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This short introduction resembles the story of why Lamborghini started to built cars: Mr. Rivolta owned a number of Gt's, Maserati and Jaguar were his favorites, during the fifties. He preferred those to Ferrari's which were not as comfortable. But the Maserati was very unreliable and the roadholding of the Jaguar was so bad that he didn't want to drive them anymore. He started to think that there had to be others who felt the same, so could there be a market for a reliable high performance luxury GT? He thought so.

When he overheard two Americans discussing the ideal car for the US-market, a European GT with an American engine, he knew he had found the ideal concept.

Corvette engine.

Bertone told him about the Gordon GT and that perhaps he could produce this car in his Bresso factory. Gordon was having troubles financing his project and saw Rivolta's offer to have a look at the car as an opportunity. They brought a car from the UK to Italy and Mr. Rivolta contacted Bizzarrini to test it. Bizzarrini was not impressed by the chassis, this is a spring not a frame he said. But the engine was a shock to him, he even called it superior to Ferrari's engines. He also liked the rear suspension, the DeDion tube. When Mr. Rivolta asked his opinion he told him to throw everything away except the engine and DeDion. The deal with Gordon was off and the car went back to the UK.

Rivolta wanted a platform chassis because he wanted to be able to produce this car in larger numbers. Raggi, Rivolta's expert, and Bizzarrini than created the most sophisticated chassis used in a GT of that era. The pressedsteel welded panel chassis was designed to flex up and down and the Bertone designed body was designed to flex forward and backward. This made the car extremely rigid.

In 1962 the new car was shown to the public.

Iso (text from a brochure)

Iso is a new concept of high-performance motoring. It is a principle so logical you'll wonder why it wasn't done before. Iso combines, in a single luxurious package, a powerful, reliable American engine with coachwork by the renowned Bertone of Italy. And it goes a step beyond this, for Iso is the first car of its class to carry four adults in comfort.

The engine is the 300-hp Chevrolet built Corvette Turbofire V-8 (More powerful engines are available as extra-cost options.) It can be serviced readily at any of more than 6,000 convenient establishments throughout North America

Iso offers the skilled motorist a rewarding experience as soon as he sits behind the wheel. Responsive almost beyond belief, few cars in the world can match Iso's brilliant acceleration. Nor do they possess its well-mannered handling, its sensitive steering, its silence, its sheer comfort and luxury. Within a few short months of its introduction as a new name in motordom, Iso established itself as a member of the elite company of fine, high-performance motorcars. It plans to stay...........

An exciting new car from Italy, Iso.

Combining European styling with high perf. US-power plant is an idea that has intrigued designers and builders on both sides of the Atlantic for many years. Most of such products were and are for racing, like Allard, Lola, AC Cobra. Newest entry from Italy is Iso, a four seater whose elegance disguises the power within. Its name is Iso, and its pedigree is impressive: body by Bertone, suspension and chassis by Bizzarrini, engine by GM Corvette. It looks like a GT and acts like one. 0 to 60 in 6.2 seconds, acceleration from standing start to 130mph in 29sec!

	The enthusiast who believes that the high performance car ought to be stark as long as it is spirited may find the Iso not to his taste. The driver and front passenger have reclining seats, and the entire interior is finished in Connolly leather. What the English call the"squabs"of the front seats are cut away in the back to allow more than ample knee room for those sitting in the rear.
	Quite possible there isn't a better, more beautiful, instrument panel on any car anywhere. The car is obviously built for the man who wants to know what is going on under the hood, and there's a gauge for everything, including oil temperature. Signor Rivolta is obviously in the business to win... Autom.Quart.

The Iso factory, Villa Rivolta & testtrack

The Iso factory was not like those of the others like Ferrari. It was one of the most advanced in the country. It was built for mass production, low cost and efficiency. Mr. Rivolta wanted to built a serious car and not only a toy for the rich and famous. At the end 792 Rivolta's left the factory of which 2 prototypes and 1 with the front of a Grifo. The best year was 1963 with 171 cars sold. In 1970 only 7 were sold.

Facelift of the GT.

Iso has built 623 300hp GT's and 167 340hp GT's. It's a beautiful car which still pleases many owners around the world.

Prices are not high and parts are still available. A nice car with minor rust and a good engine will cost you around $ 15.000+. Restoring any Iso is very expensive and a restored car can cost up to $30.000.