Made quite a lot of money on it in spring of 1964. He was right out of a Hollywood script. From being a huge success in the construction industry, he went on the being a legend as a powerboat designer and racer. More tips and leads pointed to Kramer as the man whod ordered and paid for the hit. In reality, Don had already amassed a million dollars before relocating to Miami with his family. They become friends and Johnson told my father about the Miami-Nassau race, which my father became really interested in. Phil Lipschutz I never had any inkling that Don was involved in something illegal. Of the World's most recognized racing boat companies, Don Aronow established five; Donzi, Formula, Magnum, Cigarette and After buying Aronows USA Racing Team, Kramer had a business dispute with Aronow, but was forced to sell it back to Aronow after the Customs Service refused to do business with him. They had three children: [1] Michael who was a star athlete at the University of Florida until he was severely injured in a car accident in 1970 and used a wheelchair after that. Barely had he begun to win before he sold Formula to Thunderbird Boats. Allan Brown Shirley was his first wife. His wife appeared on the cover. "But she didn't want anything to do with me.". Kramer was hot tempered, the argument went; had he been sufficiently enraged by the USA Racing Team misfire to kill Aronow, he would have done so in 1985, whereas Kramer reportedly remained respectful towards Aronow until the end. You can talk to anyone, but every night he was at home.. WebI think it was at this point that Don discovered that he was Jewish. In 1966, he founded Magnum Marine and in 1967 proceeded to win his first World Championship driving two 27' Magnums, a single engine inboard and a triple engine Mercury-powered outboard. Aronow's boats won over 350 offshore races and he was a two-time world champion and three-time U.S. champion. (ABOVE) TICKET TO RIDE: Don Aronow and his son, Michael, cruising off Miami with the Beatles before their iconic 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan show. At the age of 32 in 1959, Donald was listed as an official millionaire. I dont want to make him out to be the greatest boatbuilder in the world, but in that particular class of boats, he was unequalled., Again, Peters gave a qualifying view: Don perfected things already invented: hull shapes, construction techniques and engine setups. (Ironically, in the immediate aftermath of the crash, Saccentis life was saved by his race partner, none other than Ben Kramer. Was it even a planned killing, or some crazed crime of passion? [1] He had two elder sisters, Sylvia and Lillian. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 0% approval rating and an overall rating of 2.5/10. Aronow was free to pursue the contessa. He has three childrenMichael, David, and Claudiawith Shirley Goldin, his first wife. It was the time of the sexual revolution, and his popularity with women was almost as legendary as his boating exploits, although some women were more circumspect. He came to my basketball games, my football games, he was always around.. Shortly after the visit, Aronow left his office and drove down the street to Apache Performance Boats to visit with his former protg, Bob Saccenti. There'd been a problem with the taxicab company his father owned in upstate New York. Don Aronow understood that motto as well as anyone who ever lived. The Miami moto king launched Magnum Marine the next year, in 1967. [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]. Also read:Queen Elizabeth II: Death And Obituary What Happened To Her? aronow: I dont think any of those guys had ever seen anything quite like it to be honest. But if he didnt like you, watch out. Hes the only person Ive ever known like that. "It won big," Aronow says. "And all of a sudden I was in the powerboat business.". They had three children: [1] Michael who was a star athlete at the University of Florida until he was severely injured in a car accident in 1970 and used a wheelchair after that. Michael Aronow is one of Dons five sons from three wives. The chaotic crime scene confronting police detectives was mysterious, not least because of the geography. Additionally, Travoltas earlier fame did not contribute to the films success. 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. Aronow was now with his second wife, Lillian Crawford a model, Palm Beach heiress and ex-girlfriend of King Hussein of Jordan. And he never would backpedal later or change things. [1] In 1945, he joined the merchant marine and worked overseas until the end of World War II. Lipschutz: [Aronow] lived right on the water on Biscayne Bay. Only Magnum and a marina (not Fort Apache) are still here. [1][2] In 1959, at age of 32, the now-millionaire Aronow moved to Miami with his family, where he began racing boats as a hobby.