Ferruccio Lamborghini's twin-twelve Riva speedboat restored [w/video]

Sun, 13 Oct 2013

Everyone knows that Lamborghini makes exotic sportscars, but true aficionados are also well versed in the other types of machinery that has worn the Raging Bull emblem. There are the tractors, of course, with which founder Ferruccio got his start, but the company has also marinized its high-revving twelve-cylinder engines for use on the water.

Over the years, Lamborghini engines powered many crews to offshore powerboat racing trophies, but before all of that came the vessel you see here. The 278th of 769 made between 1962 and 1996, this Riva Aquarama was commissioned by Ferruccio Lamborghini himself. It was delivered from the shipyard in 1968, complete with a pair of 4.0-liter V12 engines out of a Lamborghini 350 GT, and old man Ferruccio enjoyed using it for many years.

Following his death in 1993, the one-of-a-kind Riva Aquarama Lamborghini disappeared into obscurity, hidden away from the world under a tarp until a Dutch collector tracked it down and had it restored by Sandro Zani and his team at Riva World. The project took three years to complete, including the restoration of the wooden hull with 25 coats of lacquer applied.

Although the Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum wasn't prepared to sell one of the engines that originally powered the vessel and which remains in its collection, the curators did permit the team to disassemble it to recreate the parts in order to transform another set of original 350 GT engines – complete with six pairs of Weber carburetors – to the same condition. The result is 350 horsepower apiece for a top speed of 48 knots (55 landlubber's miles per hour), considerably faster than a standard Aquarama's 40-knot (46-mph) top speed.

The result, as you can see from the photos above and the press release and video below, is one of the most stunning classic vessels ever to turn a prop – and could be one of the most desirable Lamborghinis on land or water.

FERRUCCIO LAMBORGHINI'S LEGENDARY UNIQUE RIVA AQUARAMA LAMBORGHINI HAS BEEN RESTORED

- The fastest Riva Aquarama in the world restored to original condition by Dutch specialist Riva-World
- Twin 350 hp 4.0 V12 Lamborghini engines from the equally legendary 350 GT
- Collector's item for true connoisseurs

Uithoorn, 7 October 2013 – The maritime world is a living legend richer with the launch of the Riva Aquarama Lamborghini, which has been fully restored to its original condition. Built 45 years ago for and commissioned by Ferruccio Lamborghini, founder of the superb Italian sports car brand, the fastest Aquarama in the world is once again ready to cast off. A splendid piece of maritime and automobile history has been restored.

For years the runabout was stashed away in the corner of a boatyard, hidden under old tarpaulin and above all, hidden from the world. Enthusiasts were aware of the existence of Ferruccio Lamborghini's Riva Aquarama, but didn't know where the legendary sports boat was after its owner passed away in 1993. That is not until a Dutch Riva collector tracked it down and had it fully restored to original condition by Riva World, a world-renowned specialist in the restoration of Riva boats.

Now in 2013, three years after restoration work on the Aquarama Lamborghini began, the boat is back to life in all its splendor and magnificence. Riva World didn't accomplish this overnight. Sandro Zani, owner of the well-know Dutch Riva restorer, travelled to Italy on a regular basis during the past three years, including visits to the Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum, in order to document all the details and elements of the original, before beginning the extensive restoration.

25 coatings

The project took around three years in total, during which the Aquarama was returned to its original condition from top to bottom. The wooden hull was repaired, sanded and no fewer than 25 coatings were applied. The wooden interior was repaired and the seats were reupholstered in the famous Riva design; all buttons and switches were disassembled, repaired and reinstalled; all chrome parts shine again like new and... naturally Lamborghini's Riva received a new beating heart. A heart that makes this one-off from the past the fastest Aquarama in the world, thanks to beautiful twin Lamborghini V12 engines from the very first Lamborghini ever created: the 350 GT.

"One of the two original engines from the Riva can still be seen in the Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum in Italy, but unfortunately wasn't available for sale for this project," explains Sandro Zani. "That is why we bought two other V12 engines, one of which in the US, and converted them so they would be fully suitable for use in a boat. Thanks to the Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum, we were allowed to disassemble and re-create various original parts of the original engine in the museum. In addition, Lino Morosini, who 45 years ago was head of the Riva engine division and one of the fathers of the Aquarama Lamborghini, provided us with additional information with which we were able to adapt the twin V12 powerhouses, water-cooled via specially designed closed circuit, so they were completely in line with the original specimens."

Bob Wallace

Another valuable source in that area was Lamborghini's former legendary test driver and developer, Bob Wallace, who sadly passed away not long ago. He provided the Riva World team with input for getting the two Lamborghini engines ready for maritime use, for the conversion of the engines so the one would rotate to the left and the other to the right, for increasing the torque at low revs and for the manufacture of unique parts.

The result: two wonderful sounding Lamborghini 4.0 V12s, each with 350hp and equipped with six twin Weber carburetors (twelve in total) with a rev range between 700 and 5,000 rpm and a formidable torque that through various adjustments to the engines, including increased bore and longer stroke, is already available from around 1,500 revs. Together they give the Riva Aquarama Lamborghini a top speed of around 48 knots, compared to 40 knots for regular Aquaramas that Riva fits with twin V8 units as standard equipment.

One-of-a-kind collector's item endorsed by Carlo Riva

After a few test runs in the Netherlands, last summer the legendary Riva was transported to Italy, where like a fish in the water the sports boat was given free rein on Lago d'Iseo. Also under the watchful eye of Carlos Riva, father of all Riva fathers, the founder of the brand and the man who back in 1968 was himself urged by Ferruccio Lamborghini to build the Aquarama in just three months' time.

With the completion of the restoration of this unique one-of-a kind Riva Aquarama Lamborghini, Riva World has brought a legend back to life. The result is a magnificent collector's item that knows no equal in terms of restoration level and workmanship and with which Riva World will once again thrill maritime connoisseurs as well as lovers of hot-blooded Italian sports cars.

By Noah Joseph