1964 ISO Rivolta Coupe

Renzo Rivolta started out in the refrigeration business, making refrigerators under the trade name 'Isotherm' after World War II. He decided he wanted to get into the transportation business and was successful in building motorscooters and motorcycles. This progressed naturally to microcars with the introduction of the Isetta. Rivolta sold the rights to the Isetta to BMW and began concentrating on larger automobiles.

Renzo Rivolta just couldn't find the right car. That's what led him to build the Iso Rivolta. He sought a vehicle that provided better longevity and reliability than what could be found in the famous European marques of the period.

His desire to produce a high-performance luxury motorcar as an inexpensive alternative to Ferrari became a reality in the Rivolta IR300. Rivolta's chief engineer was Giotto Bizzarrini, designer of the Ferrari GTO. Bizzarrini started his working career as a teacher at Pisa University, joining Alfa Romeo in its experimental department and later moving to Ferrari, where he is credited for the development of the legendary 250 V-12.

At the 1962 Turin Auto show, he unveiled the Iso Rivolta GT, which was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro on a chassis designed by Giotto Bizzarrini. It was powered by a 327 CID, 300 horsepower Corvette V-8 and shifted by a Borg-Warner 4-speed manual transmission. The steel-bodied 4-passenger Rivolta, of which just 792 were produced, was actually his interpretation of an English automobile called the Gordon Keeble.

This example was built in January of 1964 and was originally sold new in California. This car was owned for 16 years by the Iso & Bizzarrini Owner's Club secretary, Howard Turnley and then acquired by the current owner, who served as the club president for 19 years.

The car was present at the initial club meeting in 1981. It was shown in a feature article in Automotive Quarterly, appeared on TNN, and was featured in Autoweek's 'Escape Road' segment. It is a well-known example of the marque.

It has a 300-horsepower 327 cubic-inch Corvette engine and a four-speed transmission. The top speed is 130-135 mph range.