Another great car during the Online RM Sotheby's Arizona action sale, with this 1967 Iso Grifo GL Series I with coachwork done by Gruppo Bertone, one of only 413 Iso Grifos built.

And that will make it possible to go back over the history of this automobile brand that has fallen into oblivion (at last for me 😀) Iso Grifo.

History of Iso Grifo GL

The Iso Grifo was founded by Renzo Rivolta who wanted after WWII to improve Italian transportation with scooters and the famous Isetta (< aka the bubble car - source : Wikipedia). With a deal with BMW in 1962 , Rivolta could produce a GT car presented during the Turin Motor Show.

Thanks to Italian designers Nuccio Bertone and Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Iso Grifo, the sport two-seat version, was built from 1965 to 1974 with lightweight Corvette engine. For the Iso Grifo GL (Gran Lusso), Rivolta and Bertone wanted to compete against Ferrari and Maserati. In 1970, the engine was changed for the Series II for better performance (photo below to see differences between the two models).

aseries 2.jpg

1973 Iso Grifo GL Series II ( source : RM Sotheby's) sold for £230,000 last year

But with the 1973 oil crisis, the company declared bankruptcy...

Specification

The Iso Grifo GL Series I is equipped with 327 cu inline Hi-Po V8 engine mated by four-speed manual gearbox producing 350 hp.

The car, restored in 2017, is finished in metallic silver over black leather interior. And just for info, the car was used in the Italian movie The Violent Professionals (1973) (trailer in the bonus section)...