This is the only Iso Grifo A3/L Spider prototype that was ever made, it was the darling of the European auto show circuit in the mid-1960s, with its design penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro.
By 1980 the car had been in private ownership for some time, it was added to the Rudi Klein collection where it remained hidden from public view for over 40 years. It’s now being offered for sale for the first time in decades with a price guide that extends up to $1,000,000 USD.
Fast Facts – The Iso Grifo A3/L Spider Prototype
- This is the Iso Grifo A3/L Spider prototype, it was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini, and it’s the only convertible version ever made. It debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in 1964 and was later privately owned, hidden for decades and now being offered for sale with a guide price up to $1 million.
- The Iso Grifo A3/L was developed in the early 1960s by Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A., using a Chevrolet Corvette-sourced V8 engine to provide a powerful yet affordable alternative to Ferrari and Lamborghini V12s, with simpler maintenance and lower running costs.
- The Grifo’s engineering featured a steel chassis, double-wishbone suspension, De Dion rear axle, four-wheel disc brakes, and a Salisbury limited slip differential. Later models were fitted with larger Chevrolet Big Block V8 engines, increasing power output to 450+ bhp.
- Only 412 Iso Grifos were produced from 1965 to 1974, with production ceasing partly due to the 1973 Oil Crisis. The cars are now highly sought after for their Italian design and approachable American V8 drivetrains, offering a compelling alternative to high-maintenance European sports cars of the same era.
The Iso Grifo A3/L
The Iso Grifo A3/L is a car that was developed by a two-man dream team back in the early 1960s. The styling was done by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro, now widely considered the greatest automotive designer of the 20th century, and the engineering was done by none other than Giotto Bizzarrini – the ex-Ferrari engineer who had developed the Ferrari 250 GTO.
The front end of this car has been changed due to a minor accident, the new owner may want to have a new front clip made following the design of the Giugiaro original.
The Iso Grifo A3/L was developed for Renzo Rivolta’s Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A., as a competitor to the popular luxury GT cars being produced by Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati in Italy, as well as the GTs coming out of Jaguar and Aston Martin in the UK.
Whereas the Ferraris and Lamborghinis used advanced but complex and occasionally temperamental V12 engines, Renzo Rivolta opted to use off-the-shelf American V8s in his cars. These engines produced plenty of power, and they had the added benefits of being far less costly to buy, as well as being easy and cheap to maintain.
Given the fact that the Iso Grifo A3/L was targeted mainly at the American market, it made a whole lot of sense to use an American-sourced drivetrain, as this would make maintenance far simpler for vehicle owners.
The first series of the A3/L was powered by a version of the Chevrolet Corvette small block 327 cubic inch (5.4 liter) V8 producing 300 bhp.
A quick look under the hood would show any observer that the car had been designed from the outset to accommodate far larger engines if required, and Bizzarrini was careful to have the Corvette V8 mounted as far back as possible – making the car front-mid-engined.
The Grifo made use of a steel chassis with double-wishbones and coil springs up front, and a De Dion axle with trailing arms, a Watts link, and coil springs in the rear. Unusually for the time, the car was given four-wheel disc brakes, and power was sent back through a Salisbury limited slip differential.
Even in its current state, it’s clear to see that this was a luxurious and very well-equipped car when it was first built.
There would be a later second series of Iso Grifos fitted with the Chevrolet Big Block 454 cubic inch (7.4 liter) V8 producing 450 bhp, these had a revised front end, a strengthened chassis, and a “Penthouse” hood vent to help fit the mammoth V8’s vertical size into the engine bay.
There would be 412 Grifos made in total between 1965 and 1974, there could possibly have been more however the 1973 Oil Crisis killed off demand for thirsty high-performance cars, and took the Iso Grifo with it.
Today they’re much sought after as period Ferrari and Lamborghini contemporaries that have the added benefit of much less costly maintenance bills.
The Iso Grifo A3/L Spider Prototype Shown Here
The car you see here is the only convertible version of the Iso Grifo A3/L that was ever officially made. It was designed by Giugiaro and then built by Bertone as a surprise for Iso management. It was then exhibited at a number of European auto shows on the Bertone stand, most famously at the Geneva Motor Show in 1964.
This vehicle was made as a pair, with the original A3/L prototype coupe, and it shared a number of design cues with its sibling, including the unusual exhaust arrangement, the dual-nostril front fascia, and the angled vents in the rear fenders.
The car was sold into private hands at some point in 1967 where it was registered to David Ellis of New York City. Ellis would later offer the car for sale in the advertisements section in Road & Track magazine.
The 5.7 liter Corvette V8 looks almost small in the long Iso Grifo engine bay. It suffers no shortage of power however, producing 300 bhp and making the Iso Grifo one of the fastest GT cars of its time.
The car would later make its way into the hands of famed collector Greg Garrison, the producer of many successful television shows, most famously the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. Garrison would later sell the car to his friend Rudi Klein, also a highly-regarded collector. Klein would drive the car for a short while before adding it to his extensive “junkyard.”
The whole collection is now being offered for sale, including the Iso Grifo A3/L Spider prototype, which has a price guide of $700,000 – $1,000,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
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