[2]. Aronow's mechanic was busy prepping their twin-engined Magnum. And sure enough, I moved there on a Monday and he was murdered that Tuesday. Kramer got a 19-year sentence for manslaughter to run concurrently with a life term for marijuana smuggling. Witnesses assert that as Aronow rolled down his window, the other driver allegedly started shooting. Jackson said it was the best in the world. He was a hero and a genius, a ballbuster and a bully. He would have a succession of ladies that would appear. Aronow is a former junior high school gym teacher from the Bronx. [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. He was right out of a Hollywood script. Reaching out across the Pacific to Miami, Florida, The Captain gets the lowdown on the wild life and times of legendary Cigarette builder Don Aronow. 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. Because he did, thats for sure.. Since then, Aronow has designed and built some of the world fastest ocean powerboat racers -- including the stubby Maltgese Magnum, the sporty Donzi and the world famous Cigarette. [3][4][5] Kramer had a business dispute with Aronow after buying the latter's USA Racing Team but was forced to sell it back to Aronow after the Customs Service refused to do business with him. Thats the king, came the response, according to The Washington Post. In Miami, his head was turned by the nascent offshore powerboating scene and in particular the gruelling Miami-Nassau race that ran for 296 kilometres. Check Death Reason HOw Old She Was? He pulled alongside a Lincoln car with tinted windows. He was a great dad and a great husband. Six foot three, real good looking, lots of swagger. ), After Aronows brief visit with Saccenti, he got back in his white Mercedes and began to pull away. Then one time, Don left, and said Alright kid, Ill see ya, and he walked out the door. He was born in 1927, the son of an affluent taxicab owner whose family had emigrated from Russia and been bankrupted by the 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., Michael Aronow After he was working with the family for a few years, he went off on his own and started building homes, then shopping centres and industrial parks all over northern New Jersey. Gavin and Wylie are their two sons. Her son Adam Kimmel is a menswear designer. He has three childrenMichael, David, and Claudiawith Shirley Goldin, his first wife. The hobby evolved into a business and by the end of 1962, he had formed the Formula Marine boat company, which he then sold to Merrick Lewis' Alliance Machine Corp out of Dayton, Ohio. Don was a native of New York who, through to his financial savvy and driving prowess, eventually came to command the Miami waterways. How Did He Die? In these circumstances, it would have been extraordinary if the drug cash hadnt found its way into Thunderboat Row and its fabled go-fast boats. Bobby Young, the convicted shooter and the man who might have provided definitive answers, died in jail in 2009. After purchasing Aronows USA Racing Team, Kramer and the latter got into a business dispute, but after the Customs Service refused to do business with him, Kramer was obliged to give it back to Aronow. They were fast (more than 112km/h), good for interdiction activities (stable when boarding intercepted boats) and comparatively easy to drive. Don Aronow is a proud man; proud of the way he's survived. A pattern emerged whereby Aronow would sell his companies and then seek to eclipse them. And he liked to get the best of people. Whereas Don Aronow was more brash, assertive more resolutely a mans man. His second hull was fiberglass -- its hull shaped in a deep-vee to slash through the waves. Whatever the truth of such rumours, the way South Floridas drug business metastasised from marijuana to cocaine smuggling, to vast profits and lawlessness, would sustain five seasons of Miami Vice. George H.W. Aronow raced his 8.2-metre Maltese Magnum all over the globe, Don Aronow with his wife Lillian and son Gavin, NE 188th Street which was nicknamed Thunderbolt Row, Credit: Courtesy of Cigarette Racing Team, Ben Kramer (on right) with racing friends, some of whom were convicted of cocaine traffiking (from left) Willie Falcn, Keith Eickert, Sal Magluta and Bobby Saccenti, Aronow was driving a sporty white Mercedes-Benz two-seater, Credit: Courtesy of Miami-Dade Police Dept/Arthur Jay Harris, Dry Martini, a cigarette designed and built by Don Aronow, Credit: Ajax News & Feature Service/Alamy Stock Photo, The Beatles taking a ride in a Formula 23 on their first trip to the US, The then vice president Bush personally tested the Blue Thunder boats, Aronow with Howard Cosell at the Kentucky Derby, The Lincoln Continental the shooter allegedly used, How the 88m Project X came to life over 14 years. 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. "It's being able to deliver when it counts.". Aronow sold the company (and Brownie) shortly after its inception (and a couple of big offshore wins). He was a quiet boy, remarkably shy during his early years, with delicate features and soft brown eyes. Money comes and goes. Little Don couldn't understand how all his father's taxicabs could get lost at once. And the guy would say, I want a 28. And Aronow would say Oh no, were all sold out. And the guy would keep pushing, Oh, I wanted one all my life. (ABOVE) CRIME SCENE:A violent criminal named Bobby Young (right) was fingered as the hitman, whose employer according to the courts was Ben Kramer (left), Bob Saccenti [Kramer and Aronow] were both wealthy, and if it was over money, thats a shame. He