The Iso Grifo wasn’t the primary Italian exotic to utilize American firepower. The truth is, that is an concept that has been carried out again and again over, perhaps most notably in models just like the Facel Vega HK500, Jensen Interceptor, and De Tomaso’s Mangusta and Pantera.
Nonetheless, it would not be difficult to argue that the Iso Grifo did it best. The low-slung GT automotive combined drop-dead gorgeous lines with enough American grunt to see even the fastest sports cars of the era struggle to maintain up. Only around 400 were ever made, across a near 10-year production run, and the automaker shut down once said run was over. Nonetheless, over 50 years on, the Grifo is just as worthy of celebration today because it was when the quilt first lifted off the Giugiaro curves back on the 1963 Turin Motor Show.
In an effort to get you on top of things with this Italian exotic from a long time long gone, we have covered seven facts in regards to the model below. We’ll cover every thing from the $300,000-plus valuations these cars command today to how the Grifo’s 435-horsepower V8 in comparison with the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari engines of the era.
The Iso Grifo was powered by quite a few American V8s
Buyers of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 received a 4.4-liter Colombo V12, whatever the model 12 months. Miura buyers all received a 3.9-liter V12, and all Aston Martin DB5s were equipped with a 4.0-liter Tadek Marek-designed inline-six. Compared, Corvettes within the late ’60s were available with a large number of small and massive block V8 engines, and the identical was true for the Mustang and other American performance models, too.
Interestingly, Iso was taking over the European elite, nevertheless it adopted not only an American heart, but additionally an American attitude in regard to powertrain decisions. Throughout the Grifo’s production run, buyers had the selection of a wide selection of engines. The bottom Grifo in Series 1 guise sported a Chevy-sourced small block 327-cubic-inch engine, with output sitting between 300 and 350 horsepower. The choice of a 350-cubic-inch Chevy small block was also made available for Series I cars.
For later Series II cars built from ’72 onward, often called IR-8 cars, Ford’s 351 Cleveland lump was supplied, producing around 330 horsepower. Only 37 of those Ford-powered Grifos were ever sold.
Big block options got here in the way in which of Chevrolet’s 427, with as much as 435 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque on tap, courtesy of a Tri-Power setup (i.e., a trio of two-barrel carburetors). Certain models went larger still, sporting a 454-cubic-inch Chevrolet engine, which saw outputs sitting at 395 horsepower, alongside almost 500 pound-feet of torque.
Only 402 examples were ever made
So, while it’s clear that Iso liked tackling some facets of production like American automakers, other facets were still decidedly European of their approach. That features things like production numbers.
Naturally, with sky-high asking prices — which we cover in additional detail further down the page — the Iso Grifo was never going to be a volume seller. Only 402 were made in total, although production spanned almost a decade — from 1965 through 1974 — which demonstrates just how tiny Iso’s production capability was.
That production story can easily be broken into various sections. In ’63, the primary prototype was displayed on the Turin Motor Show, then the primary Series I cars hit the road in ’65. A Targa model followed in ’66, after which the big-block models made their first appearance in ’68. Series II cars with stylistic tweaks debuted for ’70, the 351C-powered cars arrived in ’72, after which Grifo production ceased in ’74, when Iso closed its doors. It’s likely that the Oil Crisis of ’73 influenced the Grifo’s demise, although after a decade or so in motion, the Grifo’s story was surely coming to a natural end by this point regardless.
Precise production numbers are tricky to pin down. Chassis numbers went as much as 412, but quite a few cars were sent back to the factory and reworked — these cars received recent chassis numbers at this point, which invites confusion into the matter. Essentially the most accurate breakdown can be 321 Series 1 cars, 79 Series II cars, and a pair of unique prototypes, leading to 402 examples.
Iso also offered a Targa version of the Grifo
The Iso Grifo is best often called a sleek and curvaceous coupe, nevertheless, a variety of open-top models were produced, too. First got here the Iso Grifo A3/L Spider Prototype – a one-off that was displayed on the Geneva Motor Show in 1964. It modified hands a couple of times, before ending up within the possession of renowned collector Rudi Klein. It might sit in his famous junkyard collection until being auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s in 2024, when it fetched a scarcely believable $1.875 million. At the identical sale, a similarly dilapidated Series I Grifo achieved $162,400, demonstrating just how much value was placed on the Spider’s one-of-one prototype status.
Prototype aside, Iso went on to provide a complete of 13 Series I Targa cars, which took motivation exclusively from the aforementioned Chevrolet small block engines. Throughout the Series II run, only 4 Targa models were produced, these, too, boasting Chevy small-block lumps.
The Grifo offered extraordinary performance for the era
Iso created excess of just a superb looking machine with its Grifo. As is probably going easy to assume, given its range of powerful V8 engine options, it was a properly solid performer as well.
