Iso Grifo

Iso's intention, in launching the design of the "Grifo”, was to make a car that would be a cross between the mammoth American coupes and the sleek European sports sedans, managing to concentrate, without too many sacrifices or excesses, the comfort and reliability of the one, with the elegance and performance of the other.

The difficult work was entrusted, for the technical part, to Giotto Bizzarrini, a famous designer and former Alfa Romeo and Ferrari consultant, joined by Bertone and Giugiaro for the aesthetic part. The new model was ready in a few months, as it was decided to proceed by shortening the chassis of the "GT" and was presented at the 1963 Turin Motor Show, under the name "A 3 L Grifo”.

As soon as the road model was defined, Giotto Bizzarrini devoted all his energy to the racing version, named "A 3 C”. The bodywork was lightened and the distribution of masses was varied, through the retreat of the engine. Bizzarrini's clear goal was to succeed, in a short time, in making a car that could compare with the Ferrari 250 GTO.

The Grifo is a low, streamlined 2-seater coupe with a long hood and set-back passenger compartment with a large glass area and tapering toward the tail. Compared to the GT, the newcomer is a coupe with fastback shapes, whose rear end drops gently toward the hint of a tail while the nose is long and ends in a front end with 2 pairs of round lights.

To true supercar performance the Iso Grifo combines classic luxury car elegance, with a cabin infused with leather and wood and accessories that at the time represented the ultimate, such as electrically operated windows and air conditioning.