Iso. Flight of the Griffin.

Inroduction

Italian performance and automotive marques are usually represented by animals. The Prancing Horse for Ferrari, the Raging Bull for Lamborghini, and the Scorpion for Abarth. But there is one that barely anyone has heard of, the Griffin. The Griffith, who combined world-class Italian design with the beating heart of American Horsepower. Let me introduce you to Iso, a company with a beating heart and a passion, a company who produces some of the most unique, but unknown cars, and a company which has a very, very unusual origin.

Iso’s logo features a griffin. It symbolizes two things, the lion’s head, which is the founder’s coat of arms, and a Griffin, or more specifically, an Eagle which represents America, the land of the free, or more specifically, American muscle. It represented a marriage between two very different countries split by the Atlantic, and proves that brutal power can go well with beautiful design.

Founding Years

At the beginning of the second world war, a businessman named Renzo Rivolta founded Iso, or at that time, Isothermos. Before they were known for their cars, they built refrigerator systems for the Italian army during the second world war. The company was founded in Genoa, Italy, but then moved to Bresso under Rivolta’s command.

Iso then changed what they produced after the second world war, from refrigerators to motorcycles. Iso also made scooters and motocarries (three-wheeled transport scooters/motorcycles like the Daihatsu Midget). Among the most famous are the Furetto (1948), Isoscooter (1950), Isocarro (1951), Isomoto (1954) and Isosport (1953). The last Iso motorcycle was presented as the Iso 500 in 1961. Isomotos were known as expensive, but durable and well-built.

Iso then began to enter the automobile industry in the 1950s, when concepts of ultracompact cars were everywhere. The entire transportation industry was changing at that time, when the ICE was at it’s peak and performance icons were showing up everywhere, the jet age, where the turbofan engine was invented, along with icons like the Boeing 747 and the Tri-jets which made trans-Atlantic flights possible, and at a time when everyone has access to transportation.

Isetta Era

Only a few people know the Isetta, and most of the people who know the Isetta was that it came from BMW. But the most popular variant of the Isetta was built by BMW. Iso was the first builder to build the Isetta bubble car, before licencing it to to other manufacturers. In the early 1950s the company was building refrigerators, motor scooters and small three-wheeled trucks. Renzo Rivolta, Iso’s CEO, decided that he would like to build a small car for mass production

By 1952 the engineers Ermenegildo Preti and Pierluigi Raggi had designed a small car that used the motorcycle engine of the Iso Moto 200 and named it Isettta, an Italian diminutive meaning little ISO. The production version of the Isetta was unveiled in Turin, Italy, and had caused a sensation in the automotive industry, because it looked like nothing else at that time.

The car was small, with bubble-type windows, the entire front end of the car hinged outwards to allow entry. In the event of a crash, the driver and passenger were to exit through the canvas sunroof. The steering wheel and instrument panel swung out with the single door, as this made access to the single bench seat simpler. The seat provided reasonable comfort for two occupants, and perhaps a small child. Behind the seat was a large parcel shelf with a spare wheel located below. A heater was optional, and ventilation was provided by opening the fabric sunroof.

The Isetta's success.

The engine was a tiny 236 cc twin-stroke engine from a motorbike, paired with a manual gearbox. The car had a unique way of starting up, using a generator method called Dynastart. A chain drive connected the gearbox to a solid rear axle with a pair of closely spaced 25 cm rear wheels. The first prototypes had one wheel at the rear, but having a single rear wheel made the car prone to roll-overs, so the rear wheel layout was changed to two wheels set 48 cm apart from each other. This narrow track eliminated the need for a differential. The front axle was a modified version of a Dubonnet independent front suspension. The Isetta took over 30 seconds to reach 50 KPH from rest. Top speed was only about 75 KPH.

Iso licensed manufacturers from different parts of Europe to build the Isetta bubble car, including Spain, Belgium, France, Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Out of all the countries selected to manufacture the Isetta bubble car, Germany had the most success, built by BMW, soon overtaking Iso production, and later licensed BMW to continue production of the Isetta. It was the best selling one-cylinder car in the world, with 161,728 units built and sold, mostly by BMW.

Into the World of Performance

After the success of the Iso in the 1960s, founder Renzo Rivolta decided to kick things up a notch. At that time, the Americans were the kings of performance, with icons such as the Mustang, Torino, Camaro, Firebird, GTO, Challenger and many more. The horsepower wars were at its peaks, with American manufacturers cranking out every single amount of horsepower out of big, heavy and powerful V8 engines possible to create the most powerful car on Earth.