didnt pick on the little guy. Another witness tried to follow the Lincoln as it fled but could not catch the killer(s). His roles in Saturday Night Fever, Carrie, Urban Cowboy, Face/Off, Grease, and A Civil Action, among many others, make him a must-see 70s and 80s heartthrob. He later got married to Lillian Crawford, a model for Wilhelmina who was 24 years younger than he was. The book about Don Aranows life by Arthur J. Harris was turned into the movie Speed Kills. If true, it was a curious place to hide out from them. Don Aronow has actually been married twice in his life. Always laughing and full of life were typical depictions of the man. A guy comes in with the money and you build a boat for them and you never know. Hes the only person Ive ever known like that. [2] Credit: Courtesy of Arthur Jay Harris. And hes bellowing, trying to say something. We were having lunch one day and Don asked if it was a good watch. You had to be able to match. [3] Ben Kramer, winner of the 1986 American Power Boat Association Offshore Championship, pleaded no contest to manslaughter in 1996. WebThree weeks before he was murdered, Aronow had a pensive, reflective talk with his wife, Lillian, a former girlfriend of Jordan's King Hussein. Certainly, young Don became wealthy by building and selling tract houses in New Jersey. You should have seen that pilot's face.". [1] He graduated a top athlete from James Madison High School in 1944,[1] worked as a life guard at Coney Island, and enrolled at Brooklyn College. Adam and Leelee Sobieski also gave Don a great-granddaughter, Louisanna Ray Kimmel. Everyone who knew legendary Cigarette founder Don Aronow has a story to tell about him. Some people say he was hiding from the mob. The investigating detectives believed that Kramer was seeking to silence Young in jail, paying his legal bills, even possibly seeking to have Young killed. Included in the settlement was $1.25 million in cash, a million-dollar Miami waterfront home and a Rolls-Royce. He wears khaki slacks to work-tieless and sockless-as he cuts six-figure boat deals with a young Italian count one minute, and talks rpm's with a greasy race mechanic the next. Claudia is a New York-based artist. Guys wanted to be him. ESPN covers Dons career as a boat racer, discussing everything from his life in luxury to his death. She was once married to renowned developer Martin Kimmel. By various accounts, he then fled to Florida in 1960 to escape the mob. He flourished as an entrepreneur during his upswing in motorsports and the automotive industry, setting himself apart from others. After buying Aronows USA Racing Team, Kramer had a business dispute with Aronow, but was forced to sell it back to Aronow after the Customs Service refused to do business with him. On the afternoon of February 3, 1987, a man claiming to be Jerry Jacoby walked into Aronows Thunderboat Row office exhibiting strange behaviour. They could not countenance procuring drug interdiction boats from a firm owned by a convicted smuggler and predictably moved to cancel the procurement contract. I didnt hear shots, with the air-conditioner and sewing machines going on, but somebody came and got me. And he became hooked on racing and thats how it all began. My Legacy: Inside Codecasa's 56m superyacht that champions traditionalism, Mimi La Sardine: The 33.5m explorer designed with a little help from Pinterest, My Song: Sailing in symphony on board the first ClubSwan 80, Interior designer Katharine Pooley turns her hand to boats, 130+ superyachts flock to St Barths for New Year's celebrations, Celebrities spotted on superyachts during the holidays. When his kids are teenagers, his first wife Kathy decides she cant stand him anymore after finding out about his other relationships. I never thought anybody would actually do that, but by God, they did., Michael Peters [George] Bushs reaction was that he wanted [Miami] Dade Homicide on it like it was the most important case on their books. Itinerary: Between the Bays in Anguilla and St Martin, Why this 38m yacht is the perfect new year purchase, A closer look at Benettis new 85m futuristic concept Project ORO. Speculation about who the killer might be ran from jilted lovers to jealous husbands to Meyer Lansky to the CIA. What Happened To Don Aronow? 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. The couples newfound happiness doesnt last long, though, because Ben is killed soon after at age 59 in what seems to be a job. He sold Magnum to American Photocopy for a ton. Made quite a lot of money on it in 1964. Like others who bought a boat company from Aronow, the Theodolis had reason to be wary. We considered Formula to be a utility boat. The 2018 criminal drama film Speed Kills served as a vehicle for Dons epicness. "I got into ocean powerboat racing after I retired to Florida," he says. About his second son, David, nothing is known. Brown: Don was so reckless with shit like that. [Aronow was extremely competitive in most aspects of his life, perhaps even to a fault.]