What is a speedboat doing in the museum?

If you were planning to stop by the Cozzi Brothers Museum for a visit in the next few months, know that you had a really good idea. Especially if, in addition to cars, you also love speedboats. Signed Alfa Romeo. 

Starting March 1, in fact, thanks to a nice collaboration with the Museo della Barca Lariana in Pianello del Lario, in the province of Como, our Red Room will host a motorboat from the Larian collection for a few months.

If you want to know more about the fascinating history of this piece, read on!

ALL ABOUT THE SPEEDBOAT

The motorboat we will host at the Museum dates back to the 1950s and is a three-point racing Racer 2500 Class, built by Dino Celli (Costruzioni Motonautiche Mestre-Venezia) a leader among shipyards until the 1970s.

The bolide mounted a 6-cylinder Alfa Romeo 2500 engine . As true enthusiasts will know, the Alfa Romeo engines wrote the history not only of motoring, but also of powerboating!

Sure, we all know about the track successes of four-wheelers... but who can say the same on the nautical side? Fortunately, we have Emanuele Seghetti, curator of the Larian Boat Museum, to tell us all about it!

"Since the 1930s Alfa Romeo has also been among the absolute protagonists on the water," explained Emanuele, "true pioneers of mechanical engineering, Alfa Romeo technicians have adapted series and racing engines for marine use, derived from the legendary Alfette, Giuliette, Giulie GTA, Montreal, 2600 and other historic cars. A noteworthy record is that marked by the legendary three-point Laura I, from the Abbate shipyards. It was the first hull ever to exceed 200 km/h and was powered by the Alfa engine of Manuel Fangio, a former Formula One champion. It was the year 1953 and the bolide ran for that time at the speed of light, in quotes."

LARIAN BOAT MUSEUM

Located in Pianello del Lario in a beautiful 19th-century spinning mill, the Barca Lariana Museum protects a unique heritage.

More than four hundred historic hulls including rowing English boats, fishing, hunting, and smuggling boats, pleasure craft, sailboats, and luxurious twentieth-century steamers are preserved in the museum halls and storerooms.

The museum has recently been expanded to include a prestigious selection of Riva motorboats, with a space dedicated to the racing cars of the golden years of Larian motorboating and a room displaying the elegant Venetian gondolas built on Lake Como, including the Arconati Visconti gondola, considered the oldest in the world and perfectly preserved.

There is no shortage of lake giants: the latest hydrofoil RHS70 Arrow of the Geraniums, a famous old workboat, and the first public propeller boat to arrive on Lake Como.

Today it is considered the world's most important collection of pleasure boats.

A true shared cultural heritage, continuously updated museum stories and vicissitudes, the result of daily field research, testimonies and stories.

The museum is enriched by more than two hundred inboard and outboard engines, a plethora of objects and tools useful in the construction and maintenance of vessels, an important collection of photographs, videos, and more than 2,500 industry publications that allow the visitor to be totally immersed in the histories and customs of an area.

From the ancient Romans to the present day, the boats tell us about ordinary and extraordinary lives: an enchanting journey that, we hope, will restore the memory of a wonderful Italy that should not be forgotten but, on the contrary, should be a stimulus for future generations.

The Museum is also open for private events and for schools with dedicated historical narratives and fun educational play workshops.