Presented at this year’s Ferretti Group Private Preview, Riva’s new Sportfly flagship has a shark-grey hull, serious style and – as its name suggests – lightning speed.
A new Riva is always a welcome occasion and this year the 88’ Folgore – Italian for lightning – combines the sleekness and speed of a sport boat with the exquisitely finished exterior and interior spaces the brand is renowned for.
Among the new models showcased at this year’s Ferretti Group Private Preview in Monaco, the first unit of the Folgore has a shark-grey hull with bright black detailing, classic colours in the Riva tradition of recent years.
Built from composite materials, with carbon-fibre reinforcements in the superstructure, the Folgore features plenty of marble, crystal glass and stainless steel, yet still racks up 39 knots with the more powerful of its twin MTU 16V options.
Officina Italiana Design, headed by Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta, designs the entire Riva range and for this heir to the Domino, one of the brand’s top sellers, the firm has again collaborated with the Ferretti Group’s Product Strategy Committee, led by Piero Ferrari, and its Engineering Department.
The course set by Officina Italiana Design with the Dolceriva continues with the new design of the hull windows, which looks a bit like a clean black brushstroke along the yacht’s silver side.
Mahogany-and-steel detailing and carbon-fibre elements continue to show the influence of past and present on recent Rivas, while navigation lights framed in polished stainless steel or the continuous aquamarine waterline exemplify sophisticated functional design.
The walkway handrails are also carbon-fibre 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.
Another innovative 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.
MEET Riva's unique beauty 88' Folgore
EXTERIORS
Aiming to offer a design that combines aesthetics and functionality, the Folgore delivers a redesigned stern, with a rear door that swings open into two different positions: parallel to the waterline for use as a 6sqm beach club or submerged for launching and recovering the tender.
Two sets of teak side steps lead to the 22sqm multifunctional cockpit area. The first unit has a huge dining area with a sofa that can be transformed into a sunpad by operating the up-down mechanism that raises and lowers the polished mahogany tabletop.
On the left is a service unit with a storage compartment, an ice-maker and either a fridge or the third command station for stern mooring operations. To starboard, the mobile bar next to the sportfly stairs has a Stone by Florim marble top that opens electrically and two stools.
The crew quarters can be accessed through a companion hatch under the stairway, as well as from the galley on the lower deck.
In the bow, the layout of this first unit features a huge C-shaped sofa with a coffee table that swings open to reveal a big storage area and, further forward, a sunpad that can accommodate at least four people.
Integrated in the sunpad is a small sun hood that is opened by an electro-hydraulic mechanism, while the entire 23sqm area can be covered with awnings.
The 20sqm sportfly offers the owner even more ideas for ways to relax in comfort, with a big sunpad plus sofa in the stern, another sofa with a coffee table and pouf on the port side, and yet another sofa to starboard.
The helm station is centrally positioned in the bow, with a pivoting backrest shared by the sofa, and features two 16-inch touchscreen displays. This area can also be completely covered with awnings.
INTERIORS
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Entered through the glass door in the cockpit, the interiors on the main deck are divided into lounge, dining and helm areas.
The height of all the interior areas touches 2m and is even higher on the lower deck, a huge plus point for any guests.
A mix of wood, leather and steel characterises the onboard decor on both the main and lower decks. The dominant wood on this first unit is polished rosewood, combined with pale or dark coloured leather inserts and white parquet.
These pairings and the contrasting white and black lacquered sections of ceiling create surprising contrasts that infuse the boat with a refined, classical elegance, enhanced by the natural light that floods in through the continuous side windows and the windscreen.
The saloon features a grey marble Poliform coffee table and a big ice-coloured Poliform sofa to starboard that faces a cabinet with a TV (up to 55 inches). Also on the port side is the dining area, featuring a big tinted glass table with a stainless-steel base and grey Minotti chairs with charcoal-coloured nubuck backrests.
The helm station is starboard, has two adjustable-height leather seats and is separated from the saloon by a full-height tinted glass partition. The captain can also enter and leave through the door next to the helm station.