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. Guys wanted to be him. Their son is menswear designer Adam Kimmel; His second wife was former Wilhelmina model, Lillian Crawford, 24 years his junior. Aronow set out after Bertram, working with designers on NE 188th Street to create deep V fibreglass Formula boats, notably the seven-metre 233. How a week chartering in Croatia with SamBoat changed my life. He was the type of guy that if he liked you he loved you. Don was to offshore speed boats what Ben Franklin was to electricity, an admiring Customs official told the newspaper. Money comes and goes. From one of Italy';s best families.". It was into this volatile, heady mix that vice president George HW Bush President Reagans lieutenant in the White Houses war on drugs unwittingly stepped. Don Aronow was a dead set legend. Ultimately, Kramer pled no contest to second-degree murder. Semi-blind, he was forced to wear heavy-rimmed and thick-lensed glasses that were always a worry when he played. I told my secretary to call 911. Michael Aronow is one of Dons five sons from three wives. You can talk to anybody [about that] [But] he was home every night. Aronow famously kept company with people from all walks of life. Then he bought a parcel of land immediately west of them and built the Magnum building. He ran a successful business making speedboats. He did that a few times. 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. (ABOVE) RICH AND FAMOUS: Aronow famously kept company with people from all walks of life. Members of the Bee Gees were neighbours on both sides. The secret to happiness is taking risks: Don Aronow understood that motto as well as anyone who ever lived. Besides the states weak case, there were other, more fundamental doubts over whether Kramer had arranged to have Aronow shot. Separately, there were rumours that Aronow may have been assisting law enforcement, even becoming an informant or at least that, in early 1987, he was about to be subpoenaed to give evidence about the USA Racing Team transactions. His mother and father sounded very frightened in the front seat of the car as it sped homeward through the night. It was a big building and obscured the Donzi plant, and you couldnt see [Donzi] from Highway 1 anymore! 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. The idea of bad guys outracing other bad guys and seizing their fortunes appealed to Aronow reasoned The Washington Post five days after his murder. It would be easy to become blocked in here. He thought he was going to semi-retire to Florida and skindive and fish but he got bored., Michael Peters Aronow looked the part. They become friends and Johnson told my father about the Miami-Nassau race, which my father became really interested in. Don also rubbed quite a few people up the wrong way and one of them eventually shot Don dead in Miami in 1987. Dick Bertram was the man to beat both in terms of boat design and the racing itself. [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 construction company.]. The Beatles, Don Aronow, and his son Michael cruise off Miami before the bands iconic 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. 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. Ben Aronoff's success in business and as a successful boat racer hampered his personal life and caused a separation between him and his wife. Don built boats for good guys and he built them for bad guys. Brown: Ben Kramer bought USA Racing from Aronow and apparently there was some money under the table. But in the end, the investigation led to a hired gun. Given this unpromising start in life, the seven-ton, 11.9-metre Blue Thunder vessels acquitted themselves well. The Captain has covered Dons extravagant and extravagant lifestyle in great detail. 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. It was just one of the unusual clients Aronow had dealings with: oil-rich Arabs, Princess Caroline of Monaco and the Shah of Iran. Despite being pursued, the murderers managed to escape by driving across the grass. He was right out of a Hollywood script. I didnt hear shots, with the air-conditioner and sewing machines going on, but somebody came and got me. Peters: [upon hearing Browns story] Im from California, I hope that storys not about me! Even though he was caught having affairs outside of his marriage, his son said he was a great dad and a great husband., He went on to say, My dad ended more marriages than anyone else. With his father, he also founded Fort Apache Marina on the Row, comprising a boat storage facility, waterfront restaurant and patio bar. 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. The Beatles, Don Aronow, and his son Michael cruise off Miami before the bands iconic 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Some people badmouth him, He did this, he robbed that. Well, thats shame on you. The sun was lowering in the wintery afternoon yet there was still plenty of warmth and light. A guy comes in with the money and you build a boat for them and you never know. I didnt hear shots, with the air conditioner and sewing machines going on, but somebody came and got me. He would have a succession of ladies that would appear. If your browser is out of date, try updating it. 