In the late 1950s, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly frequently sped around Monte Carlo’s harbor in their Riva Tritone “Via”––the kind of thing out of romantic Monégasque vacation daydreams. And while it may seem too good to be true, this very boat will be included in a Sotheby’s auction on May 25 in Villa Erba, a town right on Lake Como.
Like some antiques and other auction mainstays, this boat hasn’t been waiting for its next owner in storage somewhere. The well-loved 26-foot sports boat was completely restored in the early 2000s by its previous owner. According to the Sotheby's, the work was done by a Dutch company specializing in the Riva Tritone brand.
The boat was last auctioned off in May 2014, when it sold for the euro equivalent of $561,950. Since then, it “has returned to its home port of Monaco, where it has been regularly looked after by Monaco Boat Service and remains ready to use and enjoy at a moment’s notice,” according to Sotheby’s.
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The Tritone was originally a gift to the Rainiers from whom the auction site called Mr. Gianoglio, a wealthy textile industrialist from Milan and relative of Prince Rainier. Gianoglio ordered two Tritones from the company in 1958, one of them being the Riva Tritone No. 62, “Via.”
You can own this part of history––just get yourself to the auction on May 25. In the meantime, head to RM Sotheby’s website for more information.
