Iso Grifo

Saturday, 13 August 2011 09:15

The Iso Grifo A3/L was based on a shortened Iso Rivolta GT chassis, designed by Giotto Bizzarrini, and was introduced at the 1963 show in Turin.

The “L” stands for lusso, or luxury. The Grifo is a beautiful, timeless handmade design that still looks fresh and modern today, styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Bertone.

The motoring press loved the Grifo as well. The Grifo was considered the fastest production car one could buy in 1966. This version used the same 327 cid Corvette engine as the Iso Rivolta GT. There were also 13 series one Grifo Targas produced.

In 1968 Piero Rivolta, who had taken over as President of Iso after his father died in 1966, decided to produce a more powerful Iso Grifo and installed a Corvette 427 cid (7 liter) engine into a Grifo. The engine did not fit in a compartment intended for the 327 cid, so Iso designed the pagoda hood scoop to accommodate the larger engine. It is probably the most unusual engine hood scoop ever and people either love it or hate it. I love it. There were 65 7 Liter Grifos produced between 1968 and 1970.

The Iso Grifo series two, introduced in 1970, was basically the same car as the series one Grifo with the headlights partially covered. There were four series two Targas made. The IR9, Can Am, model used the Chevrolet 454 cid engine.

In 1972 Iso started using the Ford 351 Cleveland engine and these Grifo IR8 models can be recognized by the taller hood scoop. In total there were 413 Grifos made, not including the competition A3/C discussed below.

Iso Grifo A3/C

The competition version of the Grifo was named Iso Grifo A3/C, C for Corsa. This was a different body design than the A3/L and Giorgetto Giugiaro, of Bertone, was again responsible for the styling. It is a lightweight riveted aluminum body and everything about this car was designed to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is low to the ground, lightweight, used under the car aerodynamics and the engine is pushed far back in the chassis so that it is a front-mid-engine placement. The engine is placed so far back that the distributor is under the dashboard and a panel on the dashboard must be removed to access the distributor.

The result is almost a 50/50 weight distribution front to back. The doorsills are also gas tanks for improved weight distribution. Including the rear tank the A3/C holds 35 gallons of fuel.

The Corvette 327 cid engine had a Bizzarrini designed intake manifold with four Weber carburetors, producing more than 400 bhp. The Iso Grifo A3/C has a top speed of 170 MPH.

Approximately 29 of the A3/C models were made under the Iso Grifo name and they were raced in Europe and the United States.

The Iso Grifo A3/C became the Bizzarrini GT 5300 when Giotto Bizzarrini split with Renzo Rivolta. By Michael Gulett