Three boats from Ferrari! Speed on water according to Maranello

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Over the years, the prestigious Maranello-based company has woven close connections with the nautical world, contributing to the development of three masterpiece boats that still represent a model of engineering, performance and pure Italian style.

Competitive sportsmanship, strictly Made in Italy design and the pursuit of performance that have always distinguished the brand
Ferrari
on a few isolated but very happy occasions have not been limited to the asphalt of the world’s most prestigious motorsport circuits. But they also extended to water. Particularly to the production of special boats devoted to speed that are still engineering masterpieces today. Perfect examples of an exceptional marriage of two seemingly distant worlds, motoring and boating, in which Italian style and out-of-the-ordinary performance stand out.

The very shipyards involved in these Ferrari-signed projects represent the crème de la crème of the Italian nautical industry. True excellences of great tradition that still churn out classy boats that excite all enthusiasts.


Timossi Ferrari Arno XI, record-breaking hydroplane

The first example resulting from this collaboration between the Ferrari brand and the nautical world is the “
Timossi Ferrari Arno XI”
. It is 1953. The great powerboat enthusiast, pilot and engineer Achille Castoldi with the complicity of Alberto Ascari and Gigi Villoresi convinced Enzo Ferrari to supply the V12 that powered the 375 F1 single-seaters for a record-breaking boat. A prototype hydroplane built in one piece.

The boat was built in 1953 by Cantieri Timossi of Azzano di Tremezzina (Co). The Ferrari engine with which it was equipped was derived from that of the Ferrari 375 Formula 1 single-seaters that had competed in the 1951 championship. To this powerplant, a 4494 cmÂł Ferrari V12, 2 volumetric compressors were added to greatly increase its output to 340 hp (over 600 horsepower). The name of the engine then became “G.P. 52/1 Nautical.”

On October 15, 1953 during the Italian Grand Prix Trofeo Campari the “Timossi Ferrari Arno XI” driven by Achille Castoldi himself reached a speed of 242.708 kilometers per hour on Lake Iseo in the Sarnico (BG) area. This was an extraordinary record for the time and is still unbeaten, partly because Arno XI’s membership category no longer exists. After various vicissitudes and a long period of neglect, the boat was maniacally restored and has been on display at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (MO) since 2013 and is currently on display.

Ferrari


Racer Ferrari San Marco, born to win raids

Four years later, in 1957, the Ferrari brand returned to embrace the world of boats with another unusual and out-of-the-ordinary design. The prestigious San Marco shipyard, founded in 1954 near Milan’s Idroscalo by Venetian pilot and boat builder Oscar Scarpa, is involved for the occasion. The boats of this sophisticated artisan shipyard, some 500 in number, have been an example of innovative design and hold as many as 35 world speed records. They all mounted the engine of an Italian car: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Ferrari of course.

In particular, the “Racer Ferrari” was built in 1957 at the request of Count Guido Monzino, who intended to participate in the 1st Pavia-Venice Raid on the Po, the toughest powerboat race in Europe, to be held in 1958. Monzino purchased a 4,500 cc Ferrari V12 engine previously mounted on the Berlinetta 375 that had participated in the famous Mexican Carrera in 1953. The hull was designed by Oscar Scarpa of Cantieri San Marco to encourage new pilots to enter the economy hull category for which 4 boats were made.

The Ferrari Racer, in the two-seater version, thus participated in both the Raid in 1960 and 1966 piloted, on both occasions, by Monzino who had first Maurizio Allione and then Olof Wallen as co-pilots. The Ferrari – San Marco racer of 1953, “3-point” KD 800 kg competition class.

Ferrari


Riva Ferrari 32, a classy offshore

Finally in 1990 Ferrari returned to speeding on water. This time with a boat that involves the Maranello company not only in terms of propulsion, but also in water lines. The partnership itself is a memorable one. Ferrari in fact involves the prestigious shipyard
Riva
, a true excellence of the nautical world. The idea is to bring to life a unique sub-10-meter boat capable of expressing speed and beauty at the highest level. This is how the Riva Ferrari 32 was born. The development of the project was overseen by Gino Gervasoni, head of the Riva Shipyard, and in close relationship with the Maranello company with whom materials, aerodynamics and design were fine-tuned.

The first prototype, in pure off-shore style, was made of wood, and already in the first tests it was able to touch 100 km/h. Externally it was painted Rosso Corsa color with the two Cavallino badges, inspired by the Testarossa, placed on the side. Then there was the scenic and strategic black wing, the steering wheel, covered in leather, with the Ferrari logo . And finally, the pilot and co-pilot stations that allowed the boat to be steered both seated and standing. The Riva Ferrari 32 was eventually produced in only 40 examples, all powered by two 390-horsepower BPM Vulcano 400 V8 engines, with a top speed touching 54 knots (about 100 km/h).

Ferrari

 

 

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