Riva and Lamborghini, two iconic Italian names that need no introduction
The Riva Aquarama quickly became known as the Ferrari of the boat world, a symbol of wealth on the fashionable French Riviera during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. In the 1960s when Ferruccio Lamborghini commissioned a custom Aquarama for himself, it was fitted with twin 4.0 litre V 12 engines taken directly from a Lamborghini 350 GT, each producing 350hp giving a top speed of 48 knots! LAMBORGHINI was delivered to Ferrucio in the year 1968.
After Lamborghini’s death in1993, the whereabouts of his Riva were a mystery, at least until the boat was tracked down by Dutch Riva collector, Sandro Zani. Zani is the owner of Riva World, a Dutch company specializing in restoring these vintage boats. Not a single detail was spared in the restoration process; the wooden interior was repaired, the seats were reupholstered, every electrical button and switch was repaired and reinstalled, and every chrome piece was polished until it shined like new. As for that gorgeous wooden hull, it was completely repaired, sanded and refinished, with no less than 25 coats of finish being applied to the outside.
The restored Riva Aquarama sports two Lamborghini 4.0 V12 with six twin Weber carburetors punching 350 bhp, making for a top speed of 48 knots (55 mph, 89 km/h) compared to the 40 knots (46 mph, 74 km/h) of V8 Aquaramas. The restoration team also had the input of Lamborghini’s former test driver and developer, Bob Wallace. With his help, the engines were adapted for marine service and made to rotate in opposite directions to eliminate prop walk.
Inside, the cockpit is all white and turquoise leather. Riva didn’t stint on the craftsmanship, having his workers spend over 3,000 hours on some boats and using 30 microns of chrome on his boats when Italian cars only got 1.5 microns. With all that, it isn’t surprising that they sold for £250,000, which is what a restored one costs today.
