Vehicle Description
Chassis No. GL 650098
What happens when you combine Italian styling, an American
powertrain, and a disgruntled Ferrari engineer? You get an Iso
Grifo. As a road going version based upon the racing cars of Giotto
Bizzarrini, the Iso Grifo GL featured a muscular exterior sculpted
by renowned designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and executed by
coachbuilders Bertone. Widely regarded as the "father" of the
legendary Ferrari 250 GTO, Bizzarrini later decided to part ways
with Ferrari and join the field as their competitor and similar to
his former employer, soon realized the need to also produce a road
car to help mitigate the costs of racing. Known for their
performance and dependability, an American V8 was chosen for the
advanced chassis which had four-wheel disc brakes, a De Dion rear
axle with inboard brakes, and coil spring suspension. With a
comfortable interior offering excellent visibility, the Iso Grifo
was - and still is - ideally suited as a grand tourer.
Marque specialist Salvatore Diomante was entrusted to restore this
Iso Grifo and his superb attention to detail netted a Best in Class
award at the 2017 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Finished in a
Rosso Cordoba Metallizzato exterior over a tan leather interior,
this vehicle's odometer shows 4,311 kilometers at the time of
cataloging. Power comes from a more modern GM 355 V8 engine,
however, if the winning bidder wishes to return this Iso Grifo
closer to original specification, the sale includes a fully
rebuilt, period-correct 5.4-liter V8 as well. Equipped with the
optional ZF five-speed manual transmission, this Italian muscle car
is offered with a toolkit and photography from some of the previous
outings.
With only 330 of these limited production Iso Grifo produced
between 1965 and 1969 this Series I represents a rare opportunity
to acquire not only a fantastic 1960s Grand Tourer with impressive
performance and gorgeous Italian styling, but one with the
award-winning pedigree as well.
