The fictionalized version of Donald Aronow is played by Ben Aronoff. Whereas Don Aronow was more brash, assertive more resolutely a mans man. There was fibreglass dust in the air and the pungent smell of resin and paint. Peters: He didnt like guys that came in and tried to go toe to toe with him. He gave the impression that he felt he could take whatever he wanted.. Phil Lipschutz I never had any inkling that Don was involved in something illegal. [1] He had two elder sisters, Sylvia and Lillian. The murder may forever remain a mystery. He was a quiet boy, remarkably shy during his early years, with delicate features and soft brown eyes. He sold Magnum to American Photocopy for a ton. Michael plays the role of Andrew in the movie Speed Kills. 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. Saccenti: When he came to Florida, he got hooked up with the greats, and he definitely made his mark. He dont speak too much English, hes trying to explain something, something serious. And Don would say, Yeah we dont have any 28s, but Im building a 35 for myself and I could sell that to you. That was classic Aronow. Don was the only person who gave me more than a platitudehe gave me a job, this was December of 86. Bush, right, was a close friend who initially threw his weight behind the murder investigation. by The Captain | Oct 12, 2021 | Articles | 0 comments. Certainly, young Don became wealthy by building and selling tract houses in New Jersey. Guys wanted to be him. WebAronow married twice. We collected some of the best. 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. He sold Magnum to American Photocopy for a ton. Her son Adam Kimmel is a menswear designer. Aranow was married twice, and his two marriages gave him a total of five children. Still riding high in the charts was The Bangles recent chart-topper Walk Like an Egyptian, originally inspired by the way people struggle to maintain balance aboard boats, apparently. And if you had money and you were a coward, hed take as much as possible. It was all downhill from there. You gotta do your homework. On the afternoon of February 3, 1987, a man claiming to be Jerry Jacoby walked into Aronows Thunderboat Row office exhibiting strange behaviour. Michael Aronow is one of Dons five sons from three wives. They become friends and Johnson told my father about the Miami-Nassau race, which my father became really interested in. It was from here the hit man opened fire, three bullets striking the powerboat star. Due to Dons business relationships with some of the riskiest figures in the field, his name was changed to Ben Aronoff. [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. By various accounts, he then fled to Florida in 1960 to escape the mob. 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. He had plenty of cheese. That was on my to-do list, Deal with Baby Doc. That was the cast of characters he was involved with. I cant imagine that, though, he was pretty easy to find. In the boating world, we wont see the likes of Don Aronow again.. Although witnesses failed to identify him in police line-ups, Young pled no contest to the shooting. Brown: Every boat he sold was built for himself. Theres about 70 people out there who think they have a boat Don built for himself. (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. Nearly 60, he talked of taking up racing again. A certain nostalgia colours memories of the 1970s as a time of the gentlemanly marijuana business. She was once married to renowned developer Martin Kimmel. What Happened To Don Aronow? Radios blared out the hits of the day. 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. 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. Adam and Leelee Sobieski also gave Don a great-granddaughter, Louisanna Ray Kimmel. Ultimately, Kramer pled no contest to second-degree murder. [Then vice president] Bush said, We aint gonna buy boats from Ben Kramer. Brown: He was murdered right out in front of my office halfway between Saccentis building and my building. Writer: (to Aronow) Tell me about your earliest memory. We were having lunch one day and Don asked if it was a good watch. Youre never gonna make a lot of money building boats, he was quoted as saying. 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. Credit: Courtesy of Arthur Jay Harris. Witnesses assert that as Aronow rolled down his window, the other driver allegedly started shooting. The Shah of Iran, George Bush Sr., and Lyndon Johnson all had speedboats that he made for them. Magnum Marine was responsible for Donalds first World Championship victory in 1927. [2] David [7] I told my secretary to call 911. 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. He was about outdoing the other guy, no matter what you were doing., Bob Saccenti He was a great guy and a great businessman. Youre a businessman too. Don Aronow is a proud man; proud of the way he's survived. His social group was pretty much divided along the same ratio. Aronow's Cigarette has also become the low slung get-away boat of choice for South Florida's high-rolling drug smugglers.? On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 0% approval rating and an overall rating of 2.5/10. At the time, Saccenti was recovering from a horrific crash on Lake Erie. And he became hooked on racing and thats how it all began. One of Don Aronow's race horses has just finished first. "And they're entitled to spend it any damn way thay want.". Aronow sold the company (and Brownie) shortly after its inception (and a couple of big offshore wins). 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. Always laughing and full of life were typical depictions of the man. 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. Everyone who knew legendary Cigarette founder Don Aronow has a story to tell about him. A pattern emerged whereby Aronow would sell his companies and then seek to eclipse them. 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. Don was a native of New York who, through to his financial savvy and driving prowess, eventually came to command the Miami waterways. aronow: I dont think any of those guys had ever seen anything quite like it to be honest. Make that a very healthy six figures. The University of Florida standout athlete Michael was the one who suffered serious injuries in a vehicle accident in 1970. