Riva Ferrari 32: a “Testarossa” racing on the water

Thirty-two years after Enzo Ferrari’s death, we rediscover together a masterpiece of engineering with a unique design that bears the name of two absolute myths, the Riva Ferrari 32. Two Italian excellences united together to give life, at the dawn of the 90s, to a project that combines Riva quality and exclusive Ferrari design.

Today I want to tell you about a crazy vehicle on which perhaps little has been said over time, a high-performance motorboat born from the collaboration between two excellences of our country: the Riva and Ferrari shipyards. Suppose you are a lover of the pleasure that can reserve a motorboat ride, but you don’t want to give up the performance of a sports car. In that case, this speed boat could still represent the right compromise, crossing the physical limit that divides land from the sea, in an ideal passage of witness that combines the skills and peculiarities of the two brands. A meeting between titans, decidedly ambitious and not without initial difficulties, to bring a Ferrari to race on the water, in a completely new guise, but still wrapped in the classic Rosso Corsa cloak.

 

 

The birth of the Ferrari myth has a truly wonderful story whose sporting origins date back to 1929. Still, the tradition of Riva shipyards has its roots even earlier in time, with a genuinely fascinating story worth telling. In 1842 a violent storm hit Lake Iseo, destroying the boats of the city’s fishermen, with catastrophic consequences for the local economy.

On that occasion Pietro Riva, a young shipwright, has personally committed himself to rebuild and repair those boats, earning the respect of his fellow-citizens; from that day on, Cantieri Riva embarked on a path of growth that led them to position themselves at the top of the nautical world. After almost 150 years, his Company met Ferrari’s excellence in a project that expressed, from the very beginning, speed and beauty.

 

 

It was 1990, and in Maranello, it was decided to start the project wanted by Enzo Ferrari himself, who had died two years earlier at the age of 90. The development of the Riva Ferrari 32 was supervised by Gino Gervasoni himself, at the time head of the Riva Shipyards, in close synergy with the Maranello-based Company. The contribution of Ferrari Engineering was fundamental for the research on materials, the study of aerodynamics and design choices. The task of the Riva engineers, on the other hand, was to filter the inputs, adapting them to the peculiarities of naval design.

The collaboration between the two teams was painstaking precisely to develop a new boat that could combine both company philosophies and therefore be up to the task of displaying both logos. The plans drawn up by the two offices were passed on to the carpenters of Sarnico, who proceeded to build the prototype in wood. The result was immediately encouraging and, when the motorboat managed to exceed 100 km/h, production was started.

 

 

With a 10-metre hull, hence the number 32 which identifies the fixed length, the Riva Ferrari 32 is powered by two BPM Vulcano 400 V8 engines with 390 hp and performance comparable to that of an off-shore racing boat, with a top speed of 54 knots (about 100 km/h). On this motorboat no element is left to chance, the intention was to recreate the Ferrari styling and in particular, the contemporary Testarossa model, from which it inherits the excellent “scratches” that would consecrate that car to history, positioned on the side hull and stern to ventilate the engine compartment.

The exclusive touch is provided by the black wing set above the deck. It is a functional element, which required an in-depth aerodynamic study by Ferrari technicians to obtain a load-bearing effect, lightening the boat at higher speeds and improving its performance. Even the windscreen is truly minimalist, with a black band that completes the profile of the deckhouse, precisely given the maniacal clean lines but, above all, to the advantage of aerodynamic performance.

 

 

Climbing aboard from the aft ladder you can see that the spaces have been exploited to the centimetre, the cockpit has a classic style, and the pilot’s and co-pilot’s seats can be tilted so that the boat can be steered while sitting or standing. The Riva/VDO instrumentation is that of a Ferrari of those years, with all the data available to feel like real drivers, but with the right elegance that only a Riva motorboat can convey. The boat is also equipped with a cabin that allows short trips or anchor in a bay of the “Belpaese”. Onboard, everything is reduced to the essential, but the quality of the materials and the study of the spaces make the environment very welcoming and pleasantly liveable.

The Ferrari Testarossa continues to represent the essence of the Prancing Horse. At the same time, the Riva Aquarama is still the most famous boat in the world, the legend of the Riva Shipyards. From this point of view, the Riva Ferrari 32, produced in 40 exemplaries only, is still today a masterpiece of engineering, an example of the perfect union between two distant worlds, as well as an exaltation of Italianate, performance and style.

 

 

If these few lines have convinced you in your choice, know that the Riva Ferrari 32 would undoubtedly represent an excellent investment, as the prices are destined to rise over time. However, it is its peculiarities that make it practically unobtainable. So if on a hot summer day, you happen to catch a glimpse of a motorboat with sharp lines and a fiery red colour on the horizon, you may have seen a Riva Ferrari 32; consider yourselves lucky and take at least one photo.

 

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by Luigi Pandozi