How the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow. Sandy mcpeak as captain braddock, franks superior bubba smith as bubba kelsey, a cop who is one of the two members of rolling. Condolences poured into aronows miami beach home wednesday from the likes of vice president george bush, a speedboat fan. The blue thunder contract however did not come without its own headaches for aronow and some say it is the circumstances surrounding it that led to his demise. During his quartercenturylong reign as the undisputed king of thunderboat row, aronow was a lot of different things to a lot of different people. He launched magnum marine in florida in 1966 and created the cigarette, donzi, formula and cary speedboats. Witnesses said that a powder blue lincoln pulled next to aronows car from. His boats went on to win a whopping 350 offshore races and aronow himself was a twotime world champion and threetime u. I was in a used book store a few years ago and the name blue thunder caught my eye. Donald joel aronow march 3, 1927 february 3, 1987 was an american designer, builder. I have read both many times and while blue thunder is the more exciting read, speed kills makes more sense and seems to flow better with the way things were back then in south florida. It looks like we dont have any quotes for this title yet.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Condolences poured into aronow s miami beach home wednesday from the likes of vice president george bush, a speedboat fan. It is the first one i had ever seen and it was so sad. The murder of speedboat builder don aronow miami beach 411. It is an investigation into the murder of the famed speedboat builder and champion racer donald j.
How the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow by thomas burdick and charlene mitchell simon and schuster, 1990. Memorable quotes and exchanges from movies, tv series and more. Charlene mitchell and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In 1990, simon and schuster published a book by thomas burdick, cowritten with charlene mitchell, quite descriptively titled blue thunder. Don aronow story archive scream and fly powerboat and.
Senior editor kevin koenig spoke to those who knew him best, the key players of thunderboat row. New and used don aronow cigarette catamaran boats for sale in usa. Mark mcmanus, apache powerboats and usa racing team also provides custom manufactured, maintenance, repair and restoration of boats. Fascinating true tale that finally solves the mystery, if the.
Historic offshore race boat association donald aronow don aronow comments offer a wild story of their own. While there was no direct link to aronows blue thunder boats, the source said, these people are extremely vicious, and they dont always need a good reason to kill someone. In 1983, aronow entered a horse, my mac, in the kentucky. Bush has ridden aboard blue thunder, a split vhull aronow recently. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3. Thunder man the don aronow story documentary don aronow, king of powerboats, rose to fame by designing, building and racing the fastest boats of his time including. Boat designer aronow lived, died on edge of danger orlando. In 1985, dons stable was the top winner at gulfstream park. Don aronow born in 1927 in brooklyn new york, left new jersey in 1961 to relocate in miami. Prominently displayed in the book is a staged photo of aronow and a peacockproud bush, taking one of the blue thunder catamarans out for a test run in the atlantic ocean. Everyone who knew legendary cigarette founder don aronow has a story to tell about him.
Bush, and knew quite a few people on the wrong side of the law as well, who liked what his fast boats could do. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. In 1967 don jumped his donzi so high it clipped the skids of the races. Blue thunder how the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow by burdick and mitchell is an interesting read,despite it being nonfiction and the first book on aronow s murder what of it is fiction and what isnt. The story was also the basis for the 2009 documentary film thunder man.
Speed kills is supposed to be the more accurate of the two besides blue thunder. American don aronow was a designer, builder and racer of speedboats. Blue thunder how the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow. Wondering home last night i stopped by a buddies shop and they just happen to have one of the famous 39 cats in for repair. I have read just about everything there is to read about aronow just as a lot of other people have and while i dont agree with the way people did things back then, they were products of the times and enviroment. With rick allen, carlo bonomi, george bush, fabio buzzi. Millionaire boat designer donald aronow had it all, but on february 3, 1987 a. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. See more ideas about power boats, offshore boats and fast boats. The customs soon found that the blue thunder catamarans were highly unseaworthy and highly unsuitable for the task of chasing down other speedboats, including above all aronow s earlier model cigarette boats, which were now produced by a company not controlled by aronow. Slightly off topic, but i have a good story about the book blue thunder.
Aronows son, michael, in his book, the king of thunderboat row. The king of thunderboat row 9780945903222 by aronow, michael and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. How the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow by thomas burdick. Historic offshore race boat association donald aronow. In 1985 don aronow sold usa racing, the company who produced blue thunder to ben krammer, a race boat driver with a conviction for marijuana smuggling in 1977. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. If you love the mob, fast boats, fast cars, fast horses and beautiful women, blue thunder is a must read enjoy. How the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow thomas burdick, charlene mitchell on. This book is wild speculation with absolutely no facts to justify the assertion that don aronow was a mafiaassociated drug runner. An aronow family christmas card photo, with don, lillian, and son gavin.