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue. Dons origin story moves around according to whos telling it. And then one night Aronow and the contessa were driving back from a candlelit dinner in a tiny restaurant high in the Carrara Mountains. He was going to run for president and his friend had 140 people who wanted to kill him!. He came to my basketball games, my football games, he was always around. In Speed Kills, the story of Ben Aronoff is based on the life of Donald Aranow, who built speedboats and raced them. His first boat was made of wood and broke apart. Included in the settlement was $1.25 million in cash, a million-dollar Miami waterfront home and a Rolls-Royce. Kramer got a 19-year sentence for manslaughter to run concurrently with a life term for marijuana smuggling. Bob Saccenti Don used to come and see me when I was hurt one of those You need anything, let me know, things. However, this consciousness of guilt made for a weak states case. 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. Peters: One of the first issues I had to deal with when he hired me [in the early 80s] was [notorious Haitian dictator] Baby Doc [who was a client]. I went over there and he had holes all over him. More plausibly, he was drawn to the Sunshine State by its warmth, excitement and a different form of escapism, as many tend to be. In Italy. And I seen it, the blood. Collecting his children from summer camp, and not returning to the family home, the 34 year-old arrived in Florida with a $2 million retirement fund. 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. 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! He would have a succession of ladies that would appear. The automobiles tycoons untimely demise, which made international headlines, did not go over well with the crowd. Don Aronow born in 1927 in Brooklyn New York, left New Jersey in 1961 to relocate in Miami. Similar to IMDb, it lists a middling 4.2 stars out of 10. To this day, he maintains his innocence. Because he did, thats for sure.. Rumours concerning Fort Apache continue to circulate, including one about the dock area, positing that camouflaged metal doors opened into large storage compartments, accessible at low tide at night, say. 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. Australia, DEAN OF THE DEEP | TIM DEAN ABOARD HIS 47FT OBRIEN, FULL SEND MODE CLAYTON MCDIARMIDS MINT HAINES HUNTER V17. Made quite a lot of money on it in 1964. They were fast (more than 112km/h), good for interdiction activities (stable when boarding intercepted boats) and comparatively easy to drive. Wylie, the son of the couple, is a founding member of the well-known NFT collection Bored Ape Yacht Club. WebThree weeks before he was murdered, Aronow had a pensive, reflective talk with his wife, Lillian, a former girlfriend of Jordan's King Hussein. Lipschutz: [Aronow] lived right on the water on Biscayne Bay. Certainly, he added sex appeal to it all. In 1977, Cigarette introduced the super sexy new 35 Mistress (as the advertisement read). 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. Allegations ran wild in the aftermath of Aronows death. [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. 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. In 1948, he married Shirley Goldin [1] [6] who he had met while working as a lifeguard on Coney Island. It was just one of the unusual clients Aronow had dealings with: oil-rich Arabs, Princess Caroline of Monaco and the Shah of Iran. This was not the first mystery to surround Donald Joel Aronow. He retired and moved to Florida 10 years later -- a millionaire in his early 30's, his fortune spawned by the thousands of tract homes Aronow had built and sold throughout northern New Jersey. 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. I used to work boat shows with him and holy Christ! The Lincoln drove over the grass to get away. He was a great dad and a great husband. Further reading. He was a great dad and a great husband. Members of the Bee Gees were neighbours on both sides. He thought he was going to semi-retire to Florida and skindive and fish but he got bored., Michael Peters Aronow looked the part. (Captains note: this means party animal.). In reality, Don had already amassed a million dollars before relocating to Miami with his family. Don Aronow has actually been married twice in his life. We considered Formula to be a utility boat. If you needed him, you just hit him on the intercom!, Michael Peters The upstairs apartment above his office was kind of famous. And if you had money and you were a coward, hed take as much as possible. And every new [Cigarette] that I do, I drive right by his house with it just so he can see. Some of the most popular types of speedboats were the Cigarette, Donzi, Formula, and Cary. Lillian Aronow: (smiling) My husband is actually a veryshy man, you know. "These guys earned their money," Aronow says. "A stunning blonde. "She was gorgous," Aronow says. And then the investigation got going and they realized who Aronow was involved with, and Bush backpedaled out of there as fast as he could. Some men had told his father that he'd lost it. It was a big building and obscured the Donzi plant, and you couldnt see [Donzi] from Highway 1 anymore! Marchesa Katrin Theodoli and her husband became the owners of Magnum. The chaotic crime scene confronting police detectives was mysterious, not least because of the geography. It was testimony to the Theodolis diplomatic instincts that this would not become their fate. He had a brown Rolls Royce and [raced] horses and stuff. Little Don couldn't understand how all his father's taxicabs could get lost at once. You make real money when you sell the company.. But if he didnt like you, watch out., Allan Brown Our friend Stu Jackson worked for Thunderbird and he received a gold Rolex when he retired. And I could tell you the day he was murdered there were phone calls to the King of Jordan, the King of Spain, George Bush. 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. The book about Don Aranows life by Arthur J. Harris was turned into the movie Speed Kills. Like others who bought a boat company from Aronow, the Theodolis had reason to be wary. 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