So Renzo Rivolta, along with engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and chassis builder Bertone took advantage of the American horsepower wars and to build their first performance car, one featuring elegant Italian design and brutal American horsepower. They decided to team up with some of the champions in the horsepower wars, such as General Motors, who were in charge of some of the brands that produce the most powerful cars at that time, Pontiac and Chevrolet.

So Iso built the IR 300, an elegant 2+2 style coupe powered by a 5.4 L V8 Chevrolet Small-Block. The transmission came from General Motors in Detroit, and the de Dion suspension and four-wheel disc braking system came from the large Jaguars of the time. This concept was maintained for almost all production cars of Iso. Starting in 1971, Ford 351 Cleveland engines replaced the GM small block.

The Grifo

With the success and worldwide recognition of the Iso Rivolta IR 300, they decided to make a second model, one that would truly define the brand. Giotto Bizzarini had some experience back when he was at Ferrari, and set up a design workshop called Prototipi Bizzarini, where he designed and consulted for some of the top brands out of Italy, such as ATS, Lamborghini, and Iso. Along with Giorgetto Giugiaro from Bertone, they designed the Iso Grifo.

That same year Bertone showed the Grifo A3/L prototype at the Turin Auto Show, while Iso showed off the competition version; the Iso Grifo A3/C. Both were overwhelmingly successful. Although design changes had to be made to the prototype, Iso concentrated on getting the Grifo A3/L ready for production. The car got a light facelift that made it less aggressive in appearance.

This “street” Iso Grifo GL received the fast, modified but reliable 5.4 liter Chevrolet small-block 327 Corvette engine V8 engine with either 300 or 350 HP, coupled to a Borg-Warner 4-speed top-loader. The engines were completely ordered and manufactured in the United States, then taken apart and blueprinted before they were eventually installed in the cars, much like it was done with the Iso Rivolta IR 300 before. With over 400 horsepower and a weight of less than 2,200 pounds, the vehicle was able to reach speeds over 275 KPH.

The Grifo Series 2.

While Renzo Rivolta focused on the A3/L, Giotto tried to promote the A3/C which made some tension between the two. This meant that the Grifo GL was being produced at Bresso and the A3/C at Piero Drogo’s Sports Cars of Modena under Giotto’s strict supervision. In 1964, the prototype Grifo A3/C raced at Le Mans with drivers Edgar Berney/Pierre Noblet at the wheel. They running well until brake problems required a two-hour pit stop. The car then resumed the race, finally finishing in 14th place; an encouraging result for a brand-new car. Only 22 examples of the Bizzarrini Grifo A3/C were constructed.

Sadly in 1965 Giotto Bizzarrini and Renzo Rivolta split ways, which resulted in separate production of the street Grifo GL and the competition Bizzarrini A3/C. Giotto refined his A3/C and this eventually turned out to be his line of Bizzarrini 5300 Stradas and Corsas. From here on the “Grifo” name was lost in connection to Bizzarrini. But Iso lost connection with one of their most vital assets, or more specifically, the most vital person in the company.

Rivolta's death.

Sadly, founder Renzo Revolta died suddenly on 20 August 1966 in Milan. After the sudden death, his son Piero became the director of Iso, aged only 25 then.

In 1968, three years after Revolta’s death, the Grifo 7 Litri was introduced with a Chevrolet L71 big-block engine, a Tri-Power version of the 427. The massive seven-liter power plant required several mechanical changes to the car in order to fit, strengthened chassis components as well as an enlarged engine compartment with reinforced mounts. A large hood scoop dubbed “Penthouse” due to its massive size and wide opening, was added to clear for the engine’s deck height. It produced an officially advertised minimum of 435 HP at 5800 RPM, which was a somewhat conservative rating given the engine’s well known and proven performance potential. The factory claimed it could reach a top speed of 300 KPH.

End of the Grifo

In 1970, a styling change was made to the nose section of the car for the Grifo Series II. It got a sleeker look and hide-away headlights. In this new Series II, four Targas were built, and for the IR-9 Can Am”version the engine was switched from the 427 engines to the newer even more powerful 454 engine. Production stopped in 1972, and In 1972, the Grifo IR-8 was released, using a small-block Ford Boss 351 engines. These models can be recognized by their taller hood scoop. This was the final version of the Grifo.

In total, 322 Series I and 78 Series II cars were built for a total of 413 Grifos, 90 of which 7 Liter. The rarest are the Series II 5-speeds with only 23 units, and the Series II Targa with only 4 units. Due to their rarity today, Grifos are desirable collectibles. A former employee of Iso, Roberto Negri, runs a small company in Clusone, Italy, specializing in maintaining and restoring Grifos. There is a global community of Iso Grifo owners around the world, and they have gatherings a number of times each year.

The Daytona

Before Giorgio Bizarrini ended his partnership with Renzo Rivolta, he created one more masterpiece. The Iso Daytona. Determined to complete the project, Renzo Rivolta asked coachbuilders Giorgio Neri and Luciano Bonacini, in Modena, to help him build and launch race cars that could also be driven on the street. The Daytona and its new concept of high-performance driving as the original brochure claimed debuted at the 1966 Monza Grand Prix, but never really launched on the market. It is believed no more than five were ever made, and even that figure is only an educated guess.

The Daytona looked phenomenal, with such a curvaceous body it resembled a Ferrari at that time. An aerodynamic body along with a powerful Chevrolet V8 engine, making it capable for tearing up the racetrack in style, along with cruising along Route 66 in style. Combining a lightweight aluminum body and sophisticated chassis with American power the Iso Daytona had incredible performance for the day. Front suspension is by double unequal length wishbones and coil spring/damper units. At the rear a de Dion axle is located by four-bar trailing arms and a Watts link with inboard disc brakes. The wheels were Campagnolo alloy knockoffs, which were made of aluminum, a strong and lightweight material.

It was ahead of its time.

The Fidia

Iso decided to make a four-door sedan, one that would compete with the Maserati Quattroporte. The Fidia was first presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1967, and was the only four-door model from Iso. Production only got underway some time after the initial presentation of the car, and its European press launch which took place in Athens, came more than a year later, in February 1969. At the time of the press launch 15 cars had already been built, but it was only in February 1969 that the car swapped its “S4” name for the more euphonious “Fidia”. The car was marketed as a unique combination of comfort and sporting performance, and the slogan that appeared in sales material was, Le quattro poltrone piu veloci del mondo, The four fastest seats on wheels.

The Fidia, like other Iso cars, was originally powered by a Chevrolet V8 engine, and was quite quick off the line (0-60 in around 7 seconds). By 1973, after General Motors demanded payment in advance of shipment, the engine supplier had been switched and cars were delivered with a Ford 5.8 litre V8, matched with a ZF five speed manual gear box or with Ford’s own ‘Cruise-O-Matic’ automatic gear box.

In the rarefied market segment that it occupied, the Fidia was comfortably outsold by its Modenese competitor. In 1971 Iso produced just 15 Fidias, which rose to 21 in 1972 and slid to 20 in 1973. In total 192 were built.

The Lele

Renzo Rivolta decided to create a spiritual successor to the IR300, the first performance car the company has ever built. So he created the Lele. The Lele, being a 2+2-seater, filled the gap between the Grifo and the Fidia and shared its powertrain, a V8 engine and automatic gearbox from GM, with an in-house manual option with these types. Bertone styling was used, as with the Grifo. The car is named after Lele Rivolta, wife of Piero Rivolta, Renzo Rivolta’s son.

In 1970 the engine capacity was increased to 5,736 CC. An equal maximum power of 300 or 350 HP improved distribution of torque and thus the elasticity of travel. In 1972, due to the request of GM to pay in advance engines, the Chevrolet engine was replaced with the Ford Cleveland V8. The automatic transmission was now supplied by Ford, while the manual (a 5-speed transmission) remained unchanged. In 1973, the standard version now known as Lele IR6, was replaced by the Lele IR6 Sports, with an engine enhanced to 360 HP and with a manual only ZF 5-speed transmission.

Death of Iso

Sadly, in the 1970s, the worldwide oil crisis hit, and many automotive companies were heavily affected. Iso was hit heavily. Already with low sales of their Fidia and Lele models, they were hit even harder as oil prices rose drastically, which made demand for sports cars drop to near-zero. The oil crisis also hit the horsepower wars hard, and America was unable to supply more engines to Iso due to low demand for big-block V8 engines. Because of that, Iso went bankrupt in the year 1974.

But that wasn’t the end of the Iso brand…

In the virtual world.

In 2017, Zagato designed a car for the Playstation game Gran Turismo. Because Zagato had strong ties with Iso back in the day, when Elio Zagato and Renzo Rivolta were racing together in the Gran Turismo racing series back then, they decided to design a car in homage to Iso, but this time, for the virtual world. It still maintained the concept of Italian design and American power, which is powered by a 550 HP Chevrolet V8, just like their first car, the Iso Rivolta IR 300. After releasing the concept, Zagato decides to build a limited amount of them for the real world.

One day, the Griffin will return once again to race the Raging Bull and the Prancing Horse…