1965 ISO Daytona 6000GT Prototype Coupe

Engineer Giotto Bizzarrini left Ferrari in 1961 and joined the ATS concern, later joining Renzo Rivolta's Iso Company, where he was instrumental in the development of the Iso Rivolta GT production car. Iso had success in competition, earning an impressive fourteenth-place finish in 1964 and ninth the following year. The LeMans race cars were similar in mechanical specification to the road-going vehicles, such as their American-built powerplants and chassis design.

This Daytona GT Prototype began life as an Iso Rivolta GT 'Stradale.' It was involved in an accident early on in its life and then acquired by car dealer Carlo Bernasconi of Milan who commissioned a prototype for an Iso-based, dual-purpose competition GT with a body shape of his own design. The work was performed by coachbuilders Neri & Bonacini of Modena. The mechanical components were similar to the Iso models developed by Bizzarrini, but the lightweight alloy body was similar to the Ferrari GTOs and the 250LM.

The prototype was originally known as the 'Nembo II,' (Nembo means 'up in the sky' in Italian, a common reference to Superman) and was meant to become a series of production cars to be marketed as the 'Strale Daytona 6000GT.' The car made its public debut at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and was even featured in the August 1966 issue of Road & Track. The article mentioned the cars were to be sold at $9,500US per copy and were advertised with a Chrysler 383 powerplant.

This Daytona Prototype is believed to be one of just two examples produced. This car is chassis number 039 and is believed to be the first example created.

Chassis number 039 remained in the collection of Bernasconi until 1991, when it suffered flood damage in Florence. The car was restored in Italy and re-named the 'Iso Daytona.' US collection William Binnie became the car's next owner. He had it professionally prepared for competition. Upon completion, it was entered into competition. It won the 1997 Italian national Hill Climb Championship in the GT Prototype Class, followed by a seventh-place finish overall at the 6 Hours of Spa in 2000.

In 2000, the Daytona was sold to its current owner, a west coast American collector and racer. While in his care, the car was given another restoration. It was given some additional features such as a functional hood scoop for cooling purposes and an outside fuel filler cap. The engine is a Chevrolet Corvette V8 that displaces 327 cubic inches and produces 490 horsepower. There is a Borg-Warner T10 four-speed manual gearbox and Dunlop four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.

In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $550,000 - $750,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $522,500, inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2010