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Horsepower Classic Cars and High Performance

Lamborghini Takes to the Water Again With a Stunning Restoration

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Riva Aquarama Lamborghini at speed, a beautiful boat with a sound you won't hear around the marina very often
Riva Aquarama Lamborghini at speed, a beautiful boat with a sound you won’t hear around the marina very often

It’s hard not to be impressed by the beauty of a wooden boat, but when combined with a pair of 4 liter Lamborghini V12 engines, it’s enough to make you stop and giggle like a child. This restoration of the Riva Aquarama Lamborghini is an absolutely stunning piece of work, twin engines surrounded by exquisite woodwork and downright sexy lines, … well, wow. Just wow.

Twin Lamborghini 4 liter V12 engines, in a boat!
Twin Lamborghini 4 liter V12 engines, in a boat!

Ferruccio Lamborghini, founder of the car company, commissioned this boat to be built, 45 years ago, by the Italian builder, Riva. After Lamborghini passed away in 1993, the boat was stored away under a tarp, deteriorating for years until a Dutch Riva collector tracked it down and hired experts at Riva World to restore it to its former glory. As you can see, they did a remarkable job.

There is just something about the lines of a boat like this
There is just something about the lines of a boat like this

The original engines, from the Lamborghini 350 GT, were not available, so the company bought two engines in their place, one of which has been modified to rotate in the opposite direction and then both were outfitted for marine use. They were stroked and bored to their current displacement of 4.0 liters with 350 horsepower each. Both engines are fitted with 6 twin Weber carburetors. Besides being a visual feast, they power the boat to a top speed of 48 knots compared to the usual 40 knots of the standard twin V8 Aquarama. They sound better, too. The entire project took 3 years and the time was, obviously, well spent.

It would have been truly unfortunate if this boat had simply rotted away, forgotten in the corner of a boatyard. This is one of the nicest examples of melding engineering and art I’ve seen in a long time. Well done!

Riva Aquarama Lamborghini with a 350GT in the background, source of the original engines
Riva Aquarama Lamborghini with a 350GT in the background, source of the original engines

Test run during the later stages, but before the project was complete:

Link: Riva World

Comments

  1. that s a pretty nice piece of mechanical art and design . congratulations to the whole team of dedicated workers ( tuning this pair of engines and all these carbs deserves all my respect )

  2. Beautiful, just amazing. I would love just to have a photo of that wonderful piece of historical art. I am just in total awe.