. Peters: He didnt like guys that came in and tried to go toe to toe with him. I used to work boat shows with him and Holy Christ!, Michael Aronow I dont think any of those guys had ever seen anything quite like it, to be honest., Allan Brown At Cigarette, he had an intercom in his office and he used to boff his secretary there. The narrow street itself dead-ended to the east, requiring visitors to turn around to exit westbound. The official record shows that, via a tip-off, police identified a mercenary street criminal named Bobby Young as the man whod shot Aronow. (ABOVE) HES GOT THE LOOK: Aronow looked the part. This is his story in the words of some of the men who knew him best. I went over there and he had holes all over him. Ive met some extremely charismatic men, including Sean Connery and Roger Moore, she said. To this day, he maintains his innocence. It was all downhill from there. "I'm one of these guys who has to finish first," Aronow explains. The Shah of Iran, George Bush Sr., and Lyndon Johnson all had speedboats that he made for them. Since he was not supposed to be building boats in 1969, according to his non-compete clause following the sale of Magnum Marine, Aronow built the first Cigarette boat under the name Cary, with the help of Elton Cary's Miami Beach facility. And that became the original Formula Marine. Much was explained by the states southern exposure and geography its thousands of kilometres of coastline, coves and inlets. Claudia is a New York-based artist. At Bushs instigation, the US Customs Service took the fateful step in 1985 of placing a $1.7 million order for high-speed pursuit boats with Aronows USA Racing Team. The race was several days away. Because he did, thats for sure. In the film, Ben Aronoff is wed to Katherine Aronoff, his wife. Youre never gonna make a lot of money building boats, he was quoted as saying. Next thing I know, an employee is banging on my door. He thought he was going to semi-retire to Florida and skin dive and fish, but he got bored. Six foot three, real good-looking, lots of swagger. Within a year of its creation, Donzi Marine gained recognition on a global scale, making it an immediate success. He built speedboats for the Shah of Iran, Charles Keating, Robert Vesco, Malcolm Forbes, and George H. W. Bush. In 1948, he married Shirley Goldin, [1] [6] whom he had met while working as a lifeguard on Coney Island. So he commissioned a design from Michael Peters that split a V in two to create a catamaran. Content presented under the "BOAT Presents" logo is an advertising feature and Boat International Limited has been paid to include this content. WebClaudia is a New York artist and ex-wife of real estate developer Martin Kimmel. Aronow had just finished a meeting with Apache Power Boats co-owner Bob Saccenti when a powder blue Lincoln drew up next to his vehicle from the opposite direction. Don did not enjoy boating. At the time, Saccenti was recovering from a horrific crash on Lake Erie. His first boat was made of wood and broke apart. Writer: (to Aronow) Tell me about your earliest memory. Certainly, he added sex appeal to it all. In 1977, Cigarette introduced the super sexy new 35 Mistress (as the advertisement read). He has just cashed in six-figures worth of winning tickets. He has three childrenMichael, David, and Claudiawith Shirley Goldin, his first wife. He did that a few times. Michael Peters If you were a coward with him, you were gone. WebIn 1964, Brownie worked for Don Aronow at Donzi Marine, the first real sport boat builder. Audiences grew. Guys wanted to be him. Still subject to a non-compete agreement with Cigarette which hed bought back, then sold again in 1982 Aronow was forbidden from producing deep V monohulls. Aronow was murdered in his car at the end of 188th Street in North Miami Beach on February 3, 1987. They had two sons, Gavin and Wylie. Further reading. As director of the CIA, hed also interacted with Aronow, recalling how Don came and offered to help our country. A kid was going to start a boat company in Florida. Saws buzzed and machinery hummed at the various boat shops, most of which Aronow had started at one time or another. Being a multimillionaire and accomplished speedboat racing champion, he frequently ran afoul of the law and numerous drug lords in the water metropolis. Michael plays the role of Andrew in the movie Speed Kills. Back in 1981, Time quoted a legal researcher living in Miami as saying: I see people walking down the streets openly carrying guns, some in their hands, others in their holsters. Our Privacy Policy Creator includes several compliance verification tools to help you effectively protect your customers privacy. 