I just starting reading blue thunder last night on don aronow, a legend in the fast boat world. No doubt about it, the aronow murder is one of the most notable in south florida in. James farentino as frank chaney, protagonist, policeman and pilot of the blue thunder dana carvey as clinton wonderlove, aka jafo, franks flight engineer on blue thunder, as well as his sidekick. I just finished reading the book about don aronow and the blue thunder drug boats this week. Don aronow cigarette catamaran boats for sale boatsfrom. The murder of speedboat builder don aronow, matt meltzer, miami beach 411, september 18, 2007. Such a work is blue thunder, by thomas burdick and charlene mitchell. Sep 20, 2008 the blue thunder contract however did not come without its own headaches for aronow and some say it is the circumstances surrounding it that led to his demise.
Nov 25, 1990 such a work is blue thunder, by thomas burdick and charlene mitchell. The life of speeddemon boatbuilder don aronow was cut short in a hail of bullets, but he left a lasting impression on the people in his life. Jul 09, 2008 2018 fpc miami boat show poker run tv show part 1 duration. How the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow, 1990, thomas burdick and charlene mitchell.
Don aronow was the ruggedly handsome, larger than life, offshore powerboat racing champion who was also famous for designing the industryleading cigarette, donzi. Burdick assumes that because don aronow was successful as a businessman in new jersey that he had to have ties to the mafia. Occasionally a book comes along that aspires to create as much of a sensation as the events that prompted it. I have read both many times and while blue thunder is the. Don aronow 39 cat archive scream and fly powerboat and. The king of thunderboat row 1994 readings in cultural anthropology to accompany hicks and gwynne. Jul 19, 2019 everyone who knew legendary cigarette founder don aronow has a story to tell about him. The customs soon found that the blue thunder catamarans were highly unseaworthy and highly unsuitable for the task of chasing down other speedboats, including above all aronows earlier model cigarette boats, which were now produced by a company not controlled by aronow. He built speedboats for the shah of iran, charles keating, robert vesco, malcolm forbes, and george h. But he offers no real facts support this conclusion. Formula, donzi, magnum, squadron xii, usa racing team, and the most famous name in the world of highperformance boating, cigarette, were all don aronow originals. The greatest legend in the history of offshore powerboats, don aronow is brought to vivid life in this intimate account of his amazing life. Blue thunder was relatively slow class, capable of a top speed of only 56. Speedboat racer and multimillionarie don aronows film.
From being a huge success in the construction industry, he went on the being a legend as a powerboat designer and racer. Millionaire donald aronow was a handsome speedboat designer and world champion racer who hobnobbed with the rich and lived in the fast lane. Blue thunder how the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow by burdick and mitchell is an interesting read,despite it being nonfiction and the first book on aronows murder what of it is fiction and what isnt. The king of thunderboat row by aronow, michael, rodengen, jeffrey l.
In this fastpaced narrative that involves the mafia, drug traffickers, and the u. Aronow by thomas burdick and charlene mitchell 1990, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. In blue thunder, the author speculated that the mafia was behind aronows death. While there was no direct link to aronow s blue thunder boats, the source said, these people are extremely vicious, and they don t always need a good reason to kill someone. Aronow was an old friend of my familys in new jersey and when he got murdered we all waited for the book to come out, sure enough it did and was excellent. I don t know what to make of the whole case after reading this despite who i believe is the culprit.
I dont know what to make of the whole case after reading this despite who i believe is the culprit. If youre a don aronow fan, get the book called speed kills which is about the investigation of his murder. How the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow by andrew klein on nov 15, 2010 well written investigative reporting of an unsolved murder involving a whoswho list of characters including don aronow, meyer lansky, and george h. Don aronow cigarette catamaran boats for sale boats. The don aronow story and the 2018 movie speed kills with john travolta. 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. How the mafia owned and finally murdered cigarette boat king donald aronow thomas burdick, charlene. Read description, view photos, ask seller questions. Just curious if anyone here had any interaction with him.
155 1324 85 771 1007 1073 1560 682 980 862 449 1252 1351 1369 814 601 1427 225 464 1450 1323 28 685 167 531 1139 574 682 1122 57