Cars
The Original. 1963-1970 Iso Rivolta GT IR 300
The article discusses the history and features of the Iso Rivolta GT IR 300, a luxurious, fast and reliable car produced by the Italian manufacturer ISO Rivolta in the 1960s. Despite its many positive qualities, the brand is often overlooked.
In this particular case “off radar” really ought to be dedicated to an entire brand, considering the extent to which, even today with very few exceptions, the cars produced by ISO Rivolta are often overlooked. This is a serious shortcoming, considering how the manufacturer from Bresso (just north of Milan, Italy) was able to produce extremely luxurious, comfortable, fast, beautiful and reliable cars, at a moment in history when, more often than not, many of the features listed above were wanting from the majority of more famous manufacturers.
The elegant 1963 GT IR 300, the very first car to leave the Iso Rivolta factory, the work of the young Giorgetto Giugiaro.
For his first Gran Turismo, the industrialist Renzo Rivolta took the best from two worlds: engines and gearboxes from America, with the splendid V8 5.3-litre unit made by Chevrolet and mounted on the Corvette, accompanied by 4-speed Borg Warner gearbox (5-speeds upon on request), recruiting for the creation of the chassis and suspension, this latter equipped with a refined De Dion rear axle, that Italian genius of Giotto Bizzarrini. And he kept the standards equally high for the bodywork: Carrozzeria Bertone, still captained by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and exquisite materials for the interior to express the very finest Italian style. The first car presented was the Coupé Rivolta GT IR 300, available with either 300 hp and 340 hp engines and, later, with 350 hp and 365 hp outputs. It was a very popular GT, in a comfortable 2+2 configuration, a large trunk and luxurious finishes, capable of travelling, even for extended periods of time, at 220 km/h.
