ISO Grifo 1968 - World Of Classic Cars -

ISO Grifo 1968

Renzo Rivolta was a successful industrialist in the sector of Refrigeration just outside Milan in Italy. During the post-war period of the 1950's, he branched into motor-scooters and then microcars, manufacturing the Isetta Bubblecar which was very successfully licenced to other manufacturers; most notably BMW who went on to build over 130,000 examples. In 1962, Renzo Rivolta moved into the luxury performance motorcar segment revealing, at the Turin Motor Show, his sleek 2+2 'Rivolta IR300' competing directly with established marques such as Maserati and Ferrari. In 1963, Giotto Bizzarrini (previously of Ferrari) provided mechanical expertise for Iso to refine the drivetrain and platform for a new Berlinetta Coupé with the bodywork penned by Gioretto Guigaro at Bertone.

ISO Grifo 1968

The new Iso prototype 'Grifo A3/L' was revealed at the Turin show in 1963 to overwhelming approval. First production Iso Grifo's followed and all used reassembled and blueprinted Chevrolet Corvette 5.4 litre engines until a seven-litre option was introduced in 1968. With some detailing modifications, such as a subtle bonnet scoop, necessary to accommodate the taller engine and a black band across the rear roof pillar to denote the car as a seven-Litre, a total of 322 Series I Grifo's were built before the design received a facelift in 1972 after which time a further 78 (Series II) Grifo's were built. In total 90 Grifo's were specified in seven-Litre form with only four being built in righthand drive.