Edited by Shereen Shabnam
The new Riva sport-fly, an exciting combination of innovative vision and legendary style is a product of collaboration between Officina Italiana Design, the firm headed by Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta that designs the entire Riva range, the Product Strategy Committee led by Piero Ferrari and Ferretti Group’s Engineering Department.
Only Riva has the history, inventiveness, appeal and inspiration to create a boat that anticipates the future but is permeated by the evocative mood of tradition. The production and creative capacity of the shipyard, which has continued to maintain its stability and vitality in 2020, has been exploited to the full to realise a sport-fly of dazzling beauty, a groundbreaking mixture of style, technology and innovative materials.
The 26.92 m (88.4 ft) long and 6.31 m (20.8 ft) wide Riva 88’ Folgore introduces novelties in the exterior and interior design, in the ergonomics, and in the materials used, combining them with the classic hallmarks of Riva’s legendary history.
Built from composite materials, with carbon fiber reinforcements in the superstructure, Riva 88’ Folgore is entirely focused on efficiency, with a design developed specifically to embrace materials like marble, crystal glass and stainless steel, but without affecting performance.
Turning to the design, the course set by Officina Italiana Design with the Dolceriva continues to hold true: the new design of the hull windows, reminiscent of a black brushstroke along the silver side of the yacht, rises towards the deck and meets an original and innovative hull-deck coupling system, where the stern area makes space for a steel-edged air intake.
The iconic mahogany and steel detailing, combined with carbon fiber elements, epitomises the perfect balance between past and present that has typified Riva boats in recent years. This is the merit of a sophisticated functional design, as can be seen in various elements, including the navigation lights framed in polished stainless steel, or the continuous aquamarine waterline.
The walkway handrails are also carbon fiber and steel, with a section on the starboard side that also acts as the handle for the access door to the interior. Making this boat even more unique is the innovative windscreen, manufactured with spherical crystals that result in a slight counter-curvature, a detail that looks set to become a Riva hallmark.
Another innovative style feature is the glass roof in the superstructure, which swings open both towards the stern and the bow, to allow fresh air in either when cruising or at anchor. Under the roof is a slatted structure that separates the interior and exterior spaces if desired. The standard solution is a fixed roof.
The first unit has a Shark Grey hull with Bright Black detailing, classic colours in the Riva tradition of recent years.
This first Riva 88’ Folgore unit is fitted with a pair of MTU 16V 2000 M96L engines rated 2,638 mhp, for a top speed of 39 knots and a cruising speed of 33 knots. The standard propulsion solution is a pair of MTU 16V 2000 M96 engines rated 2,435 mhp, which drive the yacht to a top speed of 36 knots and a cruising speed of 30 knots.