Period road tests confirm that even the sooner small block-powered cars were a force to be reckoned with, hitting 60 mph in 7.2 seconds, 100 mph in 19.4 seconds, and deemed able to covering a quarter-mile within the low 15 seconds. That is all while being geared for a top speed easily north of 150 mph. Autocar managed to record a top speed of 161 mph within the 327-powered Series I automotive, which sat unchallenged by anything, until the Miura got here along.
That is respectable but not quite sprightly enough to match Ferrari’s 330 GTC or 427-powered Corvettes, but that is where the large block Grifo is useful. It’s reported that later Series II cars, with the 395-horse 454-cubic-inch big block unit, were in a position to dart from 0 to 60 mph in only 5.5 seconds, with top speeds of around 165 mph.
As for the much more powerful 427-powered models, Iso made the daring claim that these Grifos were able to hitting 186 mph, although no records of this speed being achieved are documented. Still, it’s thought that the Grifo had good enough grunt on this guise to crack 170 mph, which was about pretty much as good because it got within the late ’60s and early ’70s.
The Grifo was developed by Italian legends of the auto industry
The trio of Italians that worked on bringing the Grifo to production are a number of the most celebrated automotive minds of the Nineteen Sixties. With names like Renzo Rivolta, Giorgetto Giugiaro, and Giotto Bizzarrini working on the project, it really isn’t any surprise that it got here out as sublime because it did.
Renzo Rivolta was the founding father of Iso, and so, naturally, he was chargeable for funding and directing this exciting project, which merged Italian elegance with American muscle. The opposite two names, Giugiaro and Bizzarrini, were the boys in control of seeing Rivolta’s vision through to reality.
Giugiaro is one among those automotive designers that each gearhead should know, having been responsible not just for the Grifo’s mesmerizing lines, but additionally those of the BMW M1 and original Volkswagen Golf. Unquestionably, Giugiaro is probably the most celebrated automotive designers of the twentieth century, and it is simple to argue that the Grifo is one among his finer works.
As for Bizzarrini, he helped with the engineering side of things. Having worked for Ferrari up to now, and on a number of the firm’s most significant models — including the all-important Ferrari 250 GTO – Bizzarrini was a master engineer when it got here to developing Italian sports cars. He provided a chassis able to taking advantage of Iso’s American powerplants, enabling the firm’s flagship to go up against the best Europe had to supply.
Big block examples were modified to ensure that the brand new engine to suit
As covered, a variety of engines were available throughout the Grifo’s production run, although for those with a heavy right foot, it is the 427-equipped examples that surely sit as probably the most desirable. The choice to fit Chevrolet’s venerable L71 big block engine under the hood got here for the 1969 model 12 months, likely as a response to recent releases from the competition.
Lamborghini had just updated its Miura with a brand new P400 S specification, which boasted a formidable 370 horsepower, courtesy of a brand new set of camshafts, while Ferrari’s then-new 365 GTB/4 was churning out 352 horses. Grifos with the small block up front made do with between 300 and 350 horsepower, so a 435-horse L71-powered update would make sure the Grifo kept up with the competition.
There was only one issue: The engine would not fit. A really distinct hood scoop was required, because the L71 was just too tall otherwise — at the least this scoop makes a 7-liter Grifo easy to identify amongst lesser small block models. So distinctive was the inside track, it attracted nicknames comparable to pagoda or penthouse.
The hood design made it an fast icon, and along with the inside track, Iso engineers also needed to strengthen the chassis on 7-liter cars. While it naturally had an entire heap more grunt than small block examples, the additional heft of the 427 reportedly results in less desirable handling characteristics. Only 66 examples of the 7-liter Grifo were ever built, with just 6 being delivered to the U.S. when recent. So, these are remarkably scarce cars.
They were laughably expensive when recent and are only as pricey today
It should come as no surprise that the Iso Grifo was extremely expensive when recent and that it stays expensive today. In spite of everything, a sleek, ’60s Italian coupe with thunderous power — regardless of where that power was sourced from — appears like quite a desirable recipe indeed.
When recent, an Iso Grifo would set buyers back around $14,000 in 1967. To place that into perspective, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette commanded just $4,388 in its base coupe guise, and dropping a 430-horse L88 into one would only set buyers back a further $947.90. Clearly, the Iso was geared toward a more well-heeled clientele. The 365 GTB/4 Daytona kicked off at $19,500 in ’68, while prior to its arrival, a 330 GTS would set buyers back similar figures to what Iso was asking. For just a little context, $14,000 in ’67 is the similar to around $141,00 in today’s money.
Sadly for interested parties, though, $141,000 in 2026 won’t get them anywhere near an Iso Grifo. Appraisers suggest that buyers can expect to pay between $293,333 and $357,667 for a ’67 Coupe GL, or between $411,333 and $492,000 for a rather later 7.0-liter model from ’69. Similar figures are commanded by the rarer Targa, with $369,667 to $436,333 given as a guide for ’67 examples. The aforementioned competition-spec A3/C models command significantly more, around $1.5 million and above, as did the Grifo’s ’63 prototype.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