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. The boat coasted in fourth. It fuelled an uneasy dynamism. Herein lay the alleged motivation for Aronows murder. We considered Formula to be a utility boat. He has been elected to every powerboating Hall of Fame in existence and as stated above, he and Gar Wood were the only two Americans to have ever received the UIM Gold Medal of Honor. You make a living doing that. Nobody really knows [what happened], the only thing for sure is that Dons gone., Phil Lipschutz [Aronow] lived right on the water on Biscayne Bay. "I got bored with it," he explains. His 193cm, still-athletic frame barely fitted inside the sporty white Mercedes-Benz two-seater in which he drove away from USA Racing Teams office on Thunderboat Row. (ABOVE) RICH AND FAMOUS: Aronow famously kept company with people from all walks of life. Don Aronow is also quite proud of his lovely wife Lillian. Don Aronow with his wife Lillian and son Gavin. Brown: He was murdered right out in front of my office halfway between Saccentis building and my building. Saccenti: He was a great guy and a great businessman. That was just his personality.. They had three children: [1] Michael who was a star athlete at the University of Florida until he was severely injured in a car accident in 1970 and used a wheelchair after that. The fictionalized version of Donald Aronow is played by Ben Aronoff. Again, he sold his company and started a new one, Magnum, evidently named after the double-sized bottles of champagne. Around one-third of the regions murders were believed to be related to drugs. 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 Meanwhile, Kramer had been convicted of massive marijuana smuggling and money laundering, receiving multiple prison sentences including life without parole. Given this unpromising start in life, the seven-ton, 11.9-metre Blue Thunder vessels acquitted themselves well. Barely into his forties, Aronow was now a famous, feted and very wealthy man. That became the original Formula Marine.. From one of Italy';s best families.". He pulled alongside a Lincoln car with tinted windows. He went to 188th Street in Miami and decided he wanted to put a plant there. A certain Ben Kramer, who came from a seemingly good home on the Intracoastal Waterway between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, started smoking pot at school and began selling it. The year Aronow won his first world championship as an international powerboat driver, he says. The same year he almost killed himself when his race boat hit a wave off California, shot airborne and slammed into a helicopter hovering overhead. Therefore, his annoyance with the motor mogul was the true impetus for his illegal plans. That was the cast of characters he was involved with. 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. Whats the difference between Heesens three superyacht build concepts? This sum, Aronow did not return. He was formidably competitive both on and off the water, brutally handsome and adroit at negotiating the line between the legal and the illicit at least until the very end. Katheryn Winnick and John Travolta in Speed Kills ( Source : imdb ) Ben and his wife Emily also had a son named Andrew. 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. Leaving his office that afternoon, Aronow was making for his North Bay Road residence, a 1929 Spanish-style waterfront mansion undergoing renovations, 30 minutes drive away. And he never would backpedal later or change things. Further reading. Actor John Travolta as Ben Aronoff in the 2018 crime drama Speed Kills. Saccenti: He used to say youre never gonna make a lot of money building boats. It lets you transport your luxury car up to the safety of your own unit, even as crime rates have dropped. Katheryn Winnick and John Travolta in Speed Kills ( Source : imdb ) Ben and his wife Emily also had a son named Andrew. WebProfile of Don Aronow murder on TV show Expose hosted by Tom Brokaw A guy would come looking at a boat with a girl, and the guy would ask How much? And Don would go, Seventy grand. The guy would say, Thats too much. And Don would say every time, I think you should go get a Bayliner then, this is way too much boat for you. And the guys would be ripping their pockets open trying to give him money! I dont think it ever ran again. Don and I had had a meeting to discuss my salary. Lillian is Aronow's second wife -- a former Palm Beach socialite, heiress and high fashion model. We collected some of the best. Everything there to me was racing and drug trafficking. Michael Peters was a contracted designer to Aronow from 1981 to 1986, and was then hired full-time. His mother and father sounded very frightened in the front seat of the car as it sped homeward through the night. At his funeral, Doc Magoon gave the eulogy, and at one point he said Don was a mans man, and he paused, and then he said, and he was a ladies man. And everybody looked around the room at all of the known mistresses that were sitting there. Dont challenge him, and you were fine. Many disputes were going on in his marital life. Aronow: After he was working with the family for a few years he went off on his own and started building homes, then shopping centers, industrial parks, all over northern New Jersey. Bobby Young, a career criminal, acknowledged the occurrence in 1995 and gave a complete confession in 2009, just before he passed away. Bush had long been an admirer of Aronows sleek vessels and had equally been disarmed by the man himself. Don Aronow: The King of Thunderboat Row, 1994, by Michael Aronow Don Aronow is also quite proud of his lovely wife Lillian. Drug smuggling could be the regions major [largest] industry.. The Beatles, Don Aronow, and his son Michael cruise off Miami before the bands iconic 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. He was an alpha male, like the male lion you see on safari.

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