Fresh off his success working with BMW on designing and licensing the Isetta micro-car, Italian engineer Renzo Rivolta enlisted friends and fellow Italian designers for help building his dream Italian grand tourer. Noted designer Giorgetto Giugiaro of Bertone penned the beautiful body, which cloaked the mechanicals engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini, creator of the hallowed Ferrari 250 GTO. Initially constructed primarily with Chevrolet small-block V-8 engines, by the early 1970s, Rivolta had followed Chevrolet in upgrading to the monstrous 454-cubic-inch V-8.

This Series II example, with its characteristic hidden headlights, was completed on 3 May 1971 and is said to have been delivered new to Italy. At some point prior to 1980, the car is said to have had its small-block 327-cid Chevrolet powertrain swapped for the 454-cid big-block engine, ZF five-speed transmission, and distinctive “pagoda” hood from an Iso Grifo Can Am, number 345, which had reportedly sustained body damage.

In 1980, a Mr. Fred Gertz is said to have acquired the car. It remained nearly three decades in his meticulous care before being acquired by Mr. Emile Garcin of St. Remy, France, who commissioned a nut-and-bolt restoration that began in 2009 and was completed in 2011.

Early in 2019 this car was imported to the United States by the late Dr. Chris Auty, who had the interior recommissioned with custom red leather upholstery and leather-bound Wilton wool carpets. The wood dash was also refinished at this time. Additionally, an extensive mechanical service at a cost of over $30,000 was also performed at this time to make the car touring ready.

Accompanying the car are owner’s manuals, a tool roll, the previous black leather interior, service records, and ownership documentation and correspondence. With stunning Italian styling and a big-block American V-8, this well cared for Iso Grifo is not only beautiful to behold, but rewarding to drive, making it ideal for showing or touring.