How the Riva Aquarama became the most legendary motor boat in the world

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How the Riva Aquarama became the most legendary motor boat in the world

When Carlo Riva performed a Frankenboot operation on one of his Tritone models in 1962, little did he know that the shiny new mahogany design would become the most popular powerboat in the world. At the time, he was determined to reinvent the Riva family brand, founded in 1842 by his great-grandfather Pietro on Lake Iseo in Sarnico, Italy. Over the years the shipyard had introduced many successful designs but needed a forward-looking model that would reflect the glamor that was consuming post-war Italy.

Carlo originally wanted to name the new boat Admiral, but decided on a more futuristic name, Aquarama, after the trendy Cinerama panoramic film technique, which used three side-by-side screens. The boat’s beautiful mahogany hull, with its swept one-piece windshield and central sunpad, became a status symbol almost immediately after the Aquarama was launched in 1962 – no doubt helped by the fact that the boat was not only sexy but also fast and functional , powered by 185hp Chris Craft engines and capable of a top speed of 45mph.

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The first Aquaramas were an instant hit among CEOs, royalty and movie stars, even costing as much as a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, the most expensive car in Italy at the time. Sophia Loren acquired hull number three, and soon Rex Harrison, King Hussein of Jordan and Brigitte Bardot, and her third husband, German baron and playboy Gunther Sachs, were also owners. Until 1965, the Riva Aquarama was considered the most desirable motor boat in the world.

Initial stages of construction of Riva Aquarama

Initial stages of construction of Riva Aquarama

Its distinctive shape has become the focal point of the port of Monaco. “My father [Prince Rainier III] saw Mr Riva as quite a businessman and engineer,” says Prince Albert II of Monaco. “And of course the Aquarama became the mythical symbol of the Riva adventure. It was so visible in Monaco [that] it has been closely linked to our maritime presence.” Monaco Yacht Club has even created the Riva Aquarama Lounge, the only room in the entire facility designed by Lord Norman Foster to be named after a boat.

And it wasn’t just movie stars and royalty who gave Aquarama its seal of approval. Carlo had accented the boat with references to the most expensive luxury cars of the era, including custom stainless steel instruments, the 1958 Chrysler 300 steering wheel, wicker tables that fold down behind the front seats, and a snazzy, spring-powered bimini that protected the cockpit from excessive sun and protected from rain.

Fittingly, the Aquarama has always drawn more comparisons to couture and high culture than other machines. Carlo described the chrome fittings – including the bowsprit, also known as the grin of the crocodile for its distinctive shape – as the “jewelry” of the boat, while Augusto Savoldi, who began his training at the age of 16 on the first Aquarama, took a look at it reminds the master carpenters who treated the original richly grained Honduran cedar console as “a work of art”. Carlo’s daughter, Lia, meanwhile, recalls her father saying the melodic rumble of the engines was “not noise; it’s music.” Perhaps the best barometer of the Aquarama’s cult status is its consistently high resale value. Prices for historically accurate restorations range from $400,000 to $800,000 depending on the model and series, with the record price for the penultimate Aquarama Special built being $1.15 million – perhaps still a small price for the purest distillation of La Dolce Vita in history.

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