2012. Riva brand purchased by the Chinese

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Riva brand purchased by the Chinese

From Boats by Motor 2012, no. 2, May, pp. 58-67.

A piece of “made in Italy” history leaves in the hands of the Chinese. Will the Riva myth continue? The future bodes well.

The news was in the air even before it was made official by those directly involved: Shandong Heavy Industry Group-Weichai Group, a Chinese manufacturer of diggers and tractors, has taken over a majority stake in Ferretti Group. And with him, in the hands of the Chinese, also ends up Riva, one of the eight brands of the Forlì group, but above all one of the icons of Made in Italy, not only in the nautical sector and not only in our country, so much so that in the course of its history, the famous brand passed through several foreign owners until, ironically, it was Ferretti himself who brought it back to Italy. Now, whether the glorious shipyard of Lake Iseo has come to the end of the line is too early to say, however, even retracing its history, it is consoling to note how often, precisely from the passage into foreign hands, boats of great charm were born and a design season, that of the 1980s, full of models that, looking at them today, can be placed alongside the legendary Aquarama without disfiguring in the least. Another lesson that bodes well for the future comes to us from the automotive industry, which, we know, in motoring dictates trends well in advance. How many did not put their hands in their hair when two historic brands of the British automotive industry like Jaguar and Range Rover were acquired by India’s Tata? Yet both were resurrected with far better looking and technologically refined models, especially for the Jaguar manufacturer, than Ford management had been able to do. And the same is true of the Chinese ownership of Volvo.

Therefore, if the new management knows how to respect the traditions and culture of the prestigious brands that the acquisition of the Ferretti Group has handed over to it, it could also be a bargain for everyone: the Chinese of Shandong Heavy will see their investment enhanced, while the Italian boating industry will see some of its most prestigious brands find new life and new markets through the globalization of their ownership. But whatever the fate of Riva, there will certainly remain in the annals an indelible imprint of all the boats produced by the shipyard that have built and nurtured the myth of this brand, passing between sporting epics and the enchanting atmospheres of the Dolce Vita. What better occasion to relive them now? So here is the Riva story, read through its (few) great characters and its (many) models, which have marked the evolution of nautical design but also of fashions. And to think that it was a misfortune that started the story of Pietro Riva, who back in 1842 was called from his native Laglio, on Lake Como, to repair some boats damaged by the flooding of the Oglio River right in Sarnico. Certainly the good craftsman did not imagine that his migration would mark the beginning, many years later, of a myth. Moreover, many years were yet to pass: it would be his nephew Serafino Riva who would have the intuition to mount an engine on the fishing boats produced by the shipyard, while his passion for motorboat racing drove him to study faster and faster hulls to which his son Carlo would know how to give an outlet in mass production with the creation of the “spider of the sea” the first Riva that, inspired by racing boats, softened its lines to become an exclusive pleasure boat.

In 1946 the Corsair was unveiled, followed in 1950 by the two models that marked the official beginning of the style that has the history of Riva shipyards: the Triton and theAriston. The former is a 7.60 m twin-engine unit equipped with a small cabin under the forward pontoon, and the latter replicates its deck solutions on a smaller size, 6.24 m, and with a single engine. The following year was the turn of the 4.93-m Sebino, which also marked the start of mass production identified by Carlo Riva as the solution to lower production costs. They are all wooden boats that were produced in an for then extraordinary number of examples and over the years also changed their dimensions, resulting in the Super Triton and the Super Ariston. They would later be joined by the Florida and Super Florida, until the presentation in 1962 of the celebrated Aquarama,1702, which soon became the emblem of Riva Shipyards and the icon of a long nautical season.

These are the numbers that underscore the length of this extraordinary period: from 1950, when the first models were presented, to 1996, when the last Aquarama Special was produced. In the meantime, however, by the end of the 1960s, Carlo Riva had sold the shipyard to the U.S.-based Whittaker, and a couple of years later the management positions had also passed to his brother-in-law Gino Gervasoni, at his side since the 1950s. It was in this period that the production of fiberglass boats began, which for a long time coexisted with wooden ones, having, however, the ability to create a new style without being simply the re-proposition in “plastic” of historical models. The only exception is the Rudy, which goes to pick up the legacy of the Junior by re-proposing its salient features, as indeed the little one of the Riva house had inherited from the first-born Sebino.

It is also the time to reach new milestones in terms of performance and size, so if the Riva 2000 and Saint Tropez consolidate the presence in an area already well manned by wooden models, with the 50 Diable and 50 Superamerica we push into new market segments, always knowing how to give it a personal interpretation that immediately sets trends. The 1990s bring a double novelty. After 41 years, Gino Gervasoni pulls out, marking the Riva family’s exit from the company, and the shipyard is acquired by Rolls Royce, leading one to imagine consecration thanks to the partnership with the emblematic brand of luxury. Nothing could be more wrong, because not even the emblazoned British company finds itself in one of its most prosperous periods, and the management of the shipyard suffers: once again it is the models that underline the creative crisis in which the shipyard struggles, none that merely makes a mention, with the exception of the 32 Ferrari that marks the union (only stylistic, however, because the engines are BPM), with another historic brand.

That is why in 2000, when the group headed by Norberto Ferretti bought back the Riva shipyard, bringing it back into Italian hands, the news was greeted with enthusiasm and the presentation of models such as theAquariva and the Rivarama underscored the newfound design verve. Now it is only to be hoped that Chinese management will know how to make the most of this new blood, but the fact that the entire production structure remains in Italy, as does the exclusive design byOfficina Italiana Design, bodes well for the future. In short, it is a duty to a prestigious brand, and then, without the charm of made in Italy, Riva would be but an empty vessel.

by Alberto Mondinelli

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