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.
Watch the other episodes
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Lele – E07
The last GT before the oil crisis
6 years agoThe Lele is the last GT produced by Iso Rivolta. With a brand new style, looking at the 70s, and a new powerful Cleveland engine, the car was to substitute the classic GT300. However, the oil crisis and the political turbulence forced the brand to close in 1974, with only 285 Lele produced.
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Fidia – E06
Big, sporty and luxurious
6 years agoBig, 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. -
Iso Grifo 90 – E08
Back to the future
6 years agoIn the late 80s, Piero Rivolta thought the time was right to introduce the brand back into the market with a new GT. Designed by Gandini and engineered by Dallara, the prototype was presented to the press in 1991 and it was meant to be produced in a limited series starting from 1994.
Unfortunately, the enterprise stopped and the car hasn’t seen the light until 2010, when Mako Shark decided to produce it.