Yes, those are boats, not cars, but there's a tale here, folks. Back in an earlier era my employer, the J. Walter Thompson ad agency, decided I'd be a suitable candidate for the post of creative director in its Milan office. First I had to spend a week there so the local manager could check me out. When I stepped off the TWA 707 after an overnight flight from New York, David (sorry, can't recall his last name) informed me that we were to spend the weekend at a Lake Como vacation home he and his wife were renting from a very wealthy American couple. The couple's property, actually an estate dominated by a castle-like mansion, was spread over a vast mountain area above the lake.

During my visit David walked me down to the shore to view an ancient church located by the water's edge. As we stood outside the building I heard a loud rumbling and looked across the water to see a handsome wood-hulled boat passing at speed. I recognised it as an Italian Riva and immediately expressed my delight over the boat's beauty and performance. David was not amused. Apparently Riva's test drivers were in the habit of "buzzing" the church during service on Sunday mornings, to the everlasting annoyance of the worshipers.

I'm not certain whether it was that particular faux pas, or my enthusiasm for creating great ads when all he wanted was someone to manage the department that upset David most, but I didn't get the job. Regardless, I still admire Rivas and the 160-year-old company continues to make those elegant wooden speedboats, which is why the annual "Riva Meeting," as reported in Classical Driver, got my attention. The 4-day meet, held in Italy's beautiful Ligurian lake area, brought together for the first time both traditional wooden speedboats and modern fiberglass luxury yachts, and included a cruise to see the new Riva Shipyard in La Spezia. I'd willingly fly to Italy again just for a ride in a Riva.

[photo: Riva/Ferretti Group]