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. Bush had long been an admirer of Aronows sleek vessels and had equally been disarmed by the man himself. Cigarette, Donzi and other Aronow-conceived brands live on, as do the Miami to Key West race and offshore poker runs. Guys wanted to be him. You gotta do your homework. Michael, his oldest son, was one of the best athletes at the University of Florida. You should have seen that pilot's face.". They had two sons, Gavin and Wylie. And he became hooked on racing and thats how it all began. According to Dons Wikipedia page, he was slain on February 3, 1987, while driving towards his boat firms North Miami Beach headquarters at the end of 188th Street. Another witness tried to follow the Lincoln as it fled but could not catch the killer(s). Aronow is a former junior high school gym teacher from the Bronx. And that became the original Formula Marine. (Captains note: more about Dons, er, appetites, later.) During the day were asked to patrol their race course during events for emergency rescues, a Coast Guard official told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The fictionalized version of Donald Aronow is played by Ben Aronoff. Hed knock you right down. The EMS showed up. WebClaudia is a New York artist and ex-wife of real estate developer Martin Kimmel. Included in the settlement was $1.25 million in cash, a million-dollar Miami waterfront home and a Rolls-Royce. 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. But at night, were chasing many of the same guys for smuggling., Events took a turn towards the surreal when Carlos Lehder, the Medelln Cartel kingpin, started buying up Normans Cay, an island in the Bahamas some 330 kilometres off the coast of Florida, for his cocaine transport empire. Saccenti: He used to say youre never gonna make a lot of money building boats. 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. Bush, right, was a close friend who initially threw his weight behind the murder investigation. Many disputes were going on in his marital life. 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. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! The full breakdown of his net worth at the time of his passing is still unavailable to the general public. Congregating witnesses spoke of a dark Lincoln Continental having pulled up alongside Aronows white Mercedes. Further reading. Peters: It could have been anyone from drug runners, to business partners, to jealous husbands. [Allegations ran wild in the aftermath of Aronows death. Therefore, his annoyance with the motor mogul was the true impetus for his illegal plans. He was the wealthiest in the field, but he died tragically, and it took 20 years for the prosecution to convict him. When his kids are teenagers, his first wife Kathy decides she cant stand him anymore after finding out about his other relationships. Aronow's Cigarette has also become the low slung get-away boat of choice for South Florida's high-rolling drug smugglers.? Next thing I know an employee comes in and hes banging on my door. Lipschutz: [Aronow] lived right on the water on Biscayne Bay. The chaotic crime scene confronting police detectives was mysterious, not least because of the geography. The twos happy marriage disintegrates due to Bens demanding schedules and their son Andrews car accident, which left his legs permanently disfigured. 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. aronow: I dont think any of those guys had ever seen anything quite like it to be honest. (Ironically, in the immediate aftermath of the crash, Saccentis life was saved by his race partner, none other than Ben Kramer. The deals off. Im guessing Don kept some of the under-the-table money. That was just his personality.. 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. An estimated 70 per cent of all marijuana and cocaine imported into the US passes through South Florida, the feature reported. Like most, it's a tale of conquest; Aronow versus the odds: It was back in 1967. Also read:Wally Tatomir: Death And Obituary What Is The Cause Of The Equipment Manager&Death? [One of those characters was a race-boat driver and drug smuggler named Ben Kramer. They become friends and Mr. Johnson told my father about the Miami-Nassau race and my father became really interested in it. It had to do with his father's taxicab company. Our Privacy Policy Creator includes several compliance verification tools to help you effectively protect your customers privacy. He was very young. And I was like, do I really want to move down there? So does Jordan's King Hussein -- and Haiti's President Baby Doc, fugitive financer Robert Vesco, British tabloid tycoon Sir Max Aitken, King Juan Carlos of Spain and Evil Kneviel. He went to 188th Street in Miami and decided he wanted to put a plant there. "I'd never be married to a beautiful woman like Lillian if I hauled garbage for a living," Aronow adds. For his part, he says the Colombians did it.]. Check Out Christopher Brineys Unseen Summer I Turned Pretty PhotosYoull Be Surprised! While limiting your liability, all while adhering to the most notable state and federal privacy laws and 3rd party initiatives, including. The murder may forever remain a mystery. [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.]