The GT300 is the result of Giotto Bizzarrini’s technical expertise and Renzo Rivolta’s idea about how a gran turismo should be: comfortable, reliable and luxurious.
Bizzarrini and Raggi departed from the usual technical solutions of the GTs of that era. Many of the solutions adopted for the GT were later used in all the other sports cars made by Iso.
They developed a new chassis, a monocoque design, that allowed the car to be more rigid without adding weight. The car was fitted with independent front suspensions and a DeDion tube in the back. They opted for disc brakes in all four corners, with the rear mounted inboard to reduce unsprang weight.
The car was powered by a 327 Corvette engine, in 300, 340 and 365Hp form.
The GT was designed at Bertone’s by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Rivolta gave Bertone and Giugiaro very simple guidelines for the design, allowing them as much freedom as he could. Bertone loved this kind of projects that let him to create unique designs that would benefit the reputation of his firm.
The car was presented in 1962 and it did not fail to please both Italian and American customers. Rivolta saw that there was a demand for such a car, a reliable luxury GT, and was proven right when he showed his new creation for the first time.
When the production began, because of some technical issues in the assembling process, the American customers soon abandoned their interest towards the car and the result was a much smaller production in numbers than Renzo Rivolta had at first imagined.
The Iso GT represents a further transformation for Iso Rivolta. From producing refrigerators, then motorbikes and small utility cars, now, with no intermediate steps, they began approaching luxury sports cars.
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Iso Grifo – E01
A personal favorite
A brief history of the Iso Grifo, narrated by Adam Bolcs, a Hungarian Director of a Communication Agency, and Federico Bonomelli, an Italian entrepreneur.
The Iso Grifo is their personal favorite. -
Fidia – E06
Big, sporty and luxurious
Big, sporty and luxurious, the Fidia was the answer to the Maserati Quattroporte.
Only 192 vehicles were produced, making it the rarest Iso Rivolta.
Axel Gottschalk shares his love for this peculiar sport sedan. -
Competing with Vespa – E02
The Age of Isomoto and Isoscooter
In the 1950s Iso Rivolta, with its Isomoto and Isoscooter, became the third Italian motorcycles manufacturer, following Piaggio with its Vespa and Innocenti with Lambretta.
Other models were the Iso GT, the Iso Sport and the Iso 200, defined as one of the most beautiful bikes of that time. But Iso Rivolta would soon focus on luxury sports cars. In ’62, the production of motorbike ended.
The second episode of “The Iso Rivolta Chronicles” tells the story of the origin and ending of the Iso motorcycles, through the narration of the Iso Millennium committee members.
