Renzo Rivolta was a man of many talents: fluent in multiple languages, a gifted engineer, and an avid speedboat racer. He famously declared, "At the wheel of a car, I only enjoy myself above 120 mph." That was something of a contradiction, given that his company's debut product was the diminutive Iso Isetta microcar. Reaching 120 mph in an Isetta isn't a driving achievement — it means you've fallen out of a plane.
So Rivolta commissioned something considerably faster. He turned to two towering talents — engineer Giotto Bizzarrini and designer Giorgetto Giugiaro — to create an elegant sporting coupe. Bizzarrini, it should be noted, had a hand in developing the Ferrari 250 GTO and laid the groundwork for the original Lamborghini V-12. Giugiaro's design legacy spans more than six decades. The result of their collaboration has now surfaced on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos): a 1965 Iso Rivolta IR 300 carrying a Corvette 327-cubic-inch V-8 under its hood.
Dressing American V-8 muscle in Italian bodywork became a recurring theme in the 1960s, and for good reason. The United States brought industrial-scale reliability and brute power; Italy contributed artistry and aesthetic flair from the home of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Lancia.
The Rivolta IR 300 set out to define the grand tourer concept, and it succeeded so convincingly that Iso built several follow-up models using the same fundamental formula. The "300" in the name refers to the output of the Chevrolet V-8, which routes its power to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox. Picture a Corvette that completed a finishing course in European refinement.
Most automotive fans associate the Isetta with BMW, which licensed the design and manufactured more than 100,000 units. It's fitting, then, that from certain angles this grand tourer bears a resemblance to BMW's own 3.0CS.
This particular car is dressed in a commanding turquoise over red leather combination. It rolled off the factory floor in red over black — a timeless pairing, admittedly, though perhaps not especially adventurous, and one that risked drawing Ferrari comparisons. The current color scheme, complemented by 15-inch Borrani wheels, makes clear this is something decidedly out of the ordinary.
When someone at a fuel stop inevitably asks "What on earth is that?" you can simply lift the hood and let 300 horsepower worth of Chevrolet engineering speak for itself. Better still, finding replacement parts for that engine — a spark plug, a belt — is as straightforward as visiting the nearest auto parts store. This Italian exotic is about as painless to maintain as a Chevrolet Impala.
Rivolta thought highly enough of the car to put his own name on the decklid, and the engineering backs that confidence. Four-wheel disc brakes, a fully independent front suspension, and a De Dion rear axle all point to a machine built to perform.
This example has been fitted with an aftermarket air-conditioning system for more comfortable summer drives. That said, rolling the power windows down and letting the V-8 set the mood might be the more satisfying option.
Renzo Rivolta passed away in 1966, just a year after this car left the factory. The special vehicles he built, however, have endured well beyond him. Take a look at this one over at Bring a Trailer.
The auction closes on April 9.
