2005 Jaguar XK
 By  Sam Moses 
to
$86,330

Riva 33
Story by Dag Pike
Photos by Robert Holland
$490,000

The Jaguar XK should be getting a little long in the tooth, having been introduced in 1996, but it's not. Its styling remains contemporary because it's so classically sleek and gorgeous, while mechanical and electronic upgrades, along with some sheetmetal tweaks, have enabled the big Jag to keep pace with the competition. Although not much if any competition exists, because the car is pretty much in a class by itself. Not really because of its engineering (power, handling and brakes), but because of its exclusivity. Its Jaguar-ness.

The XK is a powerful sports car with two-plus-two seating and accommodations that are more luxury than sporty. It looks and feels like a luxury car inside, handles like a tight luxury sports coupe or convertible. But it offers only an automatic transmission, a six-speed that technically doesn't even have a separate manual mode, although it can be operated manually with the Jaguar J-gate. Even the supercharged XKR, despite its 400 horsepower and brutally fast stance, can't be considered a fully track-worthy sports car because of the automatic transmission, not even with its heritage or its big Brembo brakes. And while it looks like the ultimate sports car, it feels like a cross between a British gentleman's coupe and a big ol' American stock car.

Beauty, brains and a James-Bond birthright: Riva’s Sunriva has it all.

During my long career on the water, I’ve had many memorable days at sea. Now, I have another noteworthy experience to add to my list: a sea trial aboard one of the most beautiful boats in the world in one of the most perfect boating destinations. On this day, I had to pinch myself to see if it was all real.

I was in Monte Carlo, and the town was relaxing in the wake of the Monaco Grand Prix, which had been run the weekend before. The rich and famous who had descended on the town to watch this renowned motor race were gone, but you could still smell the rubber on the roads around the harbor where the race had been run. With the onset of summer and the perfect weather that it brings to the French Riviera, this was the ideal day to sea-trial the newest boat from Riva, the 33-foot Sunriva.

Monte Carlo is considered the spiritual home of Riva, even though the boats are made in Italy. It was in this harbor that film stars and royalty would come for their yachting experiences back in the 1950s. The traditional wooden Rivas were “the” boats for the region. With a Riva, they could head to St. Tropez for lunch or visit friends on their yachts moored in Villefranche Bay just down the coast. Wooden Rivas, such as the famous Aquarama, were the fast boats of choice for the Riviera. The boat I was testing, the smart and sexy Sunriva, is a direct descendant of the Aquarama.