$1.5 Million Riva Motor Boat by Marc Newson

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Jun 9th 2010 at 2:02PM

Avant-garde Australian designer Marc Newson has designed a limited edition version of Riva's famed 33-ft. Aquariva speedboat priced at $1.5 million. Only 22 examples of the sleek, stylish vessel, due to be unveiled this September at the Gagosian Gallery in New York, will be produced. Newson drew on his work in work in automotive and aerospace design for the project for the famed Italian boatyard. The windscreen is made from a single sheet of glass, the instrument panel is streamlined, and the handles, hooks and holds are made from anodized aluminum and disappear from view when not in use. The deck is covered in Micarta, an industrial resin. "When you think of small speedboats, inevitably you think of Riva, and particularly of the Aquarama, the Aquariva's predecessor which was the most glamorous boat of the 1950s and 1960s," Newson says. "It was beautifully made in a particular style that was very, very identifiable. I wanted to reinterpret the Aquariva in my own style, with cues from the Aquarama."

Tags: design, Gagosian Gallery, Marc Newson, motor yacht, motorboat, powerboat, Riva, speedboat, yacht