The Riva Aquarama is a luxury wooden
runabout built by Italian yachtbuilder
Riva. Production of it and its derivatives (the Lungo, Super, and Special) ran from 1962 until 1996. The hull was based on the Riva Tritone, an earlier model speedboat by Riva, which in turn was inspired by the American mahogany
Chris-Craft runabouts. The boat's speed, beauty, and craftsmanship earned it praise as the ''
Ferrari of the boat world''.
The company was founded by Pietro Riva in 1842, and run by Carlo Riva through its 1969 sale to the American Whittaker Corporation.
Description
The most famous of Carlo Riva's designs, the Aquarama has gained over the decades a legendary nautical reputation. Its evocative name, derived in part from the widescreen
Cinerama
Cinerama is a widescreen process that originally projected images simultaneously from three synchronized 35mm projectors onto a huge, deeply curved screen, subtending 146° of arc. The trademarked process was marketed by the Cinerama corporati ...
movie format popular in the early 1960s, echoed in its sweeping wrap-around windshield, conjures images from another time.
The Riva Aquarama's 8.02 - 8.78 metre hull was sheathed in mahogany and varnished to accentuate the beauty of its natural wood grain. All versions were twin engined, with top speeds of 45/50 knots depending on engine choice. Power varied from 185 hp to 400 hp per engine, delivered by Riva 'tuned'
Cadillac and
Chrysler models, among others. On top of the engine compartment was a cushioned sundeck. The boats also carried a convertible roof which retracted behind the rear seat and cockpit. A swim ladder was often mounted in the stern.
Model variants: 1960s and 1970s
* Aquarama (1962–1972) Total built 281
* Aquarama Lungo (1972) Total built 7
* Super Aquarama (1963–1971) Total built 203
* Aquarama Special (1972–1996) Total built 277
* Riva Lamborghini (1968) - one-off, powered by two
Lamborghini V12 engine
The Lamborghini V12 refers to the flagship V12 engine used by Lamborghini. Lamborghini has had two generations of V12 engines through their history, both of which were developed in-house. The first-generation Lamborghini V12 was a sixty degree (60 ...
s
The Aquarama is a direct descendant of the Tritone, upon whose hull it was based. First built in 1962, it incorporated the open sunbathing area of the Tritone Aperto together with new features, including separate front seats and a central non-slip gangway which allowed easier water access at the stern.
Legacy
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, game show host and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes '' Top Gear'' and '' The Grand Tour'' alongside R ...
looked at the history of the Aquarama in his TV programme ''
Jeremy Clarkson's Extreme Machines
''Jeremy Clarkson's Extreme Machines'' was a six-part documentary series, originally broadcast on BBC Two in 1998. The series focused on presenter Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcas ...
'', and later mentioned it in his book ''
I Know You Got Soul''. The boat also featured in the
Top Gear
Top Gear may refer to:
* "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission
Television
* ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme
* ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
2013
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
special
The Perfect Road Trip' in which presenter
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, game show host and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes '' Top Gear'' and '' The Grand Tour'' alongside R ...
, whilst piloting the boat in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
, described it as "the most beautiful thing ever made". The actress
Charlize Theron piloted an Aquarama Super in 1993 in a spot for Martini & Rossi. Another Special piloted by Xenia Onatopp appears in the movie ''
GoldenEye
''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the se ...
'', and a Special is piloted by
Vincent Cassel
Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor.
He first achieved recognition for his performance as a troubled French Jewish youth in Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film '' La Haine (Hate)'', for which he received two César Award ...
in the movie ''
Ocean's Twelve
''Ocean's Twelve'' is a 2004 American heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by George Nolfi. The second installment in the ''Ocean's'' film trilogy franchise and the sequel to ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001), the film features a ...
''. In 2011 the actor
Jude Law piloted an Aquarama Special for the
Dior 2011 campaign.
Monte Carlo Offshorer
Carlo Riva sold the shipyard to the American firm Whittaker, having produced more than 4,000 watercraft over the years. He appointed his brother-in-law Gino Gervasoni as CEO in 1971. The Riva family's history with the company ended in 1989 when Gervasoni left the business.
After selling the Riva yard, Carlo Riva took part in the creation of the "Monte Carlo Offshorer" brand. In the 1970s, American raceboat designer Bob Hobbs, an advocate of stepped bottoms for offshore boats,
and engine expert Cal Connell designed a three-plane, two-step boat hull to show Riva. The function of the steps was to lower the speed at which the boat begins to plane, increasing its speed and efficiency. The
cold-molded wooden prototype was built by a small boatyard in Miami, but it had serious problems with stability. After being shipped to Monaco, Riva modified the hull to improve its handling and then put the new model into production as the first stepped-hull speedboat series.
The goal was to develop runabouts with the same strengths as the Super Aquarama in build quality, power and livability on board while handling better at sea.
Riva Aquariva
''Aquariva'' continues the Aquarama heritage into the 2000s.
References
External links
* {{Commons category-inline
Restoration of RIVA Tritone #156
Ferretti Group
Boats
Vehicles introduced in 1962