. Don Aronow with his wife Lillian and son Gavin. Check Death Reason HOw Old She Was? As director of the CIA, hed also interacted with Aronow, recalling how Don came and offered to help our country. Innovations such as fibreglass construction techniques and the drag-reducing deep V hull were taking chunks from the record times, and also from crews in rough seas. Brown: He was also the best boat salesman in the history of the world. The business was established in 1953 and immediately became one of the biggest construction firms in the region. Phil Lipschutz is a Miami Cigarette dealer and a former contractor to the Don. They had me in a cage for three years and nine months, with no daylight, no contact with human beings, Kramer said. (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. by The Captain | Oct 12, 2021 | Articles | 0 comments. He flourished as an entrepreneur during his upswing in motorsports and the automotive industry, setting himself apart from others. "I took her to all the best places," Aronow says. Aronow sold the company (and Brownie) shortly after its inception (and a couple of big offshore wins). Soon enough, he had his own yellow Cigarette boat with which to smuggle. Aronow had just left a meeting with Bob Saccenti, part owner of Apache Power Boats together with partner Ben Kramer. And he liked to get the best of people. Michael Peters One of the first issues I had to deal with when he hired me [in the early 1980s] was [notorious Haitian dictator] Baby Doc [Duvalier, who was a client]. He sold Magnum to American Photocopy for a ton. How Did He Die? Yet deep V monohulls were now reaching 160km/h. 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. Because he did, thats for sure. His social group was pretty much divided along the same ratio. And I seen it, the blood. You make a living doing that. He might also try to buy the companies back, for cents on the dollar. Six foot three, real good looking, lots of swagger. Allan Brown Shirley was his first wife. Magnum Marine was responsible for Donalds first World Championship victory in 1927. The American-Puerto Rican crime drama film Speed Kills is based on the real-life boat designer and racer Donald Joel Aronow, who started Magnum Marine in Florida in 1966. Speed Kills Story Based On Motorboat Racer Don Aronows Real Life, Ben Aronoff Wikipedia: John Travolta Portrayed Don Aronows Character, Who Is Ben Aronoffs Wife? WebI think it was at this point that Don discovered that he was Jewish. He designed, built and raced the famous Magnum Marine, Cary, Cigarette, Donzi and Formula speedboats. The boats tend to be smaller, more sedate, more family-oriented. He gave the impression that he felt he could take whatever he wanted.. 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. Ben establishes his automotive empire in the film after relocating to Miami and changing his perspective to win. He succeeds in a number of major motor races and rises to the position of speedboat tycoon. Allan Brown Shirley was his first wife. But it bothered Don Aronow that he couldn't win. But a dark Lincoln Continental rolled up alongside and then shots rang out. The automotive billionaire was 24 years older than Crawford, a former Wilhelmina model. 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. Due to Dons business relationships with some of the riskiest figures in the field, his name was changed to Ben Aronoff. On February 3, 1987, Aronow was murdered in his car at the end of 188th Street in North Miami Beach where his boat companies operated. In the boating world, we wont see the likes of Don Aronow again.. On the afternoon of February 3, 1987, a man claiming to be Jerry Jacoby walked into Aronows Thunderboat Row office exhibiting strange behaviour. I can retire and lets go to Florida. This was in 1961., Allan Brown Everybody has their own idea about why he was in Miami. [On the afternoon of February 3, 1987, a man claiming to be Jerry Jacoby walked into Aronows Thunderboat Row office exhibiting strange behavior; inquiring about a 60-foot boat and alluding to a mysterious man that he worked forand who he would kill for if need be. Credit: Courtesy of Arthur Jay Harris. I never thought anybodyd actually do that, but by God they did. His earliest memory was riding home in the richly leathered back seat of his father's limosine, listening to the strangely anxious voices of his parents talking in the front of the car. Peters: Aronow looked the part. Bobby Young, a career criminal, acknowledged the occurrence in 1995 and gave a complete confession in 2009, just before he passed away. You never knew who might show up here, from royalty and high-born celebrity clients to drug-dealing low-lifes, by way of government officials, heads of the various boat firms and a diverse population of workers who earned their livings here. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! With lots of money and charisma, not to mention NFL starting quarterback good looks, Aronow soon became a ladies man of legendary status in Miami circles. 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. I cant imagine that, though, he was pretty easy to find. He built speedboats for the Shah of Iran, Charles Keating, Robert Vesco, Malcolm Forbes, and George H. W. Bush. A kid was going to start a boat company in Florida. We considered Formula to be a utility boat. He sold Magnum to American Photocopy for a ton. He was a real successful cocksman. Check Death Reason HOw Old She Was? We were having lunch one day and Don asked if it was a good watch. Don Aronow is also quite proud of his lovely wife Lillian. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 0% approval rating and an overall rating of 2.5/10. Included in the settlement was $1.25 million in cash, a million-dollar Miami waterfront home and a Rolls-Royce. Much was explained by the states southern exposure and geography its thousands of kilometres of coastline, coves and inlets. He was a great dad and a great husband. This is his story in the words of some of the men who knew him best. Peters recalled a sound like firecrackers a pop pop pop, eerie and ominous. In the 2018 memory film Speed Kills, Ben Aronoff played a multimillionaire. Because he did, thats for sure.. You make a living doing that. Lillian Aronow: Winning is an natural aphrodisiac. But in the end the investigation led to a hired gun. The boat coasted in fourth. He admired Aronow and acquired a corner of the Row, obtaining an interest in Apache, which in turn supplied the vessels he raced offshore (his fabled Warpath, based on a deep V Cigarette mould, won him a world championship). Boat International Media Ltd 2008 - 2022. The main character of Speed Kills, Ben Aronoff, is based on Miamis actual motor king, Donald Don Aronow. Saccenti: [Kramer and Aronow] were both wealthy, and if it was over money, thats a shame. I was a little hesitant to move to Miami because my view of it was straight out of [1980s TV series] Miami Vice. [1] In 1945, he joined the merchant marine and worked overseas until the end of World War II. So little Don had driven north to spend the day in Rochester with his parents. 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. He said, I cant do this anymore. It fuelled an uneasy dynamism. Aronow left his office in his white Mercedes, shortly after visiting a rival boat dealership owned by Kramer. A ruthless businessman, he equally relished a challenge in his personal life; Hed fuck your wife in a second, said powerboat Hall of Fame racer and boatbuilder Allan Brownie Brown, author of Tales from Thunderboat Row. What Happened To Don Aronow? He was an alpha male, like the male lion you see on safari. They pulled him out, he was pale, he had gone unconscious at some point. But if he didnt like you, watch out. 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. Lillian Aronow: (smiling) My husband is actually a veryshy man, you know. You make real money when you sell the company., Allan Brown He was also the best boat salesman in the history of the world. We were having lunch one day and Don asked if it was a good watch. 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. Youre never gonna make a lot of money building boats, he was quoted as saying. This was December of 86. After divorcing his first wife, Shirley, with whom he had three children, Aronow married Lillian Crawford, a Wilhelmina fashion model and socialite. That was on my to-do list, Deal with Baby Doc. That was the cast of characters he was involved with. The official record shows that, via a tip-off, police identified a mercenary street criminal named Bobby Young as the man whod shot Aronow. 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. You dont dare honk your horn at anybody; you could end up dead.. Guys wanted to be him. I cant imagine that though, he was pretty easy to find. Don Aronow is a proud man; proud of the way he's survived. I was a little hesitant to move to Miami, because my view of it was straight out of Miami Vice. Then he bought a parcel of land immediately west of them, and thats where he built the Magnum building. Those two managed to make you feel like you were the centre of their world. He was larger than life. Bobby Young was the person who did the killing, and he said that Ben Kramer hired him. Anyhow, there was this contessa Don Aronow met while he was racing in the Mediterranean off northern Italy. Don Aronow is also quite proud of his lovely wife Lillian. Lillian is Aronow's second wife -- a former Palm Beach socialite, heiress and high fashion model. One of Don Aronow's race horses has just finished first. Aronow won the World Powerboat Championship in 1967 (hed go on to win it once more and the US championship three times), and in 1968, he sold Magnum. About his second son, David, nothing is known. Don Aronow has actually been married twice in his life. The Beatles, Don Aronow, and his son Michael cruise off Miami before the bands iconic 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Six foot three, real good looking, lots of swagger. I just did you a favor.. It was from here the hit man opened fire, three bullets striking the powerboat star. [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]. And I can tell you, the day he was murdered there were phone calls to the King of Jordan, the King of Spain, George Bush. Kramer got a 19-year sentence for manslaughter to run concurrently with a life term for marijuana smuggling. Aronow doesn't care if all these retired furniture makers and machine tool executives are little more than middle-aged adolescents flaunting their masculinity on a Sunday afternoon -- tooling around the docks of some Intracoastal bar like Shooters, feeling terribly macho-nautical doing 30 knots in a $125,000 Cigarette Aronow built to run all day at 60 knots in hull- hammering six foot seas. Katheryn Winnick and John Travolta in Speed Kills ( Source : imdb ) Ben and his wife Emily also had a son named Andrew. There was fibreglass dust in the air and the pungent smell of resin and paint.