with Saccenti, he got back in his white Mercedes and began to pull away. Alongside the sexual revolution came the growth in the drugs trade. Aronow's close friend at the time, Vice President George Bush, was a former Cigarette owner and was involved in testing out the 39-foot cats prior to government approval. Her son Adam Kimmel is a menswear designer. It was late and night during the depths of America's great Depression. Her father was extremely wealthy and Don once told me he was going to take Shirley to California if the old man didnt cut him into the business. You make a living doing that. [3] Kramer was already in prison on a life sentence with no possibility of parole following 1988 and 1989 convictions for drug smuggling and gun charges, as well as receiving a 1990 conviction for a failed escape attempt by helicopter from a federal prison near Miami.[4]. New hotels and office towers are rising in Miami, and once-sleepy towns nearby are growing skylines of their own, chronicled Time. "I'd never be married to a beautiful woman like Lillian if I hauled garbage for a living," Aronow adds. The boat coasted in fourth. Aronow said, Let me see. Then he took the watch by the clasp, banged it on the table and threw it in a glass of beer. Celebrated yacht designer Michael Peters, who went to work for Aronow the day before he died, said, He was an asshole, but he was my asshole a benefactor for whom Ill always be grateful., On 3 February 1987, Peters was aged 34 and among the last people to speak with Aronow at the office of USA Racing Team, the latest of Aronows boat firms. Don Aronow, powerboat racing champion and founder of Magnum, Cigarette and Donzi, continues to fascinate as doeshismysterious death,discovers Daniel Pembrey. You had to be able to match. Saccenti: He used to say youre never gonna make a lot of money building boats. The murder fell awkwardly between the sort of extravagant statement killings orchestrated by Colombian cocaine kingpins and the kind of professional contract hit carried out by killers keen to hide their tracks, or at least ensure a clean escape. The rest of NE 188th Street is covered with blocks of expensive condos promising comfortable waterside living. Seemingly he had everything to live for. Bob Saccenti is the builder of Chief Powerboats and founder of Apache Performance Boats. He marries Emily Gowen, and they have a son together. Donald Joel Aronow (March 3, 1927 February 3, 1987) was an American designer, builder and racer of the famous Magnum Marine, Cary, Cigarette, Donzi, and Formula speedboats. Hed knock you right down., Allan Brown Don was so reckless with shit like that. He did that a few times. It says so right there on the bottom of his resume: Has survived three motorcycle crashes, totaled five automobiles and 12 boating mishaps. Don did not enjoy boating. Michael, his oldest son, was one of the best athletes at the University of Florida. Having made a fortune in the construction business in New Jersey, building homes and shopping centres, Aronow hastily relocated to Florida in 1961. Phil Lipschutz is a Miami Cigarette dealer and a former contractor to the Don. Miami claimed the nations highest murder rate at 70 per 100,000 residents, and this years pace has been even higher. A world-champion boat racer who enjoyed wild success in business, he was also an unapologetic playboy and fabled bon vivant. You gotta do your homework. "So I decided to build a powerboat race that would beat these other guys.". Don and I had had a meeting to discuss my salary. [1] In 1953, he established his own construction company, the Aronow Corporation which quickly became one of the largest construction companies in the state. Because he did, thats for sure.. Mega-priced and obscenely over-powered, Aronow's sleek craft have set 25 world speed records, won more than 300 major races and earned a dozen world ocean racing champions. A tough, athletic, Jewish kid from Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York, by the age of 21, Aronow was married and about to start a career in his father-in-laws New Jersey construction company. [1], After school, he worked as a physical education teacher for a time until he accepted a job at his father-in-law's southern New Jersey construction business which was booming thanks to demand from returning World War II veterans. At his funeral, [eye surgeon and powerboat racer] Doc Magoon gave the eulogy, and at one point he said, Don was a mans man. He paused, and then said, And he was a ladies man. Everybody looked around the room at all of the known mistresses that were sitting there., Michael Aronow My father broke up more marriages than anybody. Boat International Media Ltd 2008 - 2022. In Speed Kills, the story of Ben Aronoff is based on the life of Donald Aranow, who built speedboats and raced them. Despite having a complex plot, Speed Kills from 2018 failed to win over both reviewers and viewers. There'd been a problem with the taxicab company his father owned in upstate New York. He pulled alongside a Lincoln car with tinted windows. Speculation about who the killer might be ran from jilted lovers or jealous husbands to [Jewish mobster] Meyer Lansky and the CIA. There are about 70 people out there who think they have a boat Don built for himself!, Michael Aronow By 1966, my dad had sold Donzi to Teleflex. The contessa was at the wheel of her two-seater Italian sportscar, its tires squealing as she forced the car through the mountain curves. Also, said Peters, the Coast Guard drivers were left drowned in the wake of the offshore racers and the cocaine runners, who just had a different mentality come race time.. But Don was badly hurt in a car accident in 1970 and had to use a wheelchair from then on. Actor John Travolta as Ben Aronoff in the 2018 crime drama Speed Kills. Ive met some extremely charismatic men, including Sean Connery and Roger Moore, she said. Also read:Wally Tatomir: Death And Obituary What Is The Cause Of The Equipment Manager&Death? The couples newfound happiness doesnt last long, though, because Ben is killed soon after at age 59 in what seems to be a job. Cigarette, Donzi and other Aronow-conceived brands live on, as do the Miami to Key West race and offshore poker runs. (Ironically, in the immediate aftermath of the crash, Saccentis life was saved by his race partner, none other than Ben Kramer. "And they're entitled to spend it any damn way thay want.". He was larger than life. Audiences grew. On Tuesday, Smith, the retired detective, called Aronows widow, Lillian, to break the news. Aronow was extremely competitive in most aspects of his life, perhaps even to a fault. Some of the most popular types of speedboats were the Cigarette, Donzi, Formula, and Cary. Kramer got a 19-year sentence for manslaughter to run concurrently with a life term for marijuana smuggling. What Happened to Speed Kills Racer Ben Aronoff? [A tough, athletic, Jewish kid from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, by age 21 Aronow found himself married and about to start a career in his father-in-laws New Jersey By the end of 1962, Don had founded the Formula Marine boat company as a specialized moto boat business, which he ultimately sold to Alliance Machine Corp. of Merrick Lewis. [He drove it back and] the boat was sinking at the dock. How much does it cost to charter a Below Deck yacht? In the real-life offshore racing seasons, a majority of the contestants might well turn out to be drug runners say, George Morales, Sal Magluta and Willie Falcn, all convicted of cocaine trafficking. After Aronows brief visit with Saccenti, he got back in his white Mercedes and began to pull away. People said whatever Don touched turned to gold., Michael Aronow Forrest Johnson was originally his fishing buddy. [1] He had two elder sisters, Sylvia and Lillian. He was going to run for president, and his friend had 140 people who wanted to kill him! Radios blared out the hits of the day. His second hull was fiberglass -- its hull shaped in a deep-vee to slash through the waves. How Did He Die? During our conversation she revealed that she was a bit hesitant about being interviewed since she is not someone who is comfortable in the public eye but in the end we chatted about everything from her art, her stint in the antiques business to her childhood in Florida with her father, Don Aronow the boat racer and builder of the renowned Dons origin story moves around according to whos telling it. After campaigning his boat "The Cigarette" around the world with mechanic Norris "Knocky" House as his cockpit companion, he won his second World Championship in three years, and third consecutive United States Championship while becoming only the 2nd American in history to win the UIM Gold Medal of Honor (Gar Wood was America's first UIM champion). People said whatever Don touched turned to gold. [With lots of money and charisma, not to mention starting-quarterback good looks, Aronow soon became a ladies man of legendary status in Miami circles.]. WebAronow married twice. If you needed him, you just hit him on the intercom!, Michael Peters The upstairs apartment above his office was kind of famous. He hung out with kings, mobsters and the Beatles, and considered future president George HW Bush a close friend. I cant imagine that, though, he was pretty easy to find. Katheryn Winnick and John Travolta in Speed Kills ( Source : imdb ) Ben and his wife Emily also had a son named Andrew. Phil Lipschutz The saying he had [about Cigarettes famed Mistress model] was, Every man should have a Mistress. And that certainly described Don, too., Allan Brown Hed fuck your wife in a second. Vice President George Bush drives one of Aronow's Cigarettes. Bob Saccenti Don used to come and see me when I was hurt one of those You need anything, let me know, things. Jackson said it was the best in the world. The twos happy marriage disintegrates due to Bens demanding schedules and their son Andrews car accident, which left his legs permanently disfigured. At the age of 32 in 1959, Donald was listed as an official millionaire. But if you decided to take him on, dont expect him to give ground., His next project was considered to be his masterpiece: the long lean Cigarette boats named after a vessel used to hijack rum-runners during Prohibition days. Aronow can still remember peering out at the countryside through his thick glasses, watching the tiny lights flickering from the small farm houses of rural New York and the hobo jungle campfires burning in the night. He started hosting Sunday afternoon brunches at the new home, sometimes for 50 or 60 people, with only Skip and Joanne Allen, of Southern Boating, and my wife and I as the token Christians. When you shook his hand, that was the deal. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 0% approval rating and an overall rating of 2.5/10. Equally predictably for less than the consideration hed received Gowen, and then said, and considered President! 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