Iso Rivolta IR300

The Iso Rivolta brand still enjoys a good reputation today. Originally the company produced air conditioners and refrigerators, but in the 1950s it switched to the automotive sector. It all started with the Iso Isetta, which is probably better known to many readers as a licensed product made in Bavaria. The income from this license agreement enabled company founder Renzo Rivolta to fulfill his dream of an own sports car, which he developed together with former Ferrari engineer Giotto Bizzarrini and presented it in 1962 in the form of the Iso Rivolta IR300. Strictly speaking, it is a sporty travel coupé, a grand tourer, which was nevertheless homologated for motorsport. There, however, the five-seater was categorized as a touring car. Giorgio Giugiaro was responsible for the design during his time at Bertone. There, they only received the chassis with a wheelbase of 2.7 meters and the positions of the engine, gearbox and suspensions as a model to create a breathtakingly beautiful bodywork.

At the front, double wishbones of varying lengths are used, while the rear wheels are suspended from a De-Dion axle with so-called Watt linkage and double trailing arms. Coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers all around ensure a high level of driving comfort. At the same time, Renzo Rivolta had a powerful V8 engine installed under the front hood, which he purchased from General Motors’ parts shelf. The 5.4-liter engine was normally installed in the Chevrolet Corvette at the time and initially produced 300 SAE-PS in the Iso Rivolta IR300. Later the IR340 version with 340 SAE-PS followed. Power was transmitted to the rear wheels via a manual four-speed transmission from BorgWarner. According to factory specifications, the sprint from a standing start to 62 mph was done in 8.4 (IR300) or 7.9 seconds (IR340), while the topspeed was 135.5 mph (IR300) or 141.7 mph (IR340).

Between 1962 and 1970, only 792 copies of the Iso Rivolta IR300 and IR340 were built in total. During that time, the sales designation changed from time to time, whereby the car is also known as Iso GT Coupé or simply as the Iso Rivolta. In 1968 the original sales price was 41,885 DM in Germany or 44,900 SFr in Switzerland. Today, well-preserved units are available in the range between 45,000 and 70,000 €, depending on the individual history. Due to the small number of copies, corresponding vehicles are only rarely put on the market.

The Parisian auction house Artcurial announced the auction of the car collection owned by André Trigano for May 2. Whether this event can take place as planned remains to be seen in view of the Corona pandemic. Nevertheless, the auction catalogue contains an Iso Rivolta IR300 from 1966 in very good, slightly patinated condition. This car has a quite interesting history, as André Trigano tells: “It belonged to a famous jockey who lost control of the car and landed halfway in the Saint-Martin canal on a night out. It was a local Citroën dealer who recovered it.” After the repair Trigano bought the sports car in 1978 and used it as an everyday car for a long time afterwards. However, a new owner should have a major service done before putting it back on the road, as the Iso hasn’t been moved much in recent years. Artcurial expects between 45,000 and 65,000 € as highest bid.

Images: Artcurial, Peter Singhof