The Iso Rivolta is a grand tourer introduced in 1962 by Italian automobile manufacturer Iso Automotoveicoli S.p.A. Company chairman Renzo Rivolta and his colleague, former Ferrari engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, saw it as a gran turismo in the original sense of the term, designed for long and memorable journeys. It was the first luxury automobile introduced by the company which formerly specialised in affordable motor vehicles. For motor racing, an entirely different variant was made which bore a strong resemblance to the 1962 model Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan and was homologated as a touring car.[2]
History
Iso, a well known manufacturer of motorcycles and micro cars, especially the Isetta bubble car, decided to enter the lucrative luxury car market in the early 60s. The idea behind this was a car that was usable every day while being priced between a Jaguar and a Ferrari. For the mechanical development of the car, the company founder and chairman entrusted Giotto Bizzarrini of Società Autostar. Bizzarrini developed a pressed steel and welded panel chassis which was designed to flex fore and aft and proved to be rigid along with cost effective to manufacture.