1970 Iso Grifo Coupe

Specs & Details:

Auction Ended: 11 Mar 2007
# Bids: 23
Sold For: $124,900
Miles: 61655
VIN: GL630054
Engine: 8
Transmission: manual
Exterior Color: silver
Interior Color: black

From Seller:

The Iso Grifo is considered one of the most beautiful Italian sports cars ever made. Only 412 were built between 1963 and 1974, and less remain today. Their head-turning looks and sparkling performance rival multi-million dollar Ferraris, plus they are much more reliable, practical and economical, since most were equipped with a Chevrolet Corvette 327 motor and drive line (the last 50 had Ford motors). Costing over $13,000 when new, Iso Grifos are luxurious and comfortable to drive, whether in city traffic or on the highway, with a top speed exceeding 150 mph. A brief history- the late Renzo Rivolta was director of the first Italian factory to produce more than 50 refrigerators a day. In honor of the success of his "Isotherm" refrigerators, Mr. Rivolta decided to also name everything else he manufactured "Iso" (pronounced EE-SO), and he named his first car model, the Iso Rivolta, after himself. Mr. Rivolta was quite a colorful character. When his early Iso Rivoltas had transmission problems, Mr. Rivolta became so frustrated by a lack of response from Chevrolet that he flew from Italy to Detroit, barged into the president of Chevrolet's office unannounced, jumped over his desk, and punched him in the nose. Mr. Rivolta returned to Italy with a load of free transmissions in the airplane's belly, courtesy of Chevrolet. Later, after almost 350 Grifos had been built, Mr. Rivolta got into another dispute with Chevrolet, so to spite them he put Ford motors in his last 50 Grifos. Taking it's name from the Rivolta family's griffon crest, the Grifo was by far the most sensational model manufactured by Iso. Mr. Rivolta assembled a top notch team to design and build them, including Giotto Bizzarrini (father of the Ferrari 250 GTO) for the chassis and suspension, and Giorgetto Giugiaro, chief stylist at Bertone, who sculpted the beautiful body. Technically the car was state of the art, featuring a multi-tubular chassis, four wheel disc brakes, and a de Dion rear suspension. Wire wheels were optional. Earlier versions featured fixed headlights and 4 speed transmissions, while later versions had pop-up headlights and 5 speed transmissions. Diana Ross drove an Iso Grifo in the movie "Mahogany", which gave Mr. Rivolta tons of free publicity. Despite this, the 1973 energy crisis and economic depression forced Iso to close their doors in 1974.

My car is an earlier Grifo, and features fixed headlights (which I find more attractive) and the optional Borrani wire wheels. It was completely restored a few years ago, cosmetically and mechanically, and is still in very nice condition throughout. Furthermore, the car received several tasteful performance and cosmetic upgrades. The transmission was replaced with a new Doug Nash 5 speed gearbox, so my car is unique because it has the better looks of the earlier cars and a more desirable 5 speed transmission like the later cars. Horsepower was increased thanks to several internal upgrades, such as reworked heads and bigger valves. The only noticeable difference is the incorrect valve covers which accommodate the high performance camshaft. The engine is the original matching-numbers block, and otherwise looks correct, including the finned oil pan. The headers were custom made (at great expense) by one of the top exhaust makers in England specifically for the Grifo. They connect to a full new stainless exhaust system from the headers back which is also from England. The brakes were all redone including replacement of every brake line in the car. The suspension was all redone front and rear, including new Koni shock absorbers all around, and new springs from Italy. Cosmetically, the body is in excellent shape, and is straight, solid, and rust free. Any rust was removed, and instead of patching in new metal, new panels were made in Italy on the original bucks. The repaint is very nice, although there are a few minor flaws that are too small to photograph, such as a chip near the gas filler, and a flaw at the front of the hood. The chrome was either redone or is nice original, and some of the trim, like the bumpers, is stainless. The glass has some scratches in it. The front and back windshield rubber is new. The Borrani wire wheels are new, and the tires have roughly 2,000 miles on them. The grill material and louver screens were replaced with stainless mesh. The underside of the car is very clean. The interior was completely redone, and is slightly more elaborate than original. The center console and rear deck were redone in diamond pleating like a Bizzarrini, and the headliner is a velvet-soft suede. An Alpine CD player with rear deck speakers was installed. And to add some humor, there's an eight-ball shifter knob. Mechanically the car is in very good condition. The motor runs strong with no smoke, the transmission shifts smoothly, the car drives nicely, and all the systems work well. The odometer reads 99,444 kilometers, which is roughly 62,000 miles. On a personal note, I love Iso Grifos for their superior looks, driveability, and practicality. Their Chevrolet 327 engine is probably the best motor ever made- period. I've owned several vintage Ferraris, and I cannot stress what a relief it is to have a problem with an Iso instead. For example, several years ago in Monterey, during the Pebble Beach classic car weekend, the coil started arcing in another Grifo I owned. I walked to an auto parts store that was only two blocks from my hotel, paid $14 for a new coil, and installed it within 2 minutes. Had it been a Ferrari coil, I most probably would've been stranded for the weekend, and found myself riding back to Los Angeles in the cab of a tow truck. Afterward I asked my neighbor, who collects vintage Corvettes, if he could refer me to a good mechanic. He told me there was an excellent shop nearby, on Sunset Blvd. near Laurel Canyon. I cruised the area, but all I could find there was a gas station, so I called my neighbor for further directions. "That's it- the gas station" he replied. It's such a luxury to own an ultra-rare sports car that can be serviced at almost any local gas station! I haven't had any problems with this Grifo. If you are looking for an excellent example of a very rare, desirable and beautiful 1960's classic Italian sports car that is also well built, comfortable and fun to drive, practical, reliable, economical and easy to service, I highly recommend my car. Considering how hard they are to find, I also think Iso Grifos should continue to appreciate in value, making them not only a great car to enjoy and drive, but an excellent investment as well.

Source: simonrandy42wr
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.A.

Categories: Car, Sports Car, Coupe, Auction Report, Pictures.