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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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. -
Bizzarrini’s A3C – E05
Renaissance of a race car
The A3C is the mother of the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada. Created to compete in races, the project was soon abandoned by Iso Rivolta to concentrate on luxury vehicles for the road. Bizzarrini, instead, decide to start his own firm and keep producing the car, changing its name to the one we know today.
Although only 2 original vehicles still exist, Iso Restoration was granted a license to produce 10 more A3Cs with the spare parts that were left in Iso Rivolta’s warehouse. -
Lele – E07
The last GT before the oil crisis